Welcome to Wycliffe College

Please Note: The course syllabi are not necessarily the final versions and the instructors are not bound to them. They are offered in good faith and intended as helpful guides to students.

Fall 2012

WYP1615HF - Poverty, Development & Transformation I: Introduction to Global & Local Issues, Power & Players
This course is Part I of an introduction and overview to the issues and practices of community development, as practised locally and internationally. It contributes to students' understanding of the field's global dimensions, as well as the knowledge, attitudes and skills required for effective local engagement. Worldviews, approaches and actors are explored, as are the patterns and lenses of several Christian perspectives. Understanding is built around the nature and dynamics of poverty and power, and their relationships to the spectrum of community development approaches and practices, along with the roles of international agencies, governments, NGOs, churches and other players in working with the marginalized and vulnerable. Evaluation includes papers, reflection, research, participation and term project. Tutorial from 9:30 - 11:30 am on alternative Fridays.
Schedule: Friday, 9:00 to 13:00
Schedule Notes: Sept. 14, 28, Oct. 12, Nov. 2, 16, 30
Instructors: David Kupp
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: First Semester · One Credit


WYP1617HF - Community-Based Assessment and Design
Residents of urban at-risk communities often have ministry done to them by well-meaning people. Organizations (non-proftis, churches, government, etc.) swoop in with money, people and resources and tell the community what they need. Playgrounds are erected overnight, murals painted over, or gardens appear without anyone asking the people who live there what they want. The message that no one listens is reinforced in their minds. God's concept of "shaolm" is not one of doing to people but one of inviting people to participate in their own community development. Students in this course will develop the skills necessary to engage a local community. This approach is guided through the development tools of community assessment (listening to the community) and project design, monitoring and evaluation (responding with the coomunity to a limitation). At the end of this course students will have the skills necessary to involve the community in its own restoration.
Schedule: Tuesday, 14:00 to 16:00
Instructors: W. Clayton Rowe
Teaching Methods: Lectures
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: First Semester · One Credit


WYP2301HF - Basics of Preaching
The student will develop a theological framework regarding the character and place of preaching in the life of a local Church. This includes the place of the Church within the mission of God, the importance of analyzing and engaging with the way culture shapes the local community, and the understanding of what it means to be faithful to God in the way we handle the biblical text. The student will also learn to identify and implement the basic skills that are foundational to preaching. Weekly reading, listening to sermons by a variety of preachers, class participation, preparation, delivery and critique of sermons. Tutorial 11-12.
Schedule: Tuesday, 9:00 to 11:00
Instructors: Peter Robinson
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: First Semester · One Credit


WYP2527HF - Basics of Pastoral Care
This course introduces students to the basics of effective, ethically responsible pastoral care. Students will be provided opportunities to improve their interpersonal self-awareness, and to understand the differences between pastoral care and pastoral counseling. The course is offered in seminar format, supported with readings and experiential skills training exercises. Grades are based on a set of written assignments and audio/video taped role-played demonstrations of the basic skills of pastoral care taught through the experiential exercises. Tutorial 11-12.
Schedule: Friday, 9:00 to 11:00
Instructors: Wanda Malcolm
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: First Semester · One Credit · Min: 10 · Max: 20


WYP2546HF - Personal Wellness: Care of Self for Care of Others
Personal wellness builds and replenishes the inner resources that sustain our efforts to care for others. This course is designed to assist students to recognize, understand and practice the kind of holistic personal wellness that is essential to effective ordained or lay ministry. The course is process oriented and supported by readings and written self-reflection assignments. Completion of assignments, regular attendance and participation in class discussions are all mandatory components of this pass/fail course.
Schedule: Wednesday, 9:00 to 11:00
Instructors: Wanda Malcolm
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: First Semester · One Credit · Max: 12


WYP2618HF - Gospel, Church & Culture
This course will consider definitions of Gospel, church and culture, and some of the different ways Christians have historically understood the relationship between the three. We will consider worldviews as a tool for understanding cultures, and look specifically at what the shift from modernity to postmodernity means for the church and its mission. The course will include Biblical material, reference to the experience of overseas missionaries, and expressions of contemporary culture such as movies. These will form the backdrop for discussion about what it means to be a missional church in contemporary North America.Lectures, guest speakers, class discussion. Evalutions: book reports, journal, movie report, paper.
Schedule: Tuesday, 19:00 to 21:00
Instructors: John P. Bowen
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: First Semester · One Credit


WYP2620YY - Mission Shaped Ministry - CANCELLED 2012/09/10
The course is a ministry-based practical orientation to the ministry of church planting and fresh expressions of church. The curriculum includes material on spiritual formation for pioneering ministry; elements of missiology, ecclesiology and cultural exegesis; and how to begin, sustain and bring to maturity a fresh expression of church. This course is a part of Wycliffe's new M.Div. "pioneer stream". It is adapted from the course used in several seminaries in the UK as part of the Church of England's training for "Ordained Pioneer Ministries". This is in turn a part of the Fresh Expressions initiative of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. Requirements: placement, field reports, class participation, reading, book reports, essay.
Schedule: Thursday, 9:00 to 11:00
Instructors: Connie denBok, John P. Bowen
Teaching Methods: Lectures
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Full Year · Two Credits


WYP2636HF - Rooted in God: Personal Prayer as the Soil of Ministry
This course focuses on personal contemplative prayer as essential for our relationship with God and the soil out of which healthy and effective ministry grows. The course covers Biblical teaching on prayer; the contemplative tradition arising from the early desert fathers and mothers; spirituality, theology and psychology of prayer; and various Christian traditions of prayer including lectio divina, Ignatian prayer, other forms of scripture prayer, centering prayer, Christian meditation, and the awareness examen.The course concludes with suggestions for planting and growing a prayer-based parish ministry. Lectures, small group and plenary sharing, and practicum. Two reflection papers and a final paper designing a course to be taught in a ministry seeting. Also self-evaluation based on a learning covenant which includes a daily prayer requirement. This course will be held at St. John's Convent, 223 Cummer Ave., North York.
Schedule: Saturday, 9:00 to 15:00
Schedule Notes: Sept. 15, Sept. 29, Oct. 27, Nov. 17, Dec. 8
Instructors: Sr. Constance Joanna Gefvert
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: First Semester · One Credit · Max: 20


Winter 2013

WYP1609HS - Community Development:The Art of Facilitation and Workshop Design CANCELLED 07/01/13
At the core of every community developer is a commitment to transformational teaching which unleashes with in people the competencies to change their local community. Individual and group learning is possible when community members are treated with respect, fell sage to explore new ideas and can readily apply new learning to their present context. Base on both the theory and practice of adult learning and the biblical principle of discipleship, participants will step closer to peace and well-being.
This course is also valuable for lay and ordained leaders in the church who may be called to lead adult Christian education courses, focus groups or other organizational meetings.
Schedule: Tuesday, 14:00 to 16:00
Instructor: W. Clayton Rowe
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit

WYP1610HS - Leading Missional Congregations
Exploration of leadership and ministry in the context of a theological understanding of the nature of the Church and the scope of its ministry. Weekly readings, class participation, critical review assignments, book review, major paper. Tutorial 2-3 pm.
Schedule: Thursday, 11:00 to 13:00
Instructors: Peter Robinson
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit


WYP1616HS  - Poverty, Development & Transformation II: Introduction to Global & Local Issues, Power & Players
This course is Part 2 of an introduction and overview to the issues and practices of community development, as practised locally and internationally. It continues to develop students' knowledge, attitudes and skills as required for effective local and global engagement. Contemporary issues and subjects are explored across the international development spectrum, as viewed through the patterns and lenses of several Christian perspectives. Students engage in an overview of possible approaches to theology and development, and review the sectoral, technical and thematic challenges faced by development facilitators in a range of settings. Evaluation includes papers, reflection, research participation and term project. Prerequisite: WYP1615HF (Poverty, Development & Transformation Part 1). Tutorial 9:30 - 11:30 on alternative Fridays.
Schedule: Friday, 9:00 to 13:00
Schedule Notes: Jan. 11, 25, Feb. 8, Mar. 1, 15, 29
Instructors: David Kupp
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit


WYP2210HS - Monastic & Missional: Benedict's Ancient-Future Spirituality
St. Benedict's "Little Rule", written in the fourth century, is the primary source of Anglican spirituality, liturgy and ecclesiology. Since the mid-twentieth century it has had a profound influence on the "New Monasticism", Fresh Expressions, and the Emergence movement. The course will examine the historical roots of Benedictine spirituality in the desert tradition, the spread of the Benedictine tradition across Europe and the British Isles, the clash between the Roman Benedictine tradition and Celtic spirituality, the profound influence of Benedictine liturgy during the English Reformation especially in the shaping of the Book of Common Prayer, and the influence of Benedict's Rule on the development of Anglican and ecumencial religious communities. As we follow the tradition into the 20th and 21st centuries we will examine the increasing interest in Benedictine monastic spirituality among lay people, and the evolution of monastic life into the "mixed economy" of traditional and emerging "new monastic" communities and fresh expressions of monasticism. Slide lectures, small group and plenary discussion. Reflection papers, research paper.
Schedule: Tuesday, 19:00 to 21:00
Instructors: Sr. Constance Joanna Gefvert
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit · Max: 25


WYP2301HS - Basics of Preaching - Online Course
The student will develop a theological framework regarding the character and place of preaching in the life of a local Church. This includes the place of the Church within the mission of God, the importance of analyzing and engaging with the way culture shapes the local community, and the understanding of what it means to be faithful to God in the way we handle the biblical text. The student will also learn to identify and implement the basic skills that are foundational to preaching. Weekly reading, listening to sermons by a variety of preachers, class participation, preparation, delivery and critique of sermons.
Schedule: · Begins: · Ends:
Instructors: Annette Brownlee
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit


WYP2619HS - Cross-Cultural and Multi-Cultural Ministry
There is great interest in the contemporary Church in the challenge to minister across cultural lines, especially in more pluralistic settings. This course endeavors to apply insight from key moments in the history of Christian mission for the sake of such a contemporary pastoral approach. The course will accomplish this by surveying theories of culture, considering chapters in mission history, and by identifying strategies for current and future cross-cultural ministries. The course will include lectures, case-studies, presentations,and field trips. Students will be evaluated based on participation, book reports, and a term paper.
Schedule: Irregular · Begins: · Ends:
Schedule Notes: January 12, January 19, January 26,  February 2, February 9 and February 16.
Instructors: Patrick Yu, George R. Sumner
Teaching Methods: Lectures
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit


WYP2672HS - Ministry of Evangelism
An introduction to the theology and practice of evangelism in contemporary society. We will look critically at different evangelistic practices in light of scripture and culture, and consider how healthy evangelism might affect leadership, parish life, worship, preaching, lay ministry, outreach programs and personal relationships. Requirements include book reviews, field work, and an integrative paper.
Schedule: Tuesday, 11:00 to 13:00
Instructors: John P. Bowen
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit


WYP2701HS - Politics, Planning and Parishes: Making the Most of Church Facilities - CANCELLED 2012/12/06
Urban congregations exist within a community where all land uses are coordinated through official plans to ensure the future provision for all land uses, infrastructure and services for the community. Urban parish leadership must know how to engage both these documents and the political processes that shape the urban form and are the context for all urban ministry. This course will examine and explain the political, physical and social context of an urban parish church ministry and the processes and polity of their urban community. Extensive use will be made of examples, and the class will have the opportunity to meet and interview experienced professionals and politicians in the local political and planning scene. The course will include at least one major case study, involving field work, of an existing urban congregation with a report to be prepared outlining opportunities and challenges for the congregation. The course will use lectures, case studies, interviews, site visits and seminars. Participants will be evaluated through their class participation, a documented case study and a final examination.
Schedule: Monday, 14:00 to 16:00
Instructors: George R. Sumner
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit

WYP3456HS  -Teaching as Formation in the Life of the Church - NEW TIME
This course will explore a broad understanding of teaching in the church which not only incorporates a wide variety of methods and practices but grapples with the relationship between knowledge and character formation.  We will engage with the place and role of continuing education (catechesis) primarily for adults in the context of the life, witness and mission of the local church community.  This discussion will be framed within the context of what it means to be human and how God’s self- revelation shapes and forms us in the church.  The course will include lectures, class interaction and class presentations.  Evaluation will be based on class participation, readings, a written assessment of a local church community, a final written assignment.
Schedule: Monday, 14:00 to 16:00
Instructors: Peter Robinson
Course Syllabus: Click here to see the course syllabus
Other Information: Second Semester · One Credit