Perspectives on the World Christian Movement | World Missions

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is a semester-long, one-night-per-week world missions course that can be taken for personal growth or college credit. It is taught in person at locations across the U.S.A. as well as online. For class schedules and enrollment information, visit the Perspectives study program.

Lesson 8

PowerPoint: Pioneers of the World Christian Movement
Class handout
World Missions History crossword puzzle
Readers' theatre script on Lottie Moon, C.T. Studd, and Hudson Taylor and his three wives

Lesson 12: Christian Community Development

PowerPoint: Christian Community Development
Onions and Wives Case Study
Bible passages on caring for the poor

End-of-Course Integrative Project

This end-of-course project asks students to design a strategy for reaching a people group currently unreached by the Gospel. It applies principles from the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course to a specific cultural context.

Project evaluations will take into account varying availability of information on different people groups and the differing interests and strengths of students. Still, the goal is to demonstrate an ability to recall and apply key course concepts.

Each part of the paper is worth about 15 points, with the timeline receiving slightly more weight.

Part 1 - Why this people now?: Explain the rationale (historical, biblical, and strategic) for focusing on this group. Define its cultural boundaries and restate the case for pioneer work among groups without an indigenous church.; Concepts from Lessons 1–9: Biblical and historical perspectives
Part 2 - Understanding your people: Describe the culture of the chosen group. How will this culture be engaged by your recommended evangelism and church-planting methods?; Concepts primarily from Lesson 10: How shall they hear?
Part 3 - Mobilizing needed missionaries: Identify potential sources of missionaries. What roles are needed for effective relational engagement with this group?; Concepts primarily from Lesson 11: Building bridges of love
Part 4 - Development and resource mobilization: Describe this group’s needs that could open avenues for engagement. What resources could be used to respond to these needs? Creativity and insight are important.; Concepts from the strategic section, especially Lesson 12 on Christian Community Development
Part 5 - Envisioning a multiplying church-planting movement: Describe culturally appropriate responses to the Gospel. What might this movement look like in their context? How might it differ from movements in your sending culture?; Concepts primarily from Lesson 13: Spontaneous multiplication of churches
Part 6 - Putting it all on a timeline: Outline a realistic scenario for starting a culturally relevant church-planting movement. Include potential obstacles and the role of outsiders in sustaining long-term partnerships.; Concepts from Lesson 14: Pioneer church planting

Distractions That Can Cost You Points

Mechanical errors in the paper (proofreading issues involving spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or footnoting)
Weak composition, unclear phrasing, or poor sentence and paragraph structure
Inadequate source documentation. Even if full bibliographic data is unavailable, credit must be given. Credit students must do additional research. A strong bibliography has at least 9 items, preferably 15+. Aim for at least one documented citation per page.

What About Length?

Certificate students: Five pages total (add 1–2 pages per additional team member)
Undergraduates: 10–12 pages total (add 2–3 pages per additional team member)
Graduate students: 16–18 pages total (add 4–5 pages per additional team member)

-- Howard Culbertson, hculbert@gmail.com

Afterword: What Is the "Perspectives" Missions Course About?

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement explores Christianity's global mission. Developed by the U.S. Center for World Mission, it covers the biblical basis of missions, Christian history, cross-cultural communication, contextualization, and modern challenges. Taught by field experts, the course invites participants to think critically about worldviews and global engagement. Through readings, lectures, discussions, and application, participants gain insight and are encouraged to engage in fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission.