CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

Certificate in Missional Theology & Practice


What is God's mission and what's our role in it?

These are the two main questions we will explore in our certificate in missional theology and practice.


This two-semester program includes the following courses: 


Together with a group of fellow learners, you will meet weekly over the course of two semesters to discover how the biblical story reveals God's mission to save God's world through Jesus Christ. You will also read through the entire Bible, learning how it unfolds as a literary masterpiece that draws us to Jesus and equips us for his mission. We'll then challenge each other to put what we've learned into practice through intentional, missional living.


Completing both courses in two semesters will require a time commitment of approximately 6 hours per week. This includes attending the weekly group meeting and setting aside an average of four hours per week for reading, reflection, and other assignments.


Tuition is $350 per semester

Fall Semester 2025


DRAMA OF SCRIPTURE COURSE

  • Mondays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm  (Aug 18 - Nov 17, 2025)
  • Thursdays, 3:15 - 5:00 pm (Aug 21 - Nov 20, 2025)


SYMPHONY OF MISSION COURSE

  • Thursdays, 8:30 - 10:30 am (Aug 21 - Nov 20, 2025)
  • 
A P P L Y

Course Descriptions

COURSE 1 • THE DRAMA OF SCRIPTURE

The Church’s missionary mandate does not merely rest on the Great Commission passages alone. Rather, the whole Bible itself is a missional phenomenon. It is both the product of and witness to God’s redemptive mission. So “mission”  is not just one item on a list of things that the Bible is about. It’s what it’s all about. The reason we have the Bible is that the Triune God is on a mission to reveal himself and his salvation to the world. From beginning to end, it is an epic story of God’s mission through God’s people to save God’s world. This story finds its focus and fulfillment in the good news of Jesus Christ. As we digest God’s story, we will discover how it stands in stark contrast to the rival idolatrous stories being told in our contemporary setting and how it truly is a better story. 


The primary texts for this course are the Bible and
The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story (3rd Edition) by Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen. We will also watch a number of Bible Project videos that demonstrate how "the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus."


During this course, you follow a Bible reading plan that sets you on pace to read through the entire Bible by the time you complete the Symphony of Mission course.


This course is offered in the Fall and Spring semesters and is a prerequisite for the Symphony of Mission course in this certificate program.


COURSE 2 • THE SYMPHONY OF MISSION

In this course, we will examine the comprehensiveness of God’s mission and the honor of joining him in it. Regardless of our station in life, we can join him in restoring all things. We will explore the relationship between “mission,” which refers to the comprehensiveness of God’s restoration, and “missions,” which refers to taking that mission to every tongue, tribe, and nation. We’ll learn how every local church and every believer can cultivate habits that join us integrally with taking the message and power of the gospel to our neighbors and the nations. Toward the end of this course, you will tie everything together in a personalized missional plan. 


The primary texts for this course are the Bible and
The Symphony of Mission: Playing Your Part in God's Work in the World by Michael Goheen and Jim Mullins. We will also explore other content to help us find our role in God's mission.


During this course, you complete the Bible reading plan begun in the Drama of Scripture course.


This course is offered in the Fall and Spring semesters.


Our Commitment

Our commitment to you is to guide you through the course, facilitate the weekly group discussions, provide feedback on your work, and coach you to put into practice what you are learning. Most of this will happen in the context of the group meetings and we will all be learning from one another. 


Your Commitment

Each course involves commitment. Your presence and participation in the weekly group times, as well as your completion of the assignments, will affect not only your own experience but also that of others. Commitment to each course involves an average of 6 hours/week of time set aside to: 

  • Participate in the weekly group times (2 hours/week)
  • Complete the assignments (~4 hours/week). Weekly assignments include:
  • Assigned reading (or listening) from the course book and Bible 
  • Written responses to reflection questions based on the reading
  • Keep up with the Bible reading plan (~20 minutes/day)
  • Quizzes on the Bible Project Videos
  • Assignments aimed at putting what you learned into practice
  • Tuition is $350 per semester

2025 - 2026 CORS Academic & Event Calendar

DATE TIME PROGRAM EVENT VENUE
T, July 29 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Student Orientation & Graduate Studies Workshops  CORS Office
TH, July 31 6 pm - 8 pm MDiv & MA CORS Back to School BBQ Pates Home
T, Aug 5 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA First Day of Quarter 1 Classes  Good Shepherd Anglican
M, Aug 18 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Part One First Class CORS Office
TH, Aug 21 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Part One First Class CORS Office
F, Aug 29 12 pm - 1 pm Staff & Faculty Faculty Meeting Auburn Grace Chinese Christian Church
T, Sept 23 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Last Class of Quarter 1 Classes 
W Oct 1 - 12 MDiv, MA & Certificate Fall Break (No Classes)
M, Oct 13 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Part Two First Class CORS Office
T, Oct 14 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA First Day of Quarter 2 Classes Good Shepherd Anglican
TH, Oct 16 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Part Two First Class CORS Office
M, Nov 17 6:30pm - 8:30pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Last Class CORS Office
TH, Nov 20 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Last Class CORS Office
T, Nov 25 Students, Staff & Faculty Thanksgiving Break (No Classes)
W Nov 26 - 28 Staff CORS Office Closed- Thanksgiving Break
T, Dec 9 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Last Class of Quarter 2 Classes 
W Dec 17 - Jan 12 MDiv, MA & Certificate Winter Break (No Classes)
W Dec 24 - Jan 2 Staff CORS Office Closed- Christmas Break
T, Jan 13 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA First Day of Quarter 3 Classes TBD
M, Jan 19  Staff CORS Office Closed- MLK Jr Day 
M, Jan 26 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Part One First Class CORS Office
TH, Jan 29 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Part One First Class CORS Office
F, Feb 20 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Students, Staff, Faculty & Public Annual Celebration Banquet Cornerstone Church
T, Mar 3 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Last Class of Quarter 3 Classes TBD
F Mar 4 - 22 Students, Staff & Faculty Spring Break (No Classes)
M, Mar 23 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Part Two First Class CORS Office
T, Mar 24 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA First Day of Quarter 4  TBD
TH, Mar 26 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Part Two First Class CORS Office
F, April 3 Staff CORS Office Closed- Good Friday
M, April 27 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Certificate Drama of Scripture Last Class CORS Office
TH, April 30 8:30 am - 10:30 am Certificate Symphony of Mission Last Class CORS Office
T, May 12 8 am - 5 pm MDiv & MA Last Day of Quarter 4  TBD
TH, May 14 5 pm - 6 pm Graduating Class & Staff Graduation Practice Covenant Presbyterian
TH, May 14 6 pm - 8 pm Graduating Class & Staff Graduates Dinner Covenant Presbyterian
S, May 16 10:00 am Students, Faculty, Staff & Public Graduation Covenant Presbyterian
F, July 31 11:59 pm Graduating Class Practicum Core Competencies Due