Mobile College

The college that comes to you!

Morling College offers a variety of 4-session subjects taught by our Faculty at your church one night a week for four weeks or taught over a weekend. For rural areas we recommend a weekend session, but the month-long treatment usually works in the Sydney metro area. Due to the commitments of Faculty, we cannot guarantee the availability of every course but will do our best to accommodate you.

Courses include Bible, Theology, Spiritual Formation, Pastoral Care, Mission, Discipling and Mentoring, Evangelism, Preaching, Leadership, Ethics and Christian Education.

NEW TESTAMENT:
Using the New Testament Theologically - Rev Dr Brian Powell   
You might not think you are a theologian, but choosing how to approach issues such as prayer, baptism and membership, spiritual gifts, healing, demons and exorcism, the ministry of women, sexual ethics, marriage and divorce (just to name a few) all involve theological reflection; and the New Testament tends to be the basis of that reflection.  This course teaches you how to use the New Testament appropriately in addressing such questions, and allows for extrensive discussion of specific issues chosen by the class.

1 Corinthians & Today’s Church  - Rev Dr Brian Powell
In 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses several issues that are just as relevent to us today as they were in Corinth. This course will allow for a thorough discussion of Paul’s views on such areas as the place of knowledge & wisdom, division & disputes in the church, sexual morality, marriage & divorce, the role of women, spiritual gifts, patterns of  worship.

OLD TESTAMENT:
A Man After God’s Heart  - Rev Dr Phill Marshall
Many Christians think of King David as someone who slew Goliath and became a famous king; but this man was no G-rated hero. This course gives you the opportunity to take a close look at a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22) who expanded the borders of Israel, foreshadowed the kingship of Jesus, struggled as a husband and father, man & ruler, and knew how to throw himself on the mercy of God.

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THEOLOGY:
The Holy Spirit & His Work  - Rev Dr Ross Clifford
The person of the Holy Spirit – is he really God & personal? Is it OK to worship the Holy Spirit? What do the Bible & our hymns etc say? We will also address the works & gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the controversial gifts

The Resurrection - Rev Dr Ross Clifford
Here we consider how we can develop an argument for the truth of the resurrection. Then we ask what difference the resurrection makes to lives, ethics & how we view the world. We see that for the Bible the resurrection is essential for understanding forgiveness of sin, the power of God in our lives & future hope.

The Second Coming - Rev Dr Ross Clifford
This course considers the biblical material, the signs, different views about rapture/millennium. The impact the second coming makes on our discipleship & how to share the second coming are considered. Contemporary issues such as reincarnation/near death experiences & the second coming are also addressed.

Gospel 101 -  Rev David Starling
If the gospel is about the things that are ‘of first importance’ for us as Christians, it matters that we continually remind one another of these things and periodically refresh and deepen our understanding of them.  This course examines what the Bible writers mean when they speak of ‘the gospel’, and aims to give added clarity and content to what we mean when we speak about a ‘gospel-centred’ life and a ‘gospel-centred’ church.

The Trinity & the Christian Life  - Rev David Starling           
Christians say they believe in one God in three Persons, but we often have trouble telling others what we mean by that and explaining the difference the Trinity makes in our lives.  This course explores the impact of trinitarian Christianity on every aspect life as God’s children in the world.

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MISSION:
Local Church and Global Mission - Rev Dr Phill Marshall
How can we follow Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all nations when God has called us to stay in Australia?  How can the local church get involved in what God is doing throughout the world? This course will look at how missionary-minded church members can inspire and motivate others through projects like People-group adoption. We will also get specific and practical about how to support missionary personnel.

Mission Perspectives - Rev Dr Phill Marshall
Everything there is to know about mission in four days! You will examine mission from four angles - biblical, historical, cultural and strategic. You will leave with a solid understanding of what the Bible says about mission; what has God been doing in the past; the impact of cultural context on mission; and how the church can carry out its mission in a changing world.

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PASTORAL CARE AND SPIRITUAL FORMATION:
Pastoral Care and Small Groups  - Rev Dr John Reid (Semester 1 only)
This course seeks to explore the meaning of pastoral care. In so doing it consults scriptural principles & Bible images that inform pastoral care practice. The course is highly  interactive. After exploring some of the basics we seek to understand the stages of the human journey & ways we can meaningfully care for men & women, boys & girls on that journey.

Patterns for Spiritual Formation - Rev Dr John Reid  (Semester 1 only)
This course looks at biblical patterns for  spirituality. It seeks to highlight the distinctive components & disciplines of Christian spirituality dealing with subjects like Bible reading & reflection, prayer, solitude, contemplation, living simply, loyalty, obedience & accountability before God. Corporate disciplines to do with prayer, worship, confession, guidance & discernment (or a selection of these) are also studied.

Spiritual Retreat Weekends - Rev Dr John Reid  (Semester 1 only)
John Reid, lecturer in Patterns for Spiritual Formation, wrote his doctoral dissertation and project on Mid Life Male Spirituality in Australia.  John is both a pastoral carer and spiritual director and in 2010 will again facilitate two-day spiritual retreats at his and wife Janice’s home at Rouse Hill in North Western Sydney. Four dates are available for persons interested in setting aside some time to focus on being with God: Dates to be advised.
The retreats will feature a balance between biblical and pastoral input and time out for individuals.  Meals during the day will be provided for groups of up to twelve persons. Overnight accommodation is not included.  Couples and groups from your church are welcome to come together.  
Rouse Hill is green and has flourishing gardens with Caddies Creek flowing through it.  There are plenty of spaces for people to sit and savour the environment or enjoy one of the many walking tracks if you wish to walk while praying.   The Reid’s enjoy hosting people in their home and garden and will be glad to share something of themselves with the participants who hunger and thirst for a closer walk with God.  
Spiritual Retreat weekends will cost $60 per person or $700 for a group of 12 and includes supper Friday night, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea on both Saturday and Sunday.   Friday evenings: 7.30pm for 8pm start; Saturday: 9am-5pm and Sunday: 9am - 3pm.

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DISCIPLING/MENTORING:
Discipling/Mentoring  - Dr Sylvia Collinson 
Jesus’ call to his disciples was to go and “make disciples”, but how do we do that today?   Together we will explore how Jesus nurtured his disciples by both formal and informal methods. The wider New Testament will be examined to discover what happened in the early church. Evidence will be gathered as to the effectiveness of these processes, and ways of implementing them for children, youth and adults in our church today.

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LEADERSHIP:
Working in Teams  - Rev Dr Graham Hill
This is the workshop for church & ministry leaders, who are endeavouring to enhance their effectiveness in working in teams. It covers such issues as healthy team formation, establishing mutual core values, ministry descriptions, ongoing team development, healthy communication patterns & decision-making principles.

Christian Leadership & Management - Rev Dr Graham Hill
An introduction to the principles & dynamics of Christian leadership within a church or organisational/ mission setting. The Course includes Biblical principles of leadership, defining leadership & appropriate styles for different situations & people. The course can be designed for the leadership training of volunteers, lay ministry leaders, church staff, and/or pastors.

Leadership development and disciple-making – Rev Dr Graham Hill
What is a disciple of Jesus Christ? What are the core commitments, practices and sacrifices of a disciple? How do we understand the relationship between Christian leadership and fully committed discipleship to Jesus Christ? This course looks at how leadership development and disciple-making has changed in contemporary culture, offering insights into the latest approaches to identifying, developing and releasing leaders and disciples. Offers practical and strategic tools, resources and methods to help you develop a disciple-making and leadership developing culture in your church.

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ETHICS:
Christian Ethics: A Biblical Framework  -  Rev Rod Benson
We face many complex and controversial issues as we seek to live as God’s people in the world. Often we try to deal with these issues one by one, without looking at the big picture. This subject provides an overview of biblical ethics, discusses the authority and use of Scripture in ethical decision-making, and examines how the Bible speaks to selected ethical issues. If you wish, you can nominate the issues you’d like to discuss.

Ethics, Philosophy and the Real World - Rev Rod Benson
Are you passionate about ethical issues, but would like to explain your views more coherently? Or a friend has a different perspective, and you can’t understand why? Or you’d just like to discover what ethics is all about? This subject outlines the major philosophical frameworks that underlie our ethical convictions and decisions, and examines selected ethical issues in the light of these. If you wish, you can nominate the issues you’d like to discuss.

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PREACHING:
Expository Preaching Workshop - Rev Tim MacBride and Rev Dr Andrew Sloane

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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION:
Teaching as a Christian – Do you teach in any way in your church? - This course is designed to help parents, Sunday school teachers, youth group leaders or any other person in a congregation teach more Biblically.  The four weeks will explore the teaching and learning relationship from a Christian view of the heart, head, hands and habits. 

Building Community – how is it that when people get together, they often tend to become harsh controlling type people, or political creatures that play favourites?  This course explores Biblical principles for community building, and the nature of the excesses which we can tend towards.  This workshop based course is ideal for those in leadership of any group of people in a local church.

Basic People Helping – what can I do to when people come to me for help?  - This course is an introduction to the Biblical principles of people helping.  It will provide members of a local congregation a taste of what it might be like for them to journey with someone more deeply in a way that cares for each other’s soul.    The course reviews the concept of soul care and its Biblical principles in order to give those interested in lay counselling an introduction to the area.

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Feel free to download our Mobile College brochure or call Jenny Godfrey or Benita Clark, Marketing Managers on (02) 9878 0201.