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Who We Are Blog Series

Who We Are: What is Newbigin

The Newbigin House of Studies has been around for awhile, and is a familiar name to anyone associated with City Church. But what exactly is it? What does it do, and how does it function? We're diving into the world of Newbigin this week as part of our Who We Are blog series.

To start with, the Newbigin House of Studies is named after Lesslie Newbigin, a British theologian and missiologist whose view of The Gospel in a Pluralist Society has profoundly shaped the way many Christians see the work of the gospel. In an increasingly secular culture, the Newbigin House's mission is to provide theological, cultural, and spiritual formation for those interesting in a wise and engaging missional impact.

It's easy for that to sound like so much jargon, but here's what it means in layman's terms: We believe the gospel is good news for the world--for the whole world--so much that we are committed to training people to relate well to God and themselves so that they might then care for the world around them. That's what Newbigin is about. I talked a bit with Christy LaLonde, Newbigin's Administrative Coordinator, about what attracted her to Newbigin.

"One of the things I love is that it's broader than just City Church. We welcome City Church folks, but we also include people from other churches in the Newbigin Fellowship and Master's programs." (More on those in a moment.) "I was a quick convert to urban living, and this model that trains both lay leaders and seminary students in the importance of liturgy, spiritual practices, theology, and mission--and that mission is important whether you're in Africa or San Francisco."

There are two programs housed at Newbigin: The Newbigin Fellowship, and the Masters programs done in partnership with Western Seminary. The Newbigin Fellowship is a nine-month program of personal and spiritual development. The Fellows live and work in the Bay Area, and there is a structure to the way they learn as time goes on: first about the big picture that is our theology and our understanding of the Bible, then with what is true about ourselves and how modernity has influenced our culture today, then we move out, to issues in the world: sexuality, relationships, social justice, faith and science, and so on. We ask questions about what we do now with what we've learned about the Bible and ourselves. And we continue to engage with the city and surrounding areas in a way that is informed by who God is.

The Master of Divinity program is offered via long distance in partnership with Western Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's a unique degree program, in that there are both online and in-person components: You can remain where you are and complete the degree without having to uproot your home, family, or ministry, but you do also get to know your peers through occasional intensives. The degree emphasizes the work of ministry in urban settings, which presents its own series of unique rewards and challenges.

The word "mission" (and its various derivatives) can sound tinny, almost meaningless, once you've been around the church long enough. Our goal with the Newbigin House of Studies is to remain true to the life that Jesus gave to that word. We are committed to helping you live out your theology in the cafe or the pub, in your apartment or at work, so that as Newbigin said, "the life of Jesus is being reproduced in the life of the homes and offices and factories" of the city.

Read More at Who We Are Blog Series

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