Units (Subjects)
See below for the individual units (subjects) currently available. Please go to Courses for information on our undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
We encourage you to contact our registrars to start a conversation about what units might best suit your course. You can find the latest semester timetables here
AQF levels (Australian Qualifications Framework) specify the standards for educational qualifications:
AQF 5 = Foundational undergraduate level
AQF 6 = Advanced undergraduate level
AQF 7 = Advanced undergraduate level + Foundational postgraduate level
AQF 8 = Advanced postgraduate level
AQF 9 = Advanced postgraduate level
AQF 10 = Doctorate postgraduate level
Here's a helpful chart with more AQF levels information
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AQF: 5/7
INTENSIVE
Lecture Week: 20 - 24 April 2020
CH001-512i/712i
Who we are is very much a product of our personal history and experiences. The same can be said of families, people groups, even whole countries. As Christians, we have a shared collective history of thought and experiences that make up who the church is today. Christian History not only helps us to understand ourselves, but it also reminds us how God has sovereignly worked throughout the centuries...
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AQF: 6/7/8, Prerequisite: Old Testament Prophets and Writings
INTENSIVE
Lecture Week: 20 - 24 April 2020
OT016-612i/712i/812i
There's something intriguing and appealing about books like Job, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs. But then they disorient us. The book of Job is sad, Ecclesiastes is sceptical and Proverbs is self-interested. And they don't seem to be about the gospel...
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AQF: 6/7/8, Prerequisite: Jesus and the Gospels
INTENSIVE
Lecture Week: 13 - 17 July 2020
NT008-612i/712i/812i
Luke was a doctor, a theologian, a careful historian and a follower of Jesus – the evangelist who recorded Jesus’ momentous words to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house.” This unit studies the Gospel of Luke in its context as one of the three Synoptic Gospels, considering the question of what kind of writing the Gospels actually are...
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AQF: 8/9
INTENSIVE
Workshops: 13-16 July, 11 September, 20 October 2020
PC020-812i/912i
We live in an era when Christian leadership is intensely challenging. It is more important than ever for leaders to find competent support for effective ministry and personal development. Christian Mentoring is an intentional 1 to 1 ministry that helps good leaders flourish as thoughtful and secure Christian disciples in the midst of the challenges of ministry and life...
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AQF: 5/7
SEMESTER 2 2020
Monday Evening Unit - Northern Beaches Centre
OT002-512/OT002-712
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
'Get Wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.’ (Proverbs 4:7). Would you like to grow in your understanding of the Old Testament’s wisdom and prophecy books? Would you like to deepen your knowledge of God, as well as be equipped with tools for doing your own study and teaching of some of the least read books of the Bible?..
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AQF: 6, Prerequisite: New Testament Greek A
SEMESTER 2 2020
Monday Evening Unit
LA006-612
In this unit we continue our introduction and experience in reading the language in which the New Testament was written. This prepares you to read straightforward parts of the Greek New Testament for yourself, be equipped for consulting New Testament commentaries based on the Greek text and reading books which discuss or refer to Greek words and expressions...
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AQF: 5
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday Evening Unit
NT001-512
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
Being a Christian involves ‘following’ the Lord Jesus, not around Galilee and Judea, but in the course of our daily lives. The four Gospels provide four different records of what Jesus said and did. They are the foundation for knowing and understanding what he has done for us, as well as what he said about God and his will. If we really want to ‘follow’ Jesus, if we really want to be salt and light in our world, then the Gospels need to be our regular reading matter...
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AQF: 6/7/8, Prerequisite: Introduction to Preaching or Preaching I (or equivalent preaching experience)
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday Evening Unit
PC048-612/712/812
In our churches every week there are people wrestling with life’s difficulties. The problems of death, disease, political unrest and terrorism create considerable angst and fear. In today’s church how do we address God’s people dealing with such turmoil? How do we communicate the timeless truths of the gospel and connect them with our broken world? How does Christ make a difference? In what ways do people best hear and understand these truths? How does the Bible speak to our deepest longings?..
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AQF: 6/7/8, Prerequisites: 2x foundational NT/OT units + 1 x CH/TH/PE unit
SEMESTER 2 2020
Wednesday Evening Unit
TH003-612/712/812
There is no more important question in life than, “What must I do to be saved?” The doctrines of grace are concerned with God’s plan of salvation from election through to glorification, through which he brings about his eternal purposes for his creation, and in particular, for those he has chosen by grace to be his people. They also describe how the finished work of Jesus Christ is applied by the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to the believer, who by virtue of their union with Christ, is justified, adopted and perfected to share in his glory...
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AQF: 7
SEMESTER 2 2020
Thursday Evening Unit
NT001-712
**SPECIAL REDUCED AUDIT RATE ON THIS UNIT**
Being a Christian involves ‘following’ the Lord Jesus, not around Galilee and Judea, but in the course of our daily lives. The four Gospels provide four different records of what Jesus said and did. They are the foundation for knowing and understanding what he has done for us, as well as what he said about God and his will. If we really want to ‘follow’ Jesus, if we really want to be salt and light in our world, then the Gospels need to be our regular reading matter...
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AQF: 5
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday Evening Unit
DM022-512
This is a unit of learning and practical skills related to the planning and conduct of effective children’s ministry. Areas of study include: skills and techniques for communicating with children; pastoral care of children and families; children and worship; children’s ministry teams; training children for ministry; group management of children; duty of care requirements...
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AQF: 8/9, Prerequisites: 2 x OT foundational units
INTENSIVE
Lecture Week: 10 - 14 August 2020
OT042-812i/912i + OT205-912i (Capstone)
1 & 2 Samuel are often seen as the most literarily sophisticated books of the Bible. Gripping stories of Samuel, Saul and David combine to describe the dawn of Israel's monarchy. The central character of these stories, however, is God himself. And the goal of recounting Israel's history is made subordinate to the goal of presenting life-changing theology. Ultimately, God's choice of David as king becomes essential background for understanding Jesus as the messiah king...
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AQF: 7/8/9, Prerequisites: 2 x NT foundational units
INTENSIVE
Lecture Week: 7 - 11 September 2020
NT038-712i/812i/912i + NT205-912i(Capstone)
1 & 2 Thessalonians are the somewhat forgotten books of the New Testament. While many are familiar with Paul's letters written to the Romans, Galatians and the church at Corinth, the letters of 1 & 2 Thessalonians are often less familiar. When we examine these shorter letters, however, we quickly discover they are filled with deep truth that is both encouraging and practical...
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AQF: 5/7
INTENSIVE
Lecture Week: 28 September - 3 October 2020
CH002-512i/712i
We can only properly make sense of our present if we understand our past. Our numerous Protestant denominations only make sense if we understand the Reformation of the 16th Century. Whether we identify ourselves as modern or post-modern, we are indebted to the Enlightenment of the 18th Century. Our ability to understand the American Presidential race depends in part on how we well we have grasped the rise of fundamentalism in the 19th Century...
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AQF: 9
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM033-912
This unit will provide participants with an understanding of anthropological concepts and insights as tools for contemporary ministry, especially cross-cultural ministry. In light of this understanding, it will enable participants to exegete the cultural context in which they are serving...
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AQF: 9
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM049-912
This unit will enable participants to investigate the principles of healthy multicultural teamwork, to reflect on their own and others’ experiences of serving in multicultural teams, and to more effectively work as part of a team composed of people from diverse cultural backgrounds...
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AQF: 9
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM039-912
This unit will enable participants to understand the patterns and principles of disciple making and mentoring in the Scriptures and the ways these principles are expressed in various cultures. Building on this understanding, participants will be helped to develop contextually appropriate ways of discipling people in their particular ministry setting...
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AQF: 8
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM012-812
This unit will enable participants to discover a framework of biblical principles that can help guide the practice of church planting in any cultural context. A variety of models of and approaches to church planting will be evaluated for their appropriateness to specific contexts and cultural settings. Stages of pioneer church planting in cross-cultural contexts and ways to address challenges arising in each stage will be explored...
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AQF: 8
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM038-812
This unit will enable participants who are engaged in cross-cultural ministry to understand, reflect on, and think through the personal issues and challenges involved in this ministry. Building on these insights, it will explore principles and resources for responding to these issues and challenges in ways that nurture spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical wellbeing in themselves, their families and their co-workers...
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AQF: 8
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM036-812
This unit will enable participants to enhance their ability to relate well to Muslims, to communicate the gospel and to help the church grow among them in ways that are biblically faithful and culturally relevant. It will do this by deepening participants’ understanding of key themes in Islam, Islamic attitudes towards Christianity, and approaches to evangelism, discipling and church planting among Muslims.
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AQF: 9
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM043-912
This unit explores the Bible’s teaching on the nature of poverty and the way that God’s people are called to love the poor. We will consider models of engagement and assess their appropriateness for a range of contexts...
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AQF: 9
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM052-912
This unit will enable participants to understand the principles of contextualisation in order to construct a framework for approaching contextualisation in any specific cultural context. It will help participants to develop contextualised ways to communicate the gospel in their context as well as contribute to the development of the church...
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AQF: 8
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM020-812
This unit will help participants investigate the theological, philosophical, anthropological, educational and developmental foundations of leadership and leadership development in order to enable participants to engage in the practical challenge of developing leaders in cultures that have different assumptions and worldviews. Models of education and curriculum design for leadership development will also be explored...
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AQF: 8
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM034-812
This unit will enable participants to research local cultural values and approaches to learning, plan responses, and develop curriculum to empathically serve the educational needs of various receptor cultures in which they are situated. The unit introduces postgraduate students to the current approaches to education across boundaries of culture and worldview difference. Students will critically reflect on various approaches and devise strategies that are appropriate to the design and delivery of educational materials allied to their ministry specialisation in cross-cultural contexts...
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AQF: 9
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM069-912
This unit enables students to develop a specialist understanding of the intercultural dynamics that are at play when people from multiple cultures interact and work with each other, wherever they are in the world. Theoretical viewpoints will be evaluated in the light of the authentic voice of interviewees and other data gathered from multicultural contexts. An integrative framework for multicultural engagement that creatively engages with the challenges of intercultural dynamics will be crafted as a guideline for future multicultural ministry...
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AQF: 9
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
EM042-912 Capstone
As part of the assessments in this unit, participants will work together to construct an integrative conceptual map of what they have learned about cross-cultural ministry throughout the SMBC Master of Intercultural Studies course. They will develop a personal professional development plan and prepare a number of items that communicate missiological ideas to others in practical ways...
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AQF: 9
ONLINE
Postgraduate Unit
AS001-912
This unit prepares participants to do a research project. Assessments are focused preparatory steps towards a research project...
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AQF: 6/7/8, Corequisite: OT002-512/712
SEMESTER 2 2020
Monday Daytime Unit
OT022-612/712/812
One morning, Hezekiah looked over the wall of Jerusalem to see that the Assyrian soldiers who were going to destroy the city had dropped dead. Isaiah is a book full of surprises: nations will turn their weapons into farming tools, a virgin will be with child, one day Egypt will be called God’s people, an exalted conqueror can be despised for looking weak and barely human...
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AQF: 6/7/8, Prerequisite: LA004-612, Corequisite: OT002-512/712
SEMESTER 2 2020
Monday Daytime Unit
OT023-612/712/812
One morning, Hezekiah looked over the wall of Jerusalem to see that the Assyrian soldiers who were going to destroy the city had dropped dead. Isaiah is a book full of surprises: nations will turn their weapons into farming tools, a virgin will be with child, one day Egypt will be called God’s people, an exalted conqueror can be despised for looking weak and barely human...
More info
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AQF: 6/7/8
SEMESTER 2 2020
Monday Daytime Unit
EM014-612/712/812
Are you teaching, training, or discipling anyone from a different cultural background than your own? Or do you think you might be in the next few years? If so, this unit is designed to equip you to do this well...
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AQF: 6, Prerequisite: Biblical Hebrew A
SEMESTER 2 2020
Monday Daytime Unit
LA004-612
This unit continues building a solid framework for engaging with Biblical Hebrew texts in their original language. By completing both Biblical Hebrew A (Semester 1) and B, students will be in a position to work directly with the Hebrew scriptures, and to continue translation and exegesis of Old Testament texts. After these units, students will be able to take Old Testament exegesis units in the Hebrew stream...
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AQF: 7
SEMESTER 2 2020
Monday Daytime Unit
OT002-712
'Get Wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.’ (Proverbs 4:7). Would you like to grow in your understanding of the Old Testament’s wisdom and prophecy books? Would you like to deepen your knowledge of God, as well as be equipped with tools for doing your own study and teaching of some of the least read books of the Bible?
More info
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SMBC Certificate level - Prerequisite: Pastoral Theology A
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday Daytime Unit
CT02B
Pastoral Theology seeks to provide students with an overview of the structure and content of Christian theology. In doing so, the focus of the subject is upon the personal impact of the knowledge of God upon the student's mind, heart and life. It is a thought provoking unit seeking to help a student understand the implications of theology for the way they live, with the spiritual formation of the student as its primary goal.
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AQF: 6/7/8
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday Daytime Unit
NT024-612/712/812
Want to explore in more depth the thorny issues raised in Paul's letter to the Corinthians and the theological depth of Hebrews? How did the values in 1st century Corinth impact the Corinthian church and their view of the Christian life and spiritual gifts? Why did the writer to the Hebrews warn them about falling away?..
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AQF: 6/7/8
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday Daytime Unit
NT025-612/712/812
Want to explore in more depth the thorny issues raised in Paul's letter to the Corinthians and the theological depth of Hebrews? How did the values in 1st century Corinth impact the Corinthian church and their view of the Christian life and spiritual gifts? Why did the writer to the Hebrews warn them about falling away?..
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AQF: 6, Prerequisite: New Testament Greek A
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday + Thursday Daytime Unit
LA006-612
Learning to read the New Testament in its original language opens up a richness of understanding of the text. There are fresh insights and nuances that can deepen your love of God's word...
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AQF: 6, Prerequisite: New Testament Greek A
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday + Thursday Daytime Unit
LA006-612
Learning to read the New Testament in its original language opens up a richness of understanding of the text. There are fresh insights and nuances that can deepen your love of God's word...
More info
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AQF: 7
SEMESTER 2 2020
Tuesday Unit
CH002-712
We can only properly make sense of our present if we understand our past. Our numerous Protestant denominations only make sense if we understand the Reformation of the 16th Century. Whether we identify ourselves as modern or post-modern, we are indebted to the Enlightenment of the 18th Century. Our ability to understand the American Presidential race depends in part on how we well we have grasped the rise of fundamentalism in the 19th Century...
More info
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AQF: 6/7/8, Prerequisites: 2x foundational NT/OT units + 1 x CH/TH/PE unit
SEMESTER 2 2020
Wednesday Daytime Unit
TH002-612/712/812
Theology affects all of life. It is intensely practical. It answers the meaning of life questions such as, “Who am I? What is my purpose? How can I live well?” – by stepping back to see the centrality of God himself to our lives and the universe. As Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”...
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AQF: 6/7/8, Prerequisites: 2x foundational NT/OT units + 1 x CH/TH/PE unit
SEMESTER 2 2020
Wednesday Daytime Unit
TH003-612/712/812
There is no more important question in life than, “What must I do to be saved?” The doctrines of grace are concerned with God’s plan of salvation from election through to glorification, through which he brings about his eternal purposes for his creation, and in particular, for those he has chosen by grace to be his people. They also describe how the finished work of Jesus Christ is applied by the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to the believer, who by virtue of their union with Christ, is justified, adopted and perfected to share in his glory...
More info
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SMBC Certificate level
SEMESTER 2 2020
Wednesday Daytime Unit
CM07
God has a global mission! And that means that we, as God’s people, also have a mission. But to know how we fit in, we need to understand what God has done, is doing and will do...
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AQF: 5
SEMESTER 2 2020
Wednesday Daytime Unit
OT002-512
'Get Wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.’ (Proverbs 4:7). Would you like to grow in your understanding of the Old Testament’s wisdom and prophecy books? Would you like to deepen your knowledge of God, as well as be equipped with tools for doing your own study and teaching of some of the least read books of the Bible?
More info
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AQF: 6/7/8, Corequisite: OT002-512/712
SEMESTER 2 2020
Thursday Daytime Unit
OT020-612/712/812
We live in beautiful but broken world, a world full of blessing and loss. In every circumstance, we are called to trust in a God who is sovereign and good, a God who has promised to save and protect his people. How do we respond when our prayers to God go unanswered? How do we live faithfully before God in times of blessing and in times of loss?..
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AQF: 6/7/8, Corequisites: LA004-612, OT002-512/712
SEMESTER 2 2020
Thursday Daytime Unit
OT021-612/712/812
We live in beautiful but broken world, a world full of blessing and loss. In every circumstance, we are called to trust in a God who is sovereign and good, a God who has promised to save and protect his people. How do we respond when our prayers to God go unanswered? How do we live faithfully before God in times of blessing and in times of loss?..
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AQF: 6/7/8
SEMESTER 2 2020
Thursday Daytime Unit
EM026-612/712/812
Are you interested in helping a church, or cluster of churches, come into being where they don’t yet exist, and especially where Christ is not known? This unit will help you develop a biblical framework for church planting. We’ll wrestle with the whys, whats, and hows of starting churches from scratch...
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AQF: 5
SEMESTER 2 2020
Thursday Daytime Unit
TH005-512
"Everyone is a theologian...they just don't know it!" If that's so, then the real question is whether you're doing good or bad theology. Theology absolutely matters. That's because what lies at the heart of life, love and the universe is the reality of the Triune God and his plan to create, redeem and perfect the world he has made for his glory...
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AQF: 6/7/8
SEMESTER 2 2020
Thursday Daytime Unit
PC003-612/712/812
Christian ministry is grounded in God’s love for people in the gospel of Jesus Christ. That means Christian ministry is necessarily about loving and caring for people, so that they love, trust and look to Christ. Ministry to people can be challenging at the best of times, and especially when people are faced with crisis such as relationship breakdown, death, mental illness or domestic violence...
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AQF: 5
SEMESTER 2 2020
Friday Unit
CH002-512
We can only properly make sense of our present if we understand our past. Our numerous Protestant denominations only make sense if we understand the Reformation of the 16th Century. Whether we identify ourselves as modern or post-modern, we are indebted to the Enlightenment of the 18th Century. Our ability to understand the American Presidential race depends in part on how we well we have grasped the rise of fundamentalism in the 19th Century...
More info
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AQF: 6/7/8
SEMESTER 2 2020
Friday Unit
EM021-612/712/812
2.5 billion people in the world follow Islam or Buddhism. Perhaps God has given you an interest in helping Muslims or Buddhists find Jesus?..
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AQF: 6/7/8
SEMESTER 2 2020
Friday Unit
EM060-612/712/812
Our God is a God of mission. The gospel is for people of every nation, tribe and tongue, in Australia and to the ends of the earth. We all affirm it but how should it impact our lives and our churches here? Should we just focus on our own neighbourhood and let others work out the rest? What does it look like to faithfully serve God’s global mission at home? What is our role locally and further afield?..
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