By Stuart Mann

The Mission Shaped Intro course has been completely revamped for a Canadian audience and is being offered again this fall under a new name — “Re-imagining church: shaped for mission.”

The course drew over 200 participants from across the diocese last year and sparked a number of initiatives to share the gospel with those who are not being reached by traditional forms of church.

Based on participants’ feedback, the course has been revised to make it more Canadian (it originated in England) and to make it easier to use by people in their own setting. It has also been reduced from six weeks to five.

“The course is an introduction to missional thinking for those who know not everything is working, but are not sure what it is, how they should think about it, or what might be done about it,” says the Rev. Jenny Andison, the Archbishop’s Officer for Mission. The course is a resource of Fresh Expressions Canada, an initiative of the Institute of Evangelism at Wycliffe College.

Some of the topics include: changes in the culture and how they have affected the church; spiritual resources to respond to the changes, in particular the Gospel and the calling of the church; what it means to be a Christian today, to be a disciple and to make disciples; how some churches have drawn on spiritual resources to respond to the changes; and making it work and using a missional mindset in the local church.

The course is being held in the following locations:

• In York -Credit Valley, at St. John the Baptist, Dixie, 719 Dundas St. E., Mississauga; Wednesday evenings, Oct. 5 to Nov. 9 (not including Nov. 2, All Souls Day), from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., taught by the Rev. Canons Jennifer Read and Al Budzin.
• In York-Scarborough, at St. Andrew, Scarborough, 2333 Victoria Park Ave., Toronto; Monday evenings, Oct.3 to Oct. 31, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., taught by the Rev. Erin Martin.
• In York-Scarborough, at Church of the Transfiguration, Toronto, 111 Manor Rd. E., Toronto; Wednesday evenings, Oct. 12 to Nov.16 (not including Nov. 2, All Souls Day), from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., taught by the Revs. Beth Benson and David Giffen.
• In Trent-Durham, at St. Peter, Cobourg, 240 College St., Cobourg; Thursday evenings, Oct. 13 to Nov. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. , taught by Bishop Linda Nicholls.
• In York-Simcoe, St. Andrew, Alliston, 125 Wellington St. W., Alliston; Monday evenings from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Oct. 31 to Nov. 28, taught by the Rev. Kim McArthur and the Rev. Rachel Parker.

The course costs $50 for individuals. Teams of four or more people can register for $150. Fill out the registration form. For more information on the course, contact the Rev. Jenny Andison.