ocms prospectus 2015 - 2016

oxford centre for mission studiesst. philip & st. James church

Woodstock road, oxford, oX2 6Hr, united Kingdom email: ocms@ocms.ac.uktel: (+44) 01865 556 071

WeLcome to ocms!

For over three decades, OCMS has stood out as a unique research community dedicated to training a new generation of mission scholars, church leaders, and development practitioners from around the world. By working with global leaders and scholars from over 40 countries, OCMS is helping to address, through research, the diverse and complex challenges facing the global South.

Our academic programmes predominantly focus on the impact of faith based organisations and the Christian Church on development issues in the Global South, though we do have several students undertaking theological research. We have over 120 postgraduate students, and were recently ranked 5th in the world and 2nd in the UK for Ph.Ds focused on mission work.

OCMS is a partner institution of Middlesex University. As a leading research university, Middlesex University has built upon its excellent reputation for quality assurance to establish sound theological scholarship in on-going partnerships with London School of Theology, Oak Hill Theological College and now OCMS. We are honoured to work alongside Middlesex University in the development of rigorous, relevant, and creative cutting-edge research on Global Christianity especially from the perspective of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

In light of this, we encourage you to carefully read through this prospectus and consider whether our programme is right for you. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or queries regarding

our programmes, or if you simply wish to learn more about us. The door to OCMS is always open to those who wish to visit us so that we can introduce you to our unique and vibrant community here in Oxford.

I look forward to welcoming you to OCMS in the near future.

Wonsuk MaExecutive Director

ocms AcADemIc proGrAmme

OCMS’ Research Degree Programme is set in the ethos of a Christian research centre that exists to serve, equip and empower the global Church and its future leadership. OCMS welcomes diversity, and recognises the contributions to the achievement of its educational purposes that can be made by individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. OCMS is a joint collaborative partner institution of Middlesex University and has been granted institutional approval to deliver the OCMS Research Degree Programme, which leads to the qualification of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) or Master of Philosophy (MPhil) awarded by Middlesex University.

Due to the truly global nature of OCMS, many of our students are part time and spend limited periods at OCMS studying. Therefore, it is vital that our students are able to work on their own initiative and motivate themselves. Full time students are expected to complete their Ph.Ds within five years of registering on the Ph.D stage, and for part time students this is extended to seven.

The OCMS academic programme consists of three stages – the OCMS Stage, MPhil Stage, and the Ph.D Stage.

ocms stage

All our students begin in the OCMS Stage, which includes the Research Induction School (RIS), a one-month long intensive programme focused on giving our students the tools they need to carry out world-class research. The RIS takes places twice a year, in Spring and Autumn, and is designed to introduce new students to the OCMS and Oxford communities. This is also an opportunity for new students to develop their personal research through the introduction of various research methodologies, and the use of online libraries and Internet resources, along with an introduction to the OCMS library and the Bodleian libraries. Once the RIS is complete, students will then undertake a more focused approach to personal research and developing a proposal through independent reading and meeting with their tutors and advisors. This stage is designed to help students make the transition to the UK higher education system, and prepare them for their own research and fieldwork.

The OCMS Stage begins from the point of admission to OCMS until registration with Middlesex University, a process that ordinarily lasts for between 12 and 18 months.

mphil stage

Once a student completes the OCMS Stage, with the approval of their tutor and the Academic Dean, they are then moved to the MPhil Stage. This Stage involves producing an original piece of written work derived from their research and demonstrating a sufficient level of research skills development to satisfy their supervisory team and an independent assessor that they have the potential to complete a thesis of Ph.D standard within the registration period. The MPhil Stage concludes with a formal review process for transfer of registration to Ph.D.

In the case of students who are registered for the MPhil degree as their target award this Stage involves research leading to submission of a thesis for examination. To be awarded the degree of MPhil, candidates are expected to have investigated critically and evaluated an approved topic, and contributed to knowledge of this topic. The candidate must have demonstrated an understanding of research methods appropriate to the chosen field, and presented and defended a thesis by oral examination to the satisfaction of the examiners.

Applications to transfer from MPhil to Ph.D can be submitted 24 months after registration for part-time students and 12 months after registration for full-time students. The length of an MPhil thesis should not exceed 40,000 words. Full-time students take between 1½ and 3 years to complete their MPhil, and part-time students have between 2 ½ and 4 years to complete their degree.

ph.D stage

Students have the option of progressing to the Ph.D stage once they have completed the MPhil stage. This stage is a continuation of the MPhil stage and will result in the student producing an original piece of written work which is designed to make a significant contribution to their field of research.

A vital component of an OCMS Ph.D is the Dean’s Review, which is ordinarily held between the date a student registers on this stage, and the

minimum submission date for a Ph.D thesis. This is a formal review of progress and allows the Academic Dean and relevant faculty members to make an informed decision on the progress of the student. This is then followed by a formal pre-viva held between three and six months before the submission of the Ph.D

thesis, and finally by the viva voce oral examination by the Examining Board. At this point corrections or modifications may need to be made to the thesis in order for successful completion of the Ph.D.

The length of a Ph.D thesis should not normally exceed 80,000 words. Full-time students ordinarily take between 3 and 5 years to complete their Ph.D, and part-time students have between 5 and 7 years to submit their thesis for examination.

middlesex university

The institutional partnership with Middlesex University brings a wealth of learning opportunities to OCMS students. You will have access to an extensive catalogue of resources, including 350,000 books and e-books and over 24,000 online journals. In addition to this, OCMS students enrolled on the MPhil or Ph.D stage also have borrowing and visiting rights at the MU library, access to research seminars and lectures, sports facilities and MU social events.

The academic management of OCMS’ research degrees programme operates in compliance with the Middlesex University’s Regulatory Learning and Quality Enhancement Handbook (LQE Handbook). The OCMS programme also operates in accordance with the Quality Assurance for Higher Education (QAA) Academic Infrastructure and the Expectation and Indicators in the UK Quality Code for Higher Education.

tutors

rev. Dr. Wonsuk ma executive Director

Formerly Vice President for Academic Affairs, Asia Pacific Theological Seminary (1996-2006) and Co-editor, Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies (1998-2006) and Editor, Journal of Asian Mission (1999-2001), Dr. Ma’s

areas of specialist knowledge and interest lie in Old Testament Prophets, The Spirit of God in the Old Testament, the message of the Old Testament to the Modern Renewal Movement, Asian Pentecostalism, Korean Pentecostal Movement, and Pentecostal Mission.

Academic Qualifications: Dip. Theol. (Hansei University), BBS (Asia Pacific Theological Seminary), M.Div (Asia Pacific Theological Seminary), PhD (Fuller Theological Seminary)

Dr. thomas HarveyAcademic Dean

Tom’s expertise is in China and Southeast Asian Church and State. In Singapore he served as Chair of the Theological Review and Response Committee of the Presbyterian Church, Singapore and as an executive board member of the National Council of Churches, Singapore. He authored Acquainted With Grief: Wang Mingdao’s Stand for the Persecuted Church in China as well as numerous articles on

Christianity and Christian social engagement in Asia and Southeast Asia. Tom is a member of the Lausanne Congress Global Diaspora Network and European Coordinator of the Lausanne European Diaspora Educator’s Group and is a missionary co-worker with the Presbyterian Church USA.

Academic Qualifications: BA (Wheaton College), MDiv (Asbury Theological Seminary), MA (University of Notre Dame), Ph.D (Duke University)

Dr. Bernard Farrsenior resident Fellow

Academic Qualifications: BD(Hons) University of London, Ph.D Birmingham University

Research Interests: Research Epistemologies and Methods; Reflective Practice and; Action Research; Philosophical Theology; Theories and Strategies for Missiological and Theological Education; Sociology of Education and Religion; Leadership and

Organisation Studies; Open and Distributed Learning in Higher Education; Web-based Research Networking

Dr. Damon soresearch tutor – trinitarian theology, christian theology and Doctrine; ocms stage Leader; Leader of rIs

Academic Qualifications: Ph.D (Theology, OCMS), Postgraduate Diploma in Theology (Oxon), DipHE (London Bible College), Ph.D (Atmospheric Physics, Imperial College, London)

Research interests: Trinitarian Theology; Christology; Gospel Narratives; Karl Barth; Narrative Theology; Hermeneutics; Epistemology; Ecclesiology; Creation, Culture and Redemption; Linguistics and Theology; Theological Perspective on Global Warming

Dr. David emmanuel singhresearch tutor – Islamic studies; mphil stage Leader and editor of Transformation

Academic Qualifications: BSc Zoology, Botany, Chemistry (University of Allahabad), BD Theology and Religions (Serampore College), MTh Religions – Islam, (Serampore College), Ph.D South Asian Islam (OCMS/University of Wales)

Research Interests: South Asian Muslims/Islam, Religions and Theology of Religions, Interfaith-Christian Muslims relations, Philosophical Sufism

Dr. Andrew Hartroppresearch tutor – Development studies; ph.D stage Leader

Academic Qualifications: BSc (Hons) Economics (University of Southampton), Ph.D Economics (University of Southampton), MSc Accounting and Finance (London School of Economics), BA (Hons) Theological and Pastoral Studies (Oak Hill Theological College/Middlesex University), Ph.D Christian Ethics (Kings College London)

Research interests: Re-consideration of the financial and economic crisis which began in 2007; Economic justice in a biblical-theological perspective; Christian engagement in the public square: the impact of Christians and churches, historically, in the West and in the UK especially; with particular reference to the economic dimensions; implications of this for Christians and churches today, especially in the Global South.

Dr. Ben Knightonresearch tutor – African studies and research skills

Academic Qualifications: BA (Hons) Industrial Economics (University of Nottingham), PG.Dip Applied Theology (ASCAT London), BA (Hons) Theology (University of Durham), Ph.D (University of Durham)

Ben is a Lay Minister in the Church of England and has served three mission

organizations, BCMS, CMS, and OCMS, for a total of 28 years, interleaved by 10 years of full-time study in Higher Education. Fundamental questions of missiological approaches in Africa resulted in his doctoral thesis from the University of Durham, which was then followed by seven years lecturing in Bible, theology, and development. He is the author of The Vitality of Karamojong Religion, as well as articles and reviews in various academic journals. He has presented papers at many international academic conferences and is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Dr. Julie maresearch tutor – missiology

Academic Qualifications: Dip. Theol (Hansei University), BA Theology and Christian Education (Asia Pacific Theological Seminary), MA Christian Education (Asia Pacific Theological Seminary), MA Intercultural Studies (Fuller Theological Seminary), MA Theology (Fuller Theological Seminary), Ph.D Missiology (Fuller Theological Seminary).

Research Interests: Mission History, Contextualization, Cultural Anthropology, Biblical Theology in Mission, Perspective in World Mission, Pentecostal Evangelism and Church Planting, Woman Leadership and Animism.

Dr. Bill prevetteresearch tutor – practitioner and Action research; Admissions tutor

Academic Qualifications: BA Biblical Studies and Biblical Counseling (Marin Bible College), MA Missiology (Fuller School of World Mission), Ph.D (OCMS/University of Wales)

Research Interests: Practitioner and Action Research, Qualitative Methodology, focus on youth and children at risk in the developing world, studies in human trafficking and interventions, urban research, community development, and Pentecostalism in global mission.

Dr. paul Woodsresearch tutor – east Asian theology and contextual theology

Academic background: BSc Aero Engineering (Manchester), MSc Instrumentation (UMIST), MA English/Linguistics (Oklahoma State), Ph.D Cognitive Linguistics (Sheffield), MTh Applied Theology (Spurgeon’s College), Ph.D Theology (AGST Alliance).

Research Interests: East Asian contextual theology; Cultural exegesis; Mission theology; Creation care; Language and theology; Post-colonial and some feminist theologies; China; Migration and ethnicity; Science and faith; Eastern Orthodox theology.

Dr. tim Keeneresearch tutor – New testament studies and ethics, student seminar co-ordinator

Academic background: BSc Chemistry (Warwick University), BA (London Bible College), MA Biblical Studies (Kings College, London), Ph.D New Testament Studies (University of Wales, Lampeter)

Research Interests: Pauline theology, especially in 2 Corinthians and Philippians with particular regard to ethics and mission; a gospel for Muslims; Neo-Calvinism as it might relate to holistic mission.

mr. Brian Woolnoughresearch tutor – Development studies

Academic Qualifications: BSc (Physics and Maths, Reading), PGCE (Cambridge) MA (Oxford), FInstP (London)

Research Interests: Christian Development Work and CNGOs (especially Tearfund UK) in Asia and Africa; Science and Religion; Social sciences research methods, especially evaluation and impact; Holistic mission

Dr. Brainerd princeVisiting research tutor

Academic Qualifications: B. Com. (Delhi University), MA English (Himachal University), BDiv Theology and Religions (Union Biblical Seminary), PhD Religious Studies and Hermeneutics (OCMS)

Research Interests: Study of Religion, Religious-Secular Distinctions, Phenomenological Hermeneutics, Dialogism, Philosophy of God,

Yoga and Philosophy of Action, Comparative Rationality, Aurobindo’s Integral Philosophy

Library

As a specialist research centre, OCMS provides a rich environment for scholars undertaking research in Mission Studies. Students have access to resources and training at the centre itself and internationally through OCMS links with other institutions engaged in mission research.

OCMS has its own specialist reference only library in Mission Studies with over 16,000 volumes and 80 journals on Mission and Theology, Mission History, Development and Economics, Media and Communications and Research Methodology. The library holdings focus on Asia, Africa and Latin America and materials not available in the Bodleian and other libraries in Oxford.

OCMS students are issued with a Bodleian Library Reader’s Card that enables them access to the Bodleian Library - both the international research library of the University of Oxford and a national library of legal deposits and dependent libraries including the modern Social Sciences Library.

OCMS students registered on a joint programme with Middlesex University have access and use of the MU online library and library resources.

For further information about the OCMS library and our collections, please contact Ralph Bates by email at rbates@ocms.ac.uk.

st philip and st James church

OCMS is housed in the beautiful St Philip and St James Church on Woodstock Rd, Oxford. The church was designed by renowned Victorian architect George Edmund Street, most famous for designing the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Work began on St Philip and St James in 1860, and was completed in 1862. The church was consecrated in May of that year and the tower was added between 1864 and 1866.

“Phil and Jim” as locals affectionately call it, has been home to OCMS since 1983 and has undergone several modifications in order to make it a world-class study centre. We have retained all the original fixtures and fittings, whilst installing a purpose built gallery, seminar room, and study carrels so that our students can be simultaneously inspired by their surroundings, while also deeply entrenched in academic study.

expansion

Over the next two years, OCMS will be undergoing a programme of internal and external expansion in order to continue to provide cutting edge facilities and enable further students to study with us. This includes expanding the current gallery and seminar room, creating two additional galleries along the north and south transepts, and building an extension to the north side of our current building. By adding an extension, we will be able to offer our students a dedicated study space away from the main building with a large common room, computer stations, and improved kitchen and bathroom facilities.

If you would like to learn more about the OCMS expansion programme, please contact our Development Manager, Louise Griffiths at lgriffiths@ocms.ac.uk.

ocms commuNItY

OCMS provides a space for leaders in the field to exchange knowledge, experience, and understanding from different cultural and denominational perspectives. This is most evident in our weekly seminars and lectures, during which OCMS students, faculty, and leading scholars come together to debate and discuss recent developments in missiology and issues affecting the global South.

seminars

Each Wednesday morning after chapel OCMS students hold seminars. This is a chance for them to present papers and discuss their research with other students and faculty, and they are a key tool in helping our students develop their research and research skills.

Students are expected to present a minimum of one seminar per academic year, and it is a requirement for students to attend seminars whilst they are in residence at OCMS. Students are expected to carefully read seminar papers, which are ordinarily distributed one week in advance, and bring their own cultural and professional experience, along with their knowledge and skills, to the table. Faculty are an active part of the seminars, too, bringing years of experience and a wealth of knowledge to help fine tune students’ work. The peer-support and peer-review is a vital part of the OCMS experience, and scholars are expected to contribute willingly and enthusiastically.

Lectures

Lectures are held each week at OCMS, ordinarily on a Tuesday morning, and are usually given by a visiting academic. These lectures are open and members of the public and various Oxford colleges are often in attendance. The topics of these lectures often reflect the diversity of Christian backgrounds, cultural contexts, and the multidisciplinary nature of mission studies and are intended to contribute to addressing the needs of “post-Western Christianity” by focusing on the role of the church in the global South.

conferences

As well as personal study, OCMS is often a place selected to host international conferences and meetings. Some of these are generated by OCMS itself, and others are supporting the global and local church as it wrestles with ideas, concepts, developing strategy and general enquiry.

stott-Bediako Forum

John Stott and Kwame Bediako were both scholars crucial to the development of mission theologies in the Global South. To remember the contributions of these great men and inspire others to follow the paths they walked, INFEMIT partners with the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies each year to present the Stott-

Bediako Forum on the Gospel and World Today. Theologian-practitioners representing each of INFEMIT’s regional fellowships share their work and respond to their sisters and brothers in dialogue about continuing the mission of God in the world.

The Second conference was held in 2013 the Forum focused on New Horizons in Mission Studies. These conferences provide students, visitors and supervisors with the opportunity to debate issues directly with leading missionary practitioners.

the Forum on chinese theology sixth Annual symposium

The Forum on Chinese Theology Sixth Annual Symposium entitled Christian Faith & Ideological Trends in Contemporary China, was held at OCMS in 2013. 104 delegates from Asia, North America & Europe attended the symposium, allowing Chinese and Western scholars to present alternative perspectives on the relationship between Christianity and the three main secular ideologies of China in relation to Christianity in China.

OCMS will host the Forum on Chinese Theology’s Seventh Annual Symposium on Universal Values and the China Road on 21 to 24 July 2015. Papers will be presented and responses given by

leading Liberal, New Left, New Confucian, and Christian scholars from China and around the globe.

pastoral and Academic support

OCMS students conduct their own research under the guidance of three supervisors – a main academic supervisor, a second academic supervisor, and an OCMS House Tutor who provides personal support and assistance. The academic supervisors help develop and guide the research and comment on chapter drafts during the MPhil and Ph.D stages.

Mission Studies often crosses academic boundaries and many OCMS students are pursuing multi-disciplinary research in diverse contexts around the world. OCMS strives to match supervisors’ expertise as precisely as possible to each student’s individual project. In order to do this, we seek out scholars from universities across the UK and overseas to supervise projects, and many of our supervisors are leading academics and acknowledged authorities in their field. Interaction with this international network of supervisors is another distinctive feature of student experience at OCMS.

chapel

Every Wednesday morning of the year, with the exception of the two Wednesdays before and after Christmas Day, a Chapel service is held at OCMS.

This is always a significant occasion which, for many in the OCMS community, marks the central point of the week. It is the one time when staff and students, together with friends and visitors, can draw aside from study and work generally to gather together to praise and worship God. For most, if not all, Chapel is a spiritual place where we can all be refreshed and renewed by Word and Sacrament, bring the needs of the world before God in prayer, and enjoy warm fellowship together. Chapel reflects the wide diversity of our church experience across cultures and continents, and also our varied Christian denominations and backgrounds.

The service starts at 9:30 and usually lasts for about an hour. A student, who is free to reflect his or her own church and cultural background in the choice of songs or hymns, leads chapel each week.

Each week we have a guest speaker, sometimes from within

the OCMS community, either a member of staff or a student, though mostly our speakers are drawn from outside, often from the local church community, being local clergy or mission agency leaders in Oxford.

The services also include a time of intercessory prayer, when personal needs, together with the needs of our world, are addressed in prayer.

On the last Wednesday of each month the service includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

All are welcome to these services. It is our hope that increasingly we can see visitors, friends and local residents attending to enjoy, and contribute to, the rich Christian inheritance and ministry that is OCMS.

chaplain

The OCMS Chaplain is the Rev. Andrew Anderson, a Church of Scotland minister. Andrew was ordained in 1981 into the parish ministry of the Church of Scotland and served at Greenside Church, in the east end of Edinburgh, for 30 years. With his wife, Hazel, who is the OCMS archivist, he retired to Oxford in 2012 and took up the Chaplaincy at the start of 2013.

For the last 20 years of his parish ministry Andrew became increasingly involved with the world Church through serving on the Board of World Mission of the Church of Scotland. He formed particular links with India, Pakistan, Israel, and south Germany. In 2006 he was appointed Chair of the organising General Council for Edinburgh 2010, the project and conference which marked the centenary of the famous and influential 1910 Edinburgh International Missionary Conference.

Andrew is responsible for the services in Chapel, and is always pleased to hear of any particular pastoral needs. He also serves as the OCMS Independent Monitor for the students.

publishing

Through its journal, Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies and imprint Regnum Books, OCMS offers to a wide audience the fruit of rigorous research to the highest international standards. These publications demonstrate authentic Christian engagement in the transformation of people and societies throughout the world. Many of our students contribute regularly

to Transformation, either by reviewing recent books, or by submitting articles based on their research.

For further information regarding Regnum Books, and to see a full list of published titles, please visit www.ocms.ac.uk/regnum.

WHAt NeXt?

Admissions criteria

In order to be accepted to OCMS, prospective students must meet the following admissions criteria:

•Academic qualifications. The normal minimum entrance requirement for applicants is an upper second class honours degree or a Masters’ degree relevant to the proposed research project awarded by a UK or other recognized University or higher education institution, or by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA).

•3 Professional or Academic references

•Proof of linguistic proficiency. Applicants must be sufficiently proficient in English to complete the programme of study. Candidates whose first language is not English should provide evidence by a minimum IELTS score (or equivalent eg TOEFL) in academic English of 6.5 at entry with a minimum of 6.5 in the reading and written components.

•Proof of funding of full academic fees. As Academic Fees are payable in advance before enrolment, we advise students to look for independent funding from local churches, agencies and organisations before submitting an application form. We are unable to offer full enrolment until evidence of proof of finances has been provided.

•Area of Interest. A short academic essay about your proposed research interest or question, which must have the potential to develop into a topic suitable for MPhil / Ph.D study. (500-1000 words)

Due to OCMS regulations we can offer only part-time enrolment into the OCMS Stage. Upon successful MPhil/Ph.D enrolment with the University, an enrolled student is able to change to full-time mode of study if required.

How to Apply

Application forms can be found at the OCMS website at http://www.ocms.ac.uk/content/index.php?q=node/452

Forms should be filled in and sent to the OCMS Admissions Registrar at admissions@ocms.ac.uk. Alternatively, completed forms and supporting documents can be posted to the following address:

Oxford Centre for Mission StudiesSt Philip and St James ChurchWoodstock RdOxfordOX2 6HRUnited Kingdom

The process to admit applicants into OCMS is managed and overseen by the OCMS Admissions Committee, administered by the OCMS Admissions Tutor and Officer. The Admissions Committee looks for evidence of appropriate qualifications, satisfactory references, secure funding, and a well-thought out research topic that relates to the broad definition of Mission Studies. Referees will be contacted and all documents required must be submitted before your application can be presented to the Admissions Committee.

If you have any queries about the OCMS applications process, please contact Rachel McIntyre at rmcintyre@ocms.ac.uk.

ocms stage

Year Fee subsidy Net Fee

2014-2015 £5,400 £1,600 £3,600

2015-2016 £5,650 £1,875 £3,775

2016-2017 £5,950 £1,850 £4,100

2017-2018 £6,250 £1,875 £4,375

university stage (Including supervisor’s Fees)

Year part time subsidy Net Fee

2014-2015 £6,165 £1,950 £4,215

2015-2016 £6,340 £1,950 £4,390

2016-2017 £6,640 £1,950 £4,590

2017-2018 £6,740 £1,940 £4,800

Year Full time subsidy Net Fee

2014-2015 £10,300 £3,280 £7,020

2015-2016 £10,650 £3,250 £7,400

2016-2017 £10,925 £3,250 £7,675

2017-2018 £11,250 £3,200 £8,050

university Fee (payable to middlesex university through ocms)

First year £1,000

Following years £250

research Associate/Visiting scholar

Year per Week per Day

2014-2015 £190 £45

2015-2016 £195 £48

2016-2017 £200 £52

2017-2018 £205 £55

Fees

• Institutional subsidies are awarded to students from the Global South• Fees are payable one month in advance of enrolment at OCMS• Fees may be adjusted by OCMS or the awarding institution without prior notice

The Oxford Centre for Mission Studies is registered in the United Kingdom as a charity

(Charities Registration No. 290112) and is a company limited by guarantee

(Registered in England & Wales: Company No. 1835274)