The Church in Aotearoa - EFM Course

A 10-week course which focuses on the story of the people of God in this land. Learn about the unique character of the early church in these lands and the development of the Christian story throughout the first 200 years.

The content of the course is:

Unit One: Māori and Christianity (2 weeks)

The arrival of missionaries to Aotearoa New Zealand, their interaction with Māori, the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, conflict between Maori and Pakeha as the settler population grew, and the emergence of Maori religious movements.

Unit Two: Settler Christianity (2 weeks)

The second major stream in the development of New Zealand Christianity. The first stream was the missionary/Māori stream. The second stream was introduced by the settlers, who brought with them their religious institutions, beliefs, ways of worship, ministry and architecture, and transplanted them into the New Zealand context.               

Unit Three: Church and Society (3 weeks)

Churches and their members were part of society; they tried to shape and were shaped by the world in which they lived. Unit Three focuses on three issues: the contribution of women to the church; the way churches responded to war; and the ecumenical movement through which the church explored ways of presenting a united face to the world in which they lived.

Unit Four: Challenge and Change (3 weeks)

Unit Four addresses some of the challenges and changes in Christianity in Aotearoa New Zealand through to the present day, beginning with an overview of how the relationship between Māori and the church has evolved.

The course fee for 2025 is $90 per participant and includes a copy of the third edition (2014) of Allan Davidson’s Christianity in Aotearoa: A History of Church and Society in New Zealand.   

The course consists of individual reading (2 to 3 hours) followed by a seminar group.  Normally these have been 2 hours when done in-person but with Zoom we have found that can be a little long and we try to complete the seminar sessions in 1½ hours.

The timing would be negotiated with the mentor and group members.

This fascinating course will be offered by Zoom on either a Tuesday or Thursday evening commencing in July. Each session will be about 90 minutes.

The cost is $90 which includes a copy of “Christianity in Aotearoa” and the 70 page study guide.

For more information contact Michael Crawford-Butler educationforministrynz@outlook.com