This course is for currently enrolled veterinary students.
The Missions Scholars Program (MSP) is a self-paced learning pathway for veterinary students interested in pursuing missions. The MSP’s three levels (Dean, Provost, and Chancellor) outline learning tasks to promote spiritual growth, relationships, and knowledge to help prepare for cross-cultural ministry. While tasks within a level can be completed in any order, all tasks should be completed before moving to the next level.
The MSP is designed to help you grow in three important areas:
- Spiritual Development: Deepening your relationship with Christ.
- Building Connections: Connecting with others who share your passion for veterinary missions.
- Gaining Knowledge: Equipping you to serve effectively in diverse cultural settings and make a lasting impact.
- Teacher: Delilah Pugsley
Description:
Deputation is an important part of international missions. Prior to serving, CVM requires all fieldworkers to secure 100% of their financial support. While many see deputation as simply the process of asking for money, it is so much more. This course will help you develop a positive attitude towards deputation by addressing the many misconceptions concerning this process and by giving you practical tools for raising support.
*Note: You must visit all 5 modules in order to complete this course.
Objectives:
By the end of this course, learners will
- Understand that deputation is a process of prayer, partnership, and fundraising
- Identify their personal reservations about raising support
- Understand the biblical basis of raising missions support
- Be able to discern between budget-driven and vision-driven decision making
- Have reasonable expectations for the amount of time involved in raising deputation
- Be familiar with tools that assist with raising support
- Know how to establish a plan for raising support
Description:
This course, developed by Dr. Karen Stoufer, teaches why cross-cultural awareness is important for missions. It describes six sets of cultural values and provides illustrations, applications, and knowledge checks for each. Recommended for short-term missions volunteers, long-term fieldstaff, or U.S.-based veterinary professionals who find themselves in cross-cultural situations.
*Note: You must visit both modules in order to complete this course.
Objectives:
By the end of this course, learners will
- Articulate why cross-cultural awareness is important for missions
- Understand tensions that result from particular values that vary from culture to culture
- Identify their own basic cultural values
- Demonstrate cross-cultural sensitivity in how they interact with others
Description:
“Hot-climate” cultures tend to be more relationship-based while “cold-climate” cultures are more task-oriented. This course, developed by Dr. Karen Stoufer, helps learners understand the differences between these two cultural types in order to be sensitive in cross-cultural situations.
*Note: You must visit both modules in order to complete this course.
Objectives:
By the end of this course, learners will
- Understand the difference between hot-climate and cold-climate cultures
- Differentiate between the two cultural types in scenarios and behaviors
- Apply knowledge of hot- and cold-climate cultural types in missions situations
Description:
In this brief presentation, Dr. Karen Stoufer discusses the three major spiritual worldviews and how they should impact our sharing of the gospel.
*Note: You must visit both modules in order to complete this course.
Objectives:
By the end of this course, learners will
- List the three major spiritual worldviews and give a basic explanation of each
- Describe how sharing the gospel in a culture should be affected by the culture's worldview
Description:
When we set out to train others, we too often take the role of an expert with all the knowledge and we treat those we come alongside as though they have very little knowledge. We tend to adopt university-style lecture methods and an attitude of parental superiority. This course will challenge you to close the distance between the teacher and the student. By understanding and implementing 12 basic principles of participatory training, you can facilitate training sessions that are dialogue-based and encourage learner discovery.
Course content by Dr. Karen Stoufer
*Note: You must visit all 4 modules in order to complete this course.
Objectives:
By the end of this course, learners will:
- Be able to explain why participatory training is important.
- Understand the 12 basic principles of dialogue-based, learner-led education.
- Be able to apply the 12 principles of dialogue-based, learner-led education into their existing training sessions.
Description:
Most Westerners define poverty as the lack of material goods. In actuality, the lack of physical necessities is only the fruit of a much deeper root that we call poverty. In this course, we will explore the root causes of poverty and set the stage for future courses that will address strategies in alleviating poverty.
*Note: You must visit all 4 modules in order to complete this course.
Objectives:
By the end of this course, learners will:
- identify their instinctive attitudes regarding underprivileged individuals
- evaluate poverty as broken relationships rather than a simple lack of material resources
- assess themselves in terms of the relational paradigm of poverty
Description:
Poverty alleviation is the ministry of reconciliation: moving people closer to glorifying God by living in right relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation. Reconciliation of relationships is the guiding compass for our poverty-alleviation efforts, profoundly shaping both the goals that we pursue and the methods we use.” In this sense, poverty alleviation is not an event, but a process. It is important to understand strategies of poverty alleviation if we ever want to be used by God for long-term sustainable change. This course will provide insight into two main strategies for alleviating poverty.
*Note: You must visit all 4 modules in order to complete this course.
Objectives:
By the end of this course, learners will:
- Understand the difference between relief and development
- Understand when to utilize relief and development as part of a poverty alleviation strategy
- Classify poverty alleviation as a process rather than an event
- Articulate that poverty alleviation is more about supporting the dignity of people than about quick fixes
Description:
Community development is a partnering strategy that addresses poverty. Many development strategies fail in making any headway against poverty because they do not properly engage the local culture or create lasting, transformational change. This occurs because of a poor understanding of the root causes of poverty which leads to inappropriate interventions. This course will clarify appropriate community development based upon the root of poverty outlined in previous courses and will lay out four guiding principles that can be utilized in establishing sustainable solutions to poverty. By properly addressing poverty, we can begin to return to the right relationships that God intended for His people.
*Note: You must visit all 4 modules in order to complete this course.
Objectives:
By the end of this course, learners will:
- Be able to articulate the goal of transformational community development
- Understand the four principles of community development
- Understand how to apply the four principles of transformational community development
- Be able to recognize real world examples of transformational development
