Missio Dei and Motus Dei in the Early Church

This certificate in New Testament Studies invites students into a transformative exploration of the Scriptures through the integrated lens of missiological theology. Rooted in the biblical narrative of the Missio Dei (the mission of God) and energized by the Motus Dei (the movement of God), this program uniquely orients learners toward understanding and participating in God’s redemptive work in the world.

By situating New Testament texts within their missional and socio-historical contexts—especially as evidenced in movements like the one in Ephesus—students will grasp how theology, history, and mission converge in the early church to shape contemporary strategies for gospel advance. The certificate aims to cultivate practitioners, thinkers, and leaders who are biblically faithful, theologically grounded, and missionally mobilized.

Why Enroll in the New Testament Studies Certificate?

  • Recover a Missional Reading of Scripture.

  • Integrate Missiological Theology with Practical Movement Insight

  • Gain Tools for Engaging Contemporary Culture

  • Learn from the Church as a Movement

  • Be Equipped to Multiply Disciples and Churches

Formed by the Word. Moved by the Mission.

Learning experiences that will inspire you to join God’s redemptive movement in the world

Our Educational Philosophy

This is your education and our focus is on you not simply as a student, but as a fellow learner on a journey to develop a mastery of theological and missiological content, vocational skills that will lead to success, and character motivated by your identity in Christ

  • Character Development

    • Deepen your faith as you follow Jesus. • Participate in a journey of discipleship and formation that invites you to embody the way of Jesus as co-laborer on God’s mission. • Learn to integrate your faith and your vocation so that what you do is shaped by who you are as a follower of Jesus.

  • Vocational Excellence

    • Develop skills across a wide array of disciplines (e.g. Bible, theology, missiology, leadership, spirituality, and more) • Learn to communicate effectively in your culture and in the world around you. • Be equipped for a life-time of service of church planting and training church planters.

  • Mastery Learning

    • Develop patterns of thinking that reflect biblical, theological, historical, contextual, and vocational realities. • Demonstrate your learning through a portfolio of learning that provides evidence of who you are, what you can do, and where you thrive. • Learn in the context of real-life situations rather than fabricated classroom experiences.

Your guides to navigating the New Testament as a map of God’s unfolding mission

Join our experienced faculty to explore how the New Testament ignites movements of the gospel across cultures and generations.

David E. Brunelle

Dave Brunelle lives in the Cleveland area with his wife Carole. Dave has over 30 years of diverse experience working in Government, Public Safety, Non-Profit, and Faith-Based sectors. He is a professional coach with his PCC credential through the International Coaching Federation and has been coaching church planters, marketplace executives, churches and teams since 2014 and training coaches since 2017. Dave has an M.A. in missiology from Kairos University and is currently a PhD student also at Kairos University. He serves as an Elder at the church he planted over 20 years ago. The Brunelles have eight kids, three sons-in-law, seven grandchildren, one dog, and one motorcycle that Dave rides across the country in his spare time.

Professor of Missiological Theology Michael T. Cooper

Dr. Cooper earned a PhD in Intercultural Studies with a focus on religious movements and a minor in theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He currently serves as a missiologist for a missions agency where he focuses on missiological research and equipping missionaries for effective cultural engagement. He has thirty years of missions experience, including ten years as a pioneer church planter in Romania after the fall of communism and has equipped church planters and leaders in Africa, Europe, North America, South America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. He is a guest faculty at Torch Trinity Graduate University, adjunct faculty at Mission India Theological Seminary, Asia Graduate School of Theology Nepal, and Ebenezer Bible College in Katmandu, and affiliate faculty at Kairos University. He has written and contributed to more than 30 books and academic articles and has presented conference lectures at the London School of Economics, University of Bordeaux, Loyola University, Baylor University, and many others. His recent book, Ephesiology: A Study of the Ephesian Movement is a best seller at William Carey Publishing.