Personal & Spiritual Transformation for Christian Ministry
July - November 2026
PC076-612, PC076-812
Be formed for faithful, loving and sustainable ministry.
Following Jesus is a lifelong journey of change. This unit explores how the Holy Spirit forms disciples into the likeness of Christ and equips us to love and serve others with wisdom. You’ll reflect on self-awareness, personality, relationships, conflict, vocation, spiritual vitality and safe ministry, while engaging in a practical Change Project that invites Jesus to shape an area of your life.
You’ll learn in a supportive community of fellow travellers as you take practical steps toward deeper life with Jesus and wiser service in his kingdom.
How this unit can help your ministry
Ministry is not only about what we do, but who we are becoming in Christ. This unit helps you reflect honestly and hopefully on your own growth, relationships and patterns of service, so you can minister with greater wisdom, humility and resilience.
This unit invites students, as disciples of Jesus, into a transformative journey of growth in self-awareness, spiritual vitality, and ministry practice.
Through theological reflection and scholarly engagement, students will:
explore how God brings personal and spiritual transformation through grace, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, spiritual practices and Christian community
consider how healthy relationships, conflict, humility, listening, and boundaries shape faithful ministry
develop deeper awareness of safe, ethical and sustainable ministry practice, including power dynamics, teamwork, leadership and care for others
learn to connect theological reflection with practical habits that support spiritual vitality, wellbeing and long-term ministry health
What makes Mary Andrews College different?
We're the only theological college in Australia focused on equipping women.
We specialise in pastoral care and mental health.
Our units are geared to practical theology and ministry that is just as useful for volunteers as those in vocational ministry.
Our students consistently tell us we're a lovely community to be part of.
Our lecturers are world-class, with a wealth of pastoral and teaching experience.
And, you can be confident that everything we offer is firmly grounded in God's word.
In this unit we'll be learning about...
01
Jesus and the Call to Follow Him
The nature of discipleship
Introduction to personal and spiritual transformation
02
The Change Project (I): The Bad News
The power of sin, the flesh and the devil; false self; counterfeit idols/shadow mission; deception
03
The Change Project (II): The Good News
The work of God to bring about deep change
The part we play
04
Understanding Who I Am
Our personal history & experiences
Our personality and preferences
05
The Significance of Relationships
The call to love one another
‘Family’ systems
Dealing with conflict
06
The Change Project (III): How to Change
Habits of the heart: aware of the habits/routines/culture that influence us
07
Taking a Pause
Opportunity to stop, reflect, pray
08
What is my God-given Vocation?
Exploring our passions, gifts, areas of service
09
The Church and Christian ministry
Biblical perspective on ministry
Team relationships; power & abuse
Boundaries
10
Reflecting on the Slow Work of Change
God’s grace in set-backs, suffering and disappointment
11
Well Being: how to flourish in life and ministry
12
Jesus, and the Vision of the Kingdom
Keeping an eternal perspective
The above is indicative: lecture content may vary year to year
What to expect in class
A friendly community: students come ready to learn with a refreshing mixture of ministry and life experiences.
There are 12 weekly classes, each 3 hours long with a couple of breaks.
This unit is delivered online and in-person: Thursdays 2-4pm
Classes are a mixture of teaching, Q & A and small group work.
Assessments vary, but there's often an essay and 2 more practical assignments.
Classes are a combination of lecture material and small group work, with plenty of time to ask questions and discuss scenarios.
Meet your lecturer
Rev. Di Morgan
Di lectures at Mary Andrews College in pastoral ministry units. She has been on the faculty for 8 years, after 22 years in church ministry. Di also meets with individuals for professional pastoral supervision and mentoring, and regularly runs spiritual retreats
What our students say…
“Suffering the loss of someone I loved... was a catalyst for me to grow deeper in my understanding of the Bible and our great God. I wanted to understand more deeply the wonderful God who had remained faithful to me in the hardest periods in my life and I wanted to understand more about what the Bible says about suffering.”
“I loved studying so much so I’m doing a Diploma of Ministry ... to further deepen my knowledge of pastoral care and ministry to the aged.”
Fees
As part of our wider ACT courses
With FEE-HELP* $0
Diploma Level $2940
Graduate Level $3288
*FEE-HELP available for eligible students enrolled in a whole Diploma or Graduate course
36 class hours - 12 weekly classes - 12 credit points - online only
Currently this unit is not offered at the MAC Certificate level
March - June 2026
Audited
$750
36 class hours - 12 weekly classes
No assignments
March - June 2025
How does this unit fit with our course offerings?
This course can be studied at 2 levels:
Diploma and Advanced Diploma level. For those without an undergraduate degree wanting a course with a large breadth of units. These are courses of the Australian University of Theology: 0.5-1 yr full time, max 8 yrs part-time, 36 class hours per unit, 11-16 units per course.
Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma level. Higher level assignments than diploma level. Requires a previous bachelors degree. These are courses of the Australian University of Theology: 0.5-1 yr full time, max 2-4 yrs part-time, 36 class hours per unit, 4-8 unit per course.
