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Specialised Language Courses
English for Philosophy, Theology, & Ministry
crossXculture offers specialised language training and coaching for pastors, priests, pastoral assistants, and students.
Language courses for groups and individuals
Be sure to benefit from our 15 years of experience in providing successful, tailor-made language classes to companies like yours and people like yourself.
The challenges of understanding and applying theological concepts and communicating sacred ministry are numerous. One such challenge is how to gain proficiency in several languages. In addition to the biblical languages, other prevalent vehicles of thought have been German, French, Italian, and Spanish. However, if your goal is to gain access to the most content and to as many people as possible, then a proper command of English is required.
This offer is aimed both at lay and ordained individuals and groups who have a desire to reach their English-speaking clients, congregants, parishioners, patients, readers, and other audiences, as well as those wanting to improve their English by exploring topics in philosophy, theology, ministry, and missionary work.
Whether you are a student working towards a degree in philosophy and/or theology, a writer, publisher, or translator, a Protestant pastor, a Catholic deacon or priest, a chaplain or spiritual director, the following English course formats will help you excel:
English for Priests & Deacons
Roman Catholic Faith
This course focuses especially on the English skills you need for celebrating and administering the sacraments. We will use the appropriate rubrics so that the English you learn is exactly of the kind that would be spoken in an English-speaking church or parish.
The course is also open to requests for specific forms of the Mass. Additionally, if you wish to practice the language skills needed for visiting the sick, overseeing programs, or providing general pastoral care, these can also be included.
English Classes for Pastors
Protestant Faith
You will practice the English necessary to celebrate the specific rites your role requires. If your denomination or tradition has no particular form or set liturgy, then we will likewise practice accordingly.
Beyond the specific phrases you need to compose and hold a Sunday morning service, scenarios for pastoral care can be practiced, such as what to say when making house visits or when giving advice.
English for Counsellors, Chaplains, Pastoral Assistants, & Spiritual Directors
ecumenical and non-denominational
In order to collaborate closely with the pastor or priest as well as other members of church and parish staff, you will need a specific set of language skills. Collaborating in the overall process of parish administration, such as assessing needs, conducting pastoral planning, decision-making, project implementation, and budget management, requires specificity and sometimes finesse.
Better and more appropriate English can help you unlock your managerial and social skills, and support you in being more precise in your language when helping to foster the spiritual life of your parish community.
English for The Study of Philosophy & Theology
ecumenical and non-denominational
The various forms and styles in which philosophy and theology are expressed, from the abstract and poetic to the logical and systematic, can be difficult to digest and disseminate. This is as true for your native language as it is for English. Whether you are a student or a professional, putting your thoughts into writing, perhaps for an international audience, will mean balancing spiritual eloquence with ease of understanding.
No matter if you have a purely academic use in mind or are seeking to develop English skills for pastoral use, effective and evocative language requires a good grasp of specificity, sensitivity, and suitability. In this course, we will examine and discuss topics in philosophy and theology that will help you cut your way through the jargon and get to the heart of the matter.
English for The Study of Philosophy & Theology
ecumenical and non-denominational
Bible readings and offertory prayers are an integral part of the worship experience. This course is especially designed to increase your confidence in reading aloud while also seeking to improve your reading comprehension. Do not let your speaking skills get in the way of participating more fully in the liturgy, or from captivating your audience.
Proofreading English Texts
ecumenical and non-denominational
In this course, you will have the opportunity to look over texts of your choosing, whether they are from books, articles, journals, or from your own work and work through their meaning. Introduce new clarity to your studies by suggesting an author and bringing in specific passages.
Get help in breaking down a difficult chapter, or have your own work critiqued. Do not allow your English to stand in the way of your advancement and be sure to take your English skills and confidence to the next level.
English for Homilies, Sermons & Academic Papers
Learn how to put your ideas into words for homilies, sermons, and church newsletters. Gain confidence in developing your own style or in assembling and compiling your academic papers. Be it for research or reporting, working with the written word will undergird your linguistic skills.
Become more confident in communicating in English, whether informally or formally, and gain independence from online translation tools that often erroneously translate word-for-word without matching the exact style, tone, or connotation of the original message.
Successful Through Communication
All of the above scenarios have one thing in common: successful communication through language, gestures and facial expressions, and through empathy.
My passion. Your success.
“With our course offerings in theology and ministry, you are investing in your ability to reach a broader/global faith community. I look forward to meeting you!”
Landon Key, Language Trainer
After all, what good are the greatest skills, the best ideas, and the most interesting projects if you fail to inspire those who have the means and the influence to make them come to fruition. In our English courses for the philosophy, theology and ministry, you will develop your tools and invest in your success for years to come.
* Units per week subject to agreement
** according to attendance sheets
About the English Instructor
Landon was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He graduated from Whittier College with a BA in Liberal Arts, having also studied abroad in Rome and Copenhagen, and with membership in Phi Sigma Tau and Theta Alpha Kappa. He earned his Master of Arts in Theology with a focus on Religion and the Arts from the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, member school of the Graduate Theological Union, with some courses taken at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.
Landon moved to Germany in 2014 to marry and was a lay pastoral assistant to an English-speaking Free Church. He stepped down from this role in 2018 to become Roman Catholic. He has been a teacher of technical English at the University of Applied Sciences, Darmstadt and, since 2015, has been a fully employed English language and pronunciation instructor at the Frankfurt-based crossXculture language school.