Discipling: Is it Still Relevant?

Are we still a discipling movement? What does the Bible have to say about discipling?  What should the expectations be for members of our churches in regards to discipling?  How do we apply the "one another" scriptures in our ministries?

Is That In the Bible?: Biblical Literacy in our Movement of Churches

We have a growing problem with biblical illiteracy in our culture. Is this now a problem in our churches? How do we combat this problem?  How do you help your people become biblically literate? Also, what is "spiritual" Bible reading?

Discipling/Counseling: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

What is the role of counseling and discipling?  How do these fit together?  How do they differ?

I Love You, But I Don’t Like You

Ever hear someone say, "I love the brother, but I don't like him." What's up with that? Is that possible? The church blends many races and cultures. Is there racism in the church?  If so, how do you deal with it? Do we marginalize people within our ministries? If so, what do we do about that?

Like a Tree Planted by Streams of Water: Helping Disciples Grow

From Baptism to Maturity: how to help people grow to realize their full potential as a disciple.  Scripture: Psalms 1:3  "He is like a tree planted by streams of waterwhich yieldsits fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers."

Apologies, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation

Have you accumulated a list of estranged relationships? This class includes printed material on biblical theology of reconciliation, a playbook of most common relationship breakdowns, a road map for restoring relationships from intransigent conflicts or being stuck in the Conflict Trap. Explore the role of third party, the concept of the grievance story, the limitations of memory of a conflict, and the best practices to safely give a voice to all sides of a conflict.

What Is All the Fuss About?

Disputable issues, debatable topics, weighty matters, or doctrinal distinctions? How do we distinguish between matters of opinion and matters of doctrine, between matters of fellowship and disputable matters? What is the role of personal conscience in these areas?  Spripture: Romans 14:1, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passsing judgement on disputable matters."

Gordon

Ferguson

& Dr. Doug Webber

Leadership: Walking the Walk

This class will focus on the lifestyle of the leader. Do we really live every day as God wants us to live? What should we think about topics like greed, materialism, true sacrifice, and radical faith?  Romans 12:8, If it is leadership, let govern diligently."

The Culture War

The Church vs. The "isms". A biblical response to postmodernism, ecumenism, relativism, and various other "isms" that challenge the faith of disciples.  Scripture: Judges 21:25, "Everyone did as he saw fit."

Mighty Marriages in the Ministry

“Worthy of Respect” – 1 Timothy 3:8-11. How do we make sure our marriages are exemplary while we serve and meet the needs of our ministry? As each couple is different, how do different marriage dynamics cooperate to be effective?

Elders and Evangelists Roles in Each Other’s Lives

“A Noble Task” – 1 Timothy 3:1. As we strive to build God’s church though adding and retaining disciples, how do the elders and evangelists both work together as well as help each other spiritually and personally?

Living and Saving on a Minister's Salary

“Godliness with Contentment” – 1 Timothy 6:6. The earning capacity of the ministry staff is often fixed. How do we steward our financial resources in a way that honors God and builds for the future?

 Counseling Basics 

What are the fundamentals of drawing out the heart and respecting the vulnerability and security of disciples? How do display the heart of Jesus as we learn to be people of understanding as we practice being quick to listen and slow to speak? How do we identify when people have more specialized needs and help them connect with appropriate resources?

Parenting Pre-Teen and Jr. High Children in Crisis

“Obey with Proper Respect” – 1 Timothy 3:4. The journey to adulthood is filled with challenges. How do we keep perspective and help our children when they face the temptations of the world?

Building a Great Leadership Team

“A Good Minister of Christ Jesus” – 1 Timothy 4:6. How do we choose, train, manage and partner in order to build an effective leadership team? How and when do different approaches, such as consensus, directive or partnered, apply in which scenarios?

Harmonizing Counseling Principles with Ministry Practices

A significant number in our churches and those we are reaching out to are presently dealing with a diagnosable mental disorder.  While statistically the needs are evident, they are often not apparent, admitted or acknowledged in our churches.  This class will strive to build awareness and sensitvity to this growing and vital need.  The material presented will be solution focused.  The aim will be to bring to light new opportunities to build up the church and reach out to the community.

Don Burroughs, Scott & Emma Green

Unity and Conflict Resolution

“Fight the Good Fight” – 1 Timothy 1:18. How do we make sure our marriages are exemplary as we serve and meet the needs of our ministry?

Targeting and Planting New Growth Centers

Having strategic growth centers can position our ministries to multiply. Identifying growth centers and inspiring the ministry to mobilize are some aspects of empowering our churches to win as many as possible.

Chris Ogbonnaya

& Cesar Lopez

Getting Unstuck with Your Church

How to do we refresh our faith as well as refresh the faith in our ministries in order to build a sense of spiritual and evangelistic momentum in our churches?

Building an Online Ministry

Much of communication today is done through digital media. What are the benefits and drawbacks of online ministry? How do we begin an online ministry? How do we maintain an online ministry?

Structuring and Planning the Ministry for Growth

How do we pace our calendar and structure our ministry to achieve maximum growth? How do we communicate goals and expectations in a way that inspires faith and spiritual growth?

Attractive and Effective Small Groups

How do we build and train our churches to have small groups that both meet the needs of their members as well as serve as a light to their communities?

Church Builders

Attractive Worship Services

How do we conduct worship services that inspire the disciples to bring guests and impacts the guests who attend? How do we keep our services attractive when we may be low on resources relative to larger churches?

Growing without Full-Time Staff

How do we discharge the duties of the ministry when there are not enough funds to hire full-time staff? What different approaches to structuring the ministry and meeting needs are effective in keeping the church unified and growing?

Seeking Outside Influence in your Church

"I Hope to Come to You Soon" - 1 Timothy 3:14. Paul directed churches from a distance. How do we stay connected, trusting and humble to one another from a distance? What are the benefits of having outside influences on our churches? What is healthy outside influence? How do we overcome any obstacles to having outside influence?

Shepherding Singles

Singles can be the most diverse ministry ranging from young adults to the elderly. How do we structure the singles ministry to make sure spiritual growth and individual needs are met at every life stage? How do we train singles to have healthy, vibrant and spiritual relationships across gender, age and socio- economic differences?

Shepherding Marrieds

What are some basic principles to make sure our married couples are thriving spiritually and in their marriages? How do we structure marrieds ministry and partner married couples to meet each other’s needs?

Shepherding Parents

Our children are our legacy, and many parents are concerned about raising them to be great disciples of Jesus. How do we help parents to raise their children to make right choices and to live an empowered faith that motivates them to be close to God for their entire lives?

Shepherding Campus

College life is filled with temptations and distractions. How do we deepen the young faith of our campus students? How do we build multi-dimensional disciples who are excellent in all areas? How do we train students to initiate and build healthy, spiritual partnerships?

Shepherding Teens

Preparing teens to be faithful when they transition to college life and adulthood is essential. How do we instill deep spiritual convictions that can stand firm under fire? How do we inspire confidence in Christ and Christian values as they are increasingly exposed to the world? How do we train students to initiate and build healthy, spiritual partnerships?

Building a Shepherding Team to Meet Needs

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a community of shepherds to effectively meet the many needs of a church. How do we identify the shepherds, train them and empower them to work together to help the ministry grow and stay faithful?

Dynamic Partnering with Church Board of Directors

The church board and the church leadership can work well together to build a thriving church. How do we communicate and clarify the roles of church leadership in relationship to the board of directors? What are the best practices for communication, decision-making and resolving conflict?

Are Mid-Life Crises Real?

“The Life that is Truly Life” - 1 Timothy 6:19. How do we manage the regret an doubt that can distract us as we age? Is this battle unavoidable? How do we stay true to the convictions and passion we have had when we were at our best spiritually?

Powerful Partnership with Administrators

The role of an administrator can vary from tracking financial details to managing events. How do we effectively partner with the rest of the ministry to keep expectations clear and maintain a healthy focus on growing God’s church?

Effective Community Based Ministry

Jesus called us to care for the poor, and in doing so, we can be a light to the world. How can we meet the needs of our community in a way that will call many to follow Christ?

Ask the Lord of the Harvest: Bearing Much Fruit

How do we build a culture of faith that produces a love that wins as many as possible? We can fall into the trap of growing church through humanistic means Jesus calls us to move God to move our ministries through prayer and sowing to please the Spirit.

Training a World Missions Minded Ministry

Jesus’ vision was for us to go to all nations. How do we build in our churches a culture and heart to make life-changing sacrifices personally and financially so that everyone gets the opportunity to hear the gospel?

Inspiring Outreach: Professionals

The pursuit of wealth can harden people’s hearts in a way that takes great faith to soften. God uses the weak things in the world to humble the strong. How do we cultivate such great faith in our fellowship so that even the most hard-hearted professionals can humbly seek God? How do we cultivate our professional disciples to faithfully focus to reach others similarly situated?

Inspiring Outreach: Empty Nesters

As those of the Baby Boom Era see their children off to adulthood, a large population of empty nesters is emerging in our churches and in our communities. They are a great source of experience and wisdom that can be motivated and mobilized for Christ. How do we activate the empty nesters within our church and reach those in our communities effectively?

Inspiring Outreach: Language Based Ministry

Language Based Ministries like Spanish or International Ministries help us reach all people in our communities. How do we reach as many as possible while building a strong foundation that responsibly addresses immigration issues, financial hardship, and unity with the larger church?

Inspiring Outreach: Marriage and Families

Our families are called to be an attractive example to the lost world in an age where the modern family is breaking down. But it can be challenging to help our families focus on the mission without being distracted by domesticity. How do we encourage, structure and mobilize our family ministries to both convert our children and our communities?

Re-Building Trust in Damaged Relationships

For various relationships in the church can become strained. Some of our closest and most longstanding relationships can suffer from the deepest hurts. How can we help repair broken relationships and pave the way for spiritual growth?

Building Open and Transparent Relationships

Walking in the light is required in the Scriptures. What is healthy openness? How do we respect vulnerability and safety while inspiring one another to grow spiritually? Transparency in our relationships can strengthen everyone in our fellowship.

Empowering Spiritual Breakthroughs

Over time, we can stop believing in transformation, for various reasons. How do we help our ministries look at their faith from a fresh perspective? How do we inspire disciples to envision and pursue new growth, especially in areas where they have suffered setbacks?

Working with Marriages in Crisis

What to do with a marriage on the brink of divorce or icy cold coexistence? How do we tap into the power of partnerships/peer relationships? How do we help couples thrive after suffering setbacks such as betrayal, repeated hurtful behaviors, and trauma?

Working with Youth at Risk

We may be called to shepherd or reach youth who are at risk for crime, unhealthy behaviors, and inappropriate relationships. How do we go about engaging parents in the process; involving shepherds; and implementing practical plans and accountability?

Power over Chemical Addiction

Chemical dependency can be one of the most discouraging issues to work with. How do we help those struggling with addiction to gain skills and resolve through faith and consistency?

Power over Chronic Sin and Impurity

Many are nagged by the same sins or weaknesses over and over again. How do we work consistently and persistently with people to identify traps and gain victory over these areas in their lives?

Practical Guidance for Administrators

The needs of a growing ministry or a ministry hit by economic hardship can be challenging in different ways. How do we partner with the rest of the church leadership to strategically grow the church in the variety of situations that emerge?