2013
Become A Gospel Leader | Apply by 9/15
At this point, I hope you have heard that we are launching two new discipleship training opportunities this fall: a one-year gospel leader track and a two-year pastor/church planter residency. You can get all the details and pre-register to apply here. Once you pre-register you will receive a link to four documents that make up the application:
Pre-assessment: This is one of the most important pieces of your application materials. It asks for you to consider both evidences of grace and areas of growth in your life. This will serve as a spring board into created a customized plan for growth this year. This part of the application should be roughly ten pages, though it could be as short as eight and as long as fifteen.
Personal questionnaire: We are aware the questions on this form are of a very personal and sensitive nature. Jesus is in the business of reeeming sinners and changing lives, so we do not expect anyone’s past to be perfectly “clean”. Rather, our concern is with unresolved issues from the past. These issues are sensitive precisely because, unless properly dealt with, they have the power to undermine and destroy you even as you seek to serve in ministry. This portion of the application can range from one to three pages.
Personal resume: Please include in your resume any relevant educations, vocational, personal and minsitry experience. This portion of the application can range from one to two pages.
Finance survey: We ask that you answer in concrete specifics as much as possible. In order to be a healthy missionary to your city, it is necessary to be healthy financially. This portion of the application should be one to two pages long.
You will want to block out some time to prayerfully complete those documents by this Sunday, Sept 15th. We will also be holding a kick-off BBQ on Sunday, Sept 29th, for everyone (and families) who will be participating. Please save the date.
A number of you have asked for more information on the actual content of the training. We will be using a combination of BILD, Porterbrook and other resources over the course of the year. The specifics are as follows:
BILD Course Overview
Acts: Keys to the Establishment & Expansion of the First-Century Church: Determine the fundamental biblical principles regarding the mission of the Church and its role in missions and develop guidelines and strategies from these principles for local church involvement.
Pauline Epistles: Strategies for Establishing Churches: Determine the fundamental biblical principles for growing and strengthening (establishing) a church to maturity and developing a strategy for implementing the biblical forms and functions of a church necessary for making and keeping it strong.
The Essentials of Sound Doctrine: Build a contemporary didache—an Early Church manual to establish believers in the essentials of the Apostles’ teaching. This contemporary didache must be founded solidly upon the faith delivered by the Apostles; seasoned by the historical effort of the Church; and be eminently relevant to our present cultural situations.
Porterbrook Module Overview
Gospel Living: Starting from the position that all life is for the Glory of God, this module looks at what it means to live a life for that glory. It will mean loving God and loving others, shaped by the cross and looking to the future glory that we will share with Jesus. Having laid this foundation the module then examines how this impacts daily issues such as decisions, friendship and possessions.
Reading God’s Story: Introducing Exposition And Biblical Theology: This module will help you get a handle on the basics of understanding and teaching from the text of the Bible itself and seeing how the Bible as a whole fits together.
Missional Community Life: It’s all about mission and evangelism… and this module shows you how.
Apologetics: Traditionally apologetics has been the attempt to show the Christian faith to be rational. However this makes the mistake of thinking that the rejection of Christianity stems from a rational argument. The Bible begs to differ. The problem is not rational, but the human heart. The heart needs something more than arguments to change it. What role then has apologetics? This module examines this question.
Additional
You Can Change by Tim Chester: This book shows how we are saved by grace and change by grace through the Gospel.
If you have any questions along the way, please do not hesitate to ask. Praying with you and for you.
Until the world knows,
Pastor Adam