Leads to certification
Certificates
Ministry
Strengthen your capacity for ministry with these courses covering a spectrum of knowledge and skills needed for effective Christian ministry.
Curriculum content
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In this course Gene Wilkes teaches what servant leadership is and why it is essential for Christian leaders. The course examines the leadership models of Jesus, the Suffering Servant Leader, and Paul, The Sent Steward. It explores the topics of the identity, character and humility of a servant leader, the Leadership Matrix, and the power of culture and context in your leadership setting. Dr. Wilkes proposes a biblical pattern of missional servant leadership and how to respond to the conflict that arises from introducing change in order to complete the mission. Finally, the course defines success for a biblical servant leader and offers a whole-person fitness program for servant leadership.
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“Is our gospel too small?” This is the question James Choung tackles in this engaging course on evangelism. James presents a way of talking about the gospel that acknowledges that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross offers believers more than just a ticket to heaven. The good news of the gospel is that God is calling believers to participate in his work of restoring creation to its original design. Such work includes actively reconciling people to each other and to God, bringing healing and testifying to the goodness of the kingdom of heaven that is already and is still to come.Choung’s gospel diagram may revolutionize how the gospel is shared and communicated across the nation for years to come. It presents a fuller picture of what the good news is and makes it easier to share. Rather than focusing on an individual making a one-time decision towards an eternally happy afterlife, the gospel message presented here emphasizes the ongoing process of transformation in the life of the believer in Christian community, living out a missional life here and now.
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No function of the pastor is as visible and stress inducing as preaching. Being a good preacher requires learning the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical skills needed to effectively share God's word with a congregation. It demands a commitment to the craft of preaching. But few pastors feel adequately prepared for this high-stakes responsibility when they begin their ministries. Mary Hulst knows what it takes to preach well. Forged by her experiences as a pastor, preaching professor and college chaplain, she recognizes the challenges of the pulpit. In this uniquely practical course, Hulst provides foundational concepts and tips that all pastors can use, whether they are ministry newcomers or seasoned professionals.Preaching can bring both you and your congregation great joy and satisfaction, week after week.
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Ruth Haley Barton invites us to an honest exploration of what happens when spiritual leaders lose track of their souls. Weaving together contemporary illustrations with penetrating insight from the life of Moses, this course explores topics such as: embarking on a leader’s journey into solitude and silence, responding to the dynamics of calling, facing the loneliness of leadership, leading from your authentic self, cultivating spiritual community at the leadership level, and reenvisioning the promised land. Each session includes guidance in spiritual practices that help you forge and maintain a life-giving connection with God because the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self.
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We can see the injustice and inequality in our lives and in the world. We are ready to rise up. But how, exactly, do we do this? How does one reconcile? What we need is a clear sense of direction.Based on her extensive consulting experience with churches, colleges and organizations, Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil has created a roadmap to show us the way. She guides us through the common topics of discussion and past the bumpy social terrain and political boundaries that will arise. In this course she voices her call to all believers:"It's time for the followers of Jesus to embark on the prophetic journey that leads to reconciliation and transformation around the world. Many of us may already be aware of the need for reconciliation in our own backyards. . . . We cannot ignore the plight of the people around us and as globalization continues its relentless march onward, we cannot turn a blind eye to the world at large either. We have to face the realities here at home and we must also embrace the stories of people all around the world."If you are ready to take the next step into unity, wholeness and justice, then this is the course for you.
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Throughout Scripture and church history, women have been central to the mission of God. But all too often women have lacked opportunities to minister fully. Many churches lack visible examples of women in ministry and leadership.Pastor Tara Beth Leach issues a stirring call for a new generation of women in ministry: to teach, to preach, to shepherd, and to lead. God not only permits women to minister—he emboldens, empowers, and unleashes women to lead out of the fullness of who they are. The church cannot reach its full potential without women using their God-given gifts. Leach provides practical expertise for how women can find their place at the table, escape impostor syndrome, face opposition, mentor others, and much more.When women teach, preach, lead, evangelize, pastor, and disciple, and when men partner to embolden the women in their lives, the church's imagination expands to better reflect God's story and hope for the world.
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Why has the church struggled in ministering to those with mental illnesses? Each day men and women diagnosed with mental disorders are told they need to pray more and turn from their sin. Mental illness is equated with demonic possession, weak faith, and generational sin. As both a church leader and a professor of psychology and behavioral sciences, Matthew Stanford has seen far too many mentally ill brothers and sisters damaged by well-meaning believers who respond to them out of fear or misinformation rather than grace. This course educates Christians about mental illness from both biblical and scientific perspectives. Stanford presents insights into our physical and spiritual nature and discusses the appropriate role of psychology and psychiatry in the life of the believer. Describing common mental disorders, Stanford probes what science says and what the Bible says about each illness.
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In this new course, Derwin L. Gray presents God's theological vision for a multiethnic church. Why do we need Gospel-shaped, multiethnic churches? Because they fulfill God's eternal purpose realized in Christ Jesus. Multiethnic churches are God's fulfillment to his covenant with Abraham. God's multiethnic church is a theological vision with beautiful sociological implications. They are a sign and foretaste of God's kingdom on earth by being communities of reconciliation, justice, mission, and love through God the Holy Spirit's transformative work.Join Dr. Gray as he introduces God's vision for Gospel-shaped, multiethnic churches. This course will demonstrate how the gospel creates the church that is the multiethnic community of grace. Topics include best practices on building a multiethnic church, developing cross-cultural competency, understanding a racialized society, and discipleship and leadership development.
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Jonathan Brooks was raised in the Englewood neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. As soon as he was able, he left the community and moved as far away as he could. But through a remarkable turn of events, he reluctantly returned and found himself not only back in Englewood but also serving as a pastor ("Pastah J") and community leader.Brooks challenges local churches to rediscover that loving our neighbors means loving our neighborhoods. Unpacking the themes of Jeremiah 29, he shows how Christians can be fully present in local communities, building homes and planting gardens for the common good. His holistic vision and practical work offers good news for forgotten people and places. And community stakeholders and civic leaders will rediscover that churches are viable partners in community transformation in ways that they may never have considered. God has always been at work in neglected neighborhoods. Join Pastah J on this journey and discover new hope for your community.
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What happens when a diverse church glorifies the global God? We live in a time of unprecedented intercultural exchange, where our communities welcome people from around the world. Music and media from every culture are easily accessible, and our worship is infused with a rich variety of musical and liturgical influences. But leading worship in multicultural contexts can be a crosscultural experience for everybody. How do we help our congregations navigate the journey?Innovative worship leader Sandra Maria Van Opstal is known for crafting worship that embodies the global, multiethnic body of Christ. Likening diverse worship to a sumptuous banquet, she shows how worship leaders can set the table and welcome worshipers from every tribe and tongue. Van Opstal provides biblical foundations for multiethnic worship, with practical tools and resources for planning services that reflect God's invitation for all peoples to praise him.When multiethnic worship is done well, the church models reconciliation and prophetic justice, heralding God's good news for the world. Enter into the praise of our king, and let the nations rejoice!
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Confronted by the deep-rooted racial injustice in our society, many white Christians instinctively scramble to add diversity to their churches and ministries. But is diversity really the answer to the widespread racial dysfunction we see in the church?In this powerful course, Pastor David Swanson contends that discipleship, not diversity, lies at the heart of our white churches' racial brokenness. Before white churches can pursue diversity, he argues, we must first take steps to address the faulty discipleship that has led to our segregation in the first place. Drawing on the work of philosopher James K. A. Smith and others, Swanson proposes that we rethink our churches' habits, or liturgies, and imagine together holistic, communal discipleship practices that can reform us as members of Christ's diverse body.