September 17th and 18th and October 15th and 16th, 2021 @ Penney
Are you hungry to grow in evangelism and discipleship, but have not had a chance to learn how?
The design of this course to help leaders understand the process involved in both evangelism and discipleship within the context of a local congregation. For generations evangelism happened when people eventually showed up at a church service or a revival meeting. Most often, it was through preaching that people came into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Today people are not just showing up at a church service or a revival meeting. Today most people who come to Christ do so through a relationship with a Christian. Often these relationships emerge in neighborhoods or workplaces. This course will help you in preparing how to be the kind of friend who can function as a “missionary” in your life context.
Once a person comes to Christ, the Great Commission urged that we make disciples – meaning that we make disciplined followers of Jesus Christ. Yet, most people never experience a natural way for that to happen. We grow by “bits and pieces, here and there”. This course will also guide believers in ways that can naturally help others to grow in Christ.
Who Should Attend?
The course is for ministry leaders in congregations – both pastors and lay leaders. We believe that leaders need real reflection on these two subjects in order to be equipped for a new cultural context that we are facing today. The way of church thriving in the 1980s is very different from today. Yet, the way we engage evangelism and discipleship today can involve people in new ways.
Topics to be Covered
· What is the Grand Story of Scripture – the Gospel?
· How to Communicate that story in a new era
· How to change the culture of a congregation for evangelism
· Recognizing the need for Discipleship today
· Understanding how you have grown through the years
· Creating plans for discipleship in Congregations
Jim Singleton, Th.D. Associate Professor of Evangelism and Pastoral Leadership Dr. Singleton brings over 30 years of pastoral experience and church leadership to his role at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. His particular interest is in evangelism and the mission of the local church. Dr. Singleton served as senior pastor of churches in Texas, Washington, and Colorado Springs. In addition to teaching he has participated in cross-cultural missions in places like Mongolia, Ecuador, Cuba, Mexico, and India.