Posts Tagged ‘Beyond the Course’

Friday, June 19, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Thinking about attending the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, October 7-9? Keep reading to find out about a discount student rate offered by Catalyst to Rockbridge Seminary students.

Here’s how the conference is described:

The Catalyst Conference is the largest gathering of young leaders in the country, but it pains us to call it just a conference. Catalyst is more than just a three-day event – it’s a movement, a convergence, an experience where you find yourself fully immersed in learning, worship, and creativity. Catalyst brings people together – the influencers, the do-ers, the cultural architects, and the change agents who will reclaim our communities and culture for good.

We are bold, vocal, and driven. We have a unique perspective of the future. We are compelled by all things excellent and passionate about participating in something big. We are intentional about doing good and believe we can make a difference. We lead, yet we humbly follow. We are diverse, yet we are one.

Check out the highights below from Catalyst 2008 (if the Vimeo clip does not show, click here):

Stop by the Rockbridge Seminary booth at the Catalyst Conference and meet cofounder Dr. Gary Waller.

Call Shawn Behan (678-225-3551) with Catalyst about an early bird student discount of only $139 for Rockbridge Seminary students who register before June 25.

Go To Catalyst Conference website

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

The Barna Group just released results of a survey examining changes in worldview among Christians over the last 13 years. For students who have taken the Rockbridge Seminary course, “The Theology and Practice of Discipleship,” the survey results point to the need for effective discipleship programs in the local church, especially for children (and to help parents become disciple-makers). Barna wrote:

Barna Group releases new study

Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Among the sixty subgroups of respondents that the survey explored was one defined by those who said they have made a personal to commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior. Labeled “born again Christians,” the study discovered that they were twice as likely as the average adult to possess a biblical worldview. However, that meant that even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.

The firm’s studies have also pointed out that a person’s worldview is primarily shaped and is firmly in place by the time someone reaches the age of 13; it is refined through experience during the teen and early adult years; and then it is passed on to others during their adult life. Such studies underscore the necessity of parents and other influencers being intentional in how they help develop the worldview of children.

Read the full Barna Group study. You can subscribe to a free e-newsletter from The Barna Group.

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

Do you think the next generation is easier or harder to reach? Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv, wrote a series of blogs on this topic and thinks easier. Why?

Is the next generation on your radar?

Their world is smaller and their perspective broader

They have a wider definition of “friends”

They’re more experiential

Most have been under-challenged

Their world is gray

They’re searching for a cause

Read how Craig expands these points.

There are implications for each biblical purpose of the church, with a possible relationship to many of the Rockbridge Seminary courses you have taken.

Here are points Craig makes in other related blogs:

This generation doesn’t want to hear about what you believe. They want to see your beliefs in actions. And if you’re daring enough to live like Jesus, you’ll have a shot at reaching the next generation. (Read more)

This generation wants to talk. Conversation matters. Relationships matter. Intimacy matters. (Read more)

In their mostly gray world, they hunger for a someone to point to black and white. (Read more)

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Saturday, March 14, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

Yea, I admit it … I am a huge Reggie McNeal fan. He is more in touch with the church’s missional challenge than any writer I know. His new book Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church has just been released (already downloaded to my Kindle). If you’ve completed the course “The Theology & Practice of Evangelism,” you may be particularly interested.

Here’s why he wrote the book:

With everyone getting on the missional bandwagon, and everyone talking “missional,” and labeling so much as missional, there is a real danger that what it really means to be missional will become lost in the clutter. I wanted to write a book that distills the basicDNA of what missional really is.

Second, I wanted to give church leaders a way to talk about missional in ways that people would “get it.”Third, I wanted to help leaders develop a scorecard that rewarded their missional efforts.The church growth era certainly had a scorecard (one that we are still using) that declared winners and losers at that game.We need a scorecard that gives expression to the multi-dimensional facets of the missional church. (More here)

Leadership Network says this about Missional Renaissance:

Reggie is one of those writers that you know is going to be a fabulous read. This book is no exception. In fact it may just become not only a primer for the next two decades but the primary text book. 

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Wednesday, March 11, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Mars Hill worship celebration in Grandville, Michigan

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

In some of your Rockbridge Seminary courses, you may have been exposed to discussions about the “emerging church.” Still confused? There’s good reason because of the difficulty in defining the emerging church movement. For help, read ”Explainer: The Emerging Church,” on the blog “Off The Agenda: Conversations for Building Church Leaders.”

Rob Bell is often identified with the emerging church movement. Hear his discussion about criticism before the Mars Hill family (Grandville, Michigan) where he is pastor:

Part 1

Part 2

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

Is your church using Facebook and/or Twitter? Some churches are discovering them to be great tools to promote fellowship. Rockbridge Seminary students who have completed the course The Theology & Purpose of Fellowship might want to evaluate them for possible use in your church.

If your church is using Facebook and/or Twitter, is it worth the trouble? What do you think? If you’re still trying to decide, check out the resources below.

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Monday, March 2, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

more-than-enough

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

Watermark Community Church of Dallas is using video updates to remind members why a current building project is important- to make room for others.

Take a look at six brief videos shown over the last six months during weekend services titled “Thanks for Making Room for Me.” If you have time to watch only one video clip, take a look at the last one (part 6).

If you are a Rockbridge Seminary student who has completed either of the courses Introduction to Church Planting or Next Steps in Church Planting, these videos may give you an idea about ways to communicate “giving value” to your church family during a building project.

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Thursday, February 26, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

Yesterday’s learning was about finding the ONE mentor for your life. Today’s learning is about building a Personal Learning NETWORK around your life. Finding conferences that fit your learning focus is an excellent way to help build your personal learning network.

Kent Shaffer of Church Relevance suggests these conferences for 2009 and provides more information with links. Is there one NEAR YOU?:

Feb 18: C3 Creative Church Conference (Grapevine, TX)istock_000003055228xsmall

Feb 26: Catalyst One Day (Atlanta, GA)

Feb 27: The Idea Camp (Irvine, CA)

Mar 12: Unleash (Anderson, SC)

Mar 17: The Sticks Middle America (Harrison, AR)

Apr 20: Exponential Conference (Orlando, FL)

Apr 23: Catalyst West (Irvine, CA)

Apr 27: Q (Austin, TX)

May 12: The Sticks South East (Canton, GA)

May 13: WFX Worship Facilities Conference (Long Beach, CA)

May 18: Catalyst One Day (Dallas, TX)

May 18: InnovateChurch (Lynchburg, VA)

Jul 29: Echo Church Media Conference (Dallas, TX)

Aug 6: The Leadership Summit (South Barrington, IL)

Sep 10: MinistryCOM (Chicago, IL)

Sep 24: Innovate (Granger, IN)

Oct 07: Catalyst Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)

Oct 20: The REVEAL Conference (South Barrington, IL)

Nov 04: National Outreach Convention (San Diego, CA)

For a list of presenters at The Idea Camp (FREE and coming up quickly in Southern California), check out The Digital Sanctuary.

For more on THE STICKS conference, check out djchuang.com.

Check out the Church 2.0 Local Forum Tour.

If Rockbridge Seminary recognizes the value of these conference, then why don’t we offer course credit for them (you might ask, as Rockbridge students sometimes do)?

When we worked on curriculum design, our intent was to keep academic programs as streamlined and compact as possible. We had the choice – do we add on a large block of elective requirements that can be satisfied through conferences and independent study or do we keep the total number of credit hours streamlined? We opted for streamlined. Though we don’t have curriculum margin to offer credit for conferences and other learning events, we believe keeping your academic program focused and compact is a better curriculum strategy and is certainly more cost effective for you.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

A research study was just released by The Barna Group titled “New Research Explores How Technology Drives the Generation Gap.” For Rockbridge Seminary students who have taken the course “The Theology and Practice of Fellowship,” you will recognize the challenges of building community in a way that is intra-generational. Barna’s report shows how the technological divide makes this even more of a challenge.

Here is one church’s attempt to bridge the generational divide in this video showing members how to use the church’s website. Success or bust?


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Monday, February 23, 2009 // Posted in Learning Tips and Upgrades

Providing Rockbridge Seminary students with learning tips, ministry resources, and course upgrade news

pd-magazineYour academic program is organized around the five purposes of the church, a curriculum design intended to give relevance and ministry-focus to your studies. Often, you find ministry helps and insights embedded in your courses provided by Saddleback Senior Pastor Rick Warren.

Now there’s a way for Rockbridge Seminary students to tap into a treasure of similar resources. The Purpose Driven Connection is being launched today. The cost is minimal. Find out more:

Rick Warren’s video

PD Connection magazine

I’ve already joined and hope you will too! In all my years of benefiting from the rich ministry helps Rick Warren has made available to Kingdom partners, I’ve never seen a single resource channel made available like this.

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What People Are Saying...

“The interaction with other students & professors is great. No other seminary can offer this 1-on-1 approach to learning & support.”

Matt Nash, Student Pastor, Muskegon, MI