GC505DE, Section 10 Rev. Geoff Bohleen
Bethel Theological Seminary Wooddale Church
Fall, 2008 952-656-1071
InMinistry
EVANGELISM FOR DISCIPLESHIP
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The goal of this course is to equip and motivate participants to develop and implement, in their ministry setting, effective, Spirit-directed, biblically-based strategies to introduce people to Jesus Christ and make disciples of all who believe.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To understand biblical and theological foundations for evangelism and discipleship.
2. To renew and strengthen a personal passion for evangelism and discipleship.
3. To develop a strategic, comprehensive understanding of how a local church can
become effective as a center for evangelism and discipleship.
4. To grow in our ability to use our personal stories to interest and invite others to
respond positively to God’s gift of salvation.
5. To identify how to lead an ingrown church into becoming evangelistically vibrant and
effective.
6. To identify strategies for melding effective evangelism and discipleship into a
seamless experience of God’s grace.
7. To identify ways in which evangelistic strategies must change in order to be effective
in today’s cultural context.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. Everts, Don & Schaupp, Doug, I Once Was Lost, IVP, 2008, 0-8308-3608-X.
2. Keller, Timothy, The Reason for God, Dutton, 2008, 0-525-95049-4.
3. Kinnaman, David, Unchristian, Baker Books, 2007, 0-8010-1300-3.
4. Willard, Dallas, The Great Omission, Harper San Francisco, 2006, 0060882433.
5. Mulholland, Robert, Invitation to a Journey, IVP, 1993, 0-8308-1386-1.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Reading and Discussion: Read the required texts and articles by the assigned dates.
Participate in the discussion forums for each reading assignment by the assigned date.
2. FaithStory: Write a 2-page FaithStory according to the following guidelines:
Focus on clearly telling how you came to faith and the difference it makes in your life.
Be authentic; no one else has your story! Be honest about past mistakes, but don’t
dwell there. Make Jesus the focus of your story, be concise, avoid “Christian lingo”
and tell of how God has used you to introduce others to Jesus’ forgiveness. Finally,
begin with a “hook” so people want to listen to your whole story.
You will submit a written copy to the teacher, tell it to three other class members and
interact with each other in response to each other’s stories, offering both
encouragement and constructive feedback.
First draft of FS to be submitted to the instructor via Assignment link by October 22.
Interaction with classmates to be completed by November 7.
3. Verbatim: Write a 5-6 page account and self-evaluation of a recent experience (post
September 22, 2008) of witnessing to a “pre-Christian,” according to the following
guidelines:
A. Assess your effectiveness in three important areas; empathetic listening leading to
accurate understanding, appropriate and assertive communication, and an effective explanation of the gospel message. Describe this person’s “spiritual address.”
B. Describe the cultural, attitudinal, relational and emotional issues which impacted
your conversation with this person.
C. Provide some key segments of the conversation. Immediately after your
conversation, write down key words, and notes to help you recall the
conversation accurately. Also, describe how the conversation turned from the
mundane to the spiritual.
D. Reflect upon the impact this conversation may have upon the person’s life. What
do you wish you would have done differently? What are you glad you did or
said? What would be a good “next step” in your interaction with this person?
Verbatim due date is November 14.
4. Integrative Portfolio Assignment: This assignment consists of two parts….
A. In 2-3 pages, assess your level of passion for evangelism, explain ways in which
you reach out to pre-Christians and tell of the major influences that have shaped
your interest (or lack of) in evangelism. Also, reflect upon and respond to the
following questions: How does your attitude toward evangelism reflect the
current status of your faith relationship with Jesus? Is it possible to be spiritually
mature without regular involvement in evangelism?
B. In 5 pages, respond to this scenario: You have just been chosen to plant a church
in the Twin Cities. Explain what you would specifically do to create a strong
outreach culture in this new church. Finally, briefly describe ways you would
lead this church in helping Christians grow toward spiritual maturity and explain
why you believe these practices will be most helpful.
NOTE: For students beginning seminary in the 08-09 school year: In addition to
submitting this assignment to the course instructor, you are also required to submit
it (upload it) to your Integrative Portfolio.
Integrative Portfolio Assignment is due November 28.
5. Final Integrative Project: Write a 15 page (3750 words) paper explaining your
theology, philosophy of ministry and personal practice of evangelism and
discipleship, according to the following guidelines.
A. State the biblical foundation for your approach to evangelism and discipleship.
B. Explain the ministry context in which you serve and how that impacts your approach to evangelism and discipleship. Explain resources available to help you proceed in effective evangelism as well as barriers that exist.
C. Explain your philosophy of ministry and how that impacts your practice of evangelism and discipleship.
D. Explain your approach to training others for effective outreach and discipleship.
E. State specific plans you have for creating effective evangelistic and discipleship efforts in your ministry setting over the next two years.
The paper should evidence interaction with the Bible, the content of course texts,
lectures, class interaction, as well as at least five additional sources.
Final Integrative Project is due December 5.
COURSE GRADE:
Reading assignments and participation in discussion forums 30%
FaithStory 10%
Verbatim 10%
Integrative Portfolio Assignment 15%
Final Integrative Project 35%
ASSIGNMENTS:
Week 1 September 22 – 26
Theme: The Biblical/Theological Foundation for Evangelism and Discipleship
Read: The Reason For God, by Timothy Keller, Introduction, Part 1 and Intermission, pp. ix-xxiii, 3-123.
Watch: “The Biblical/Theological Foundation for Evangelism and Discipleship” Video lecture, outline included.
Interact:
- Post one page to introduce yourself, identify your ministry setting and your specific
involvement and describe your convictions about evangelism and discipleship.
- Post your answer to the question, “What is the gospel message that needs to be shared
in effective evangelism?
Both posts close September 26.
Week 2 September 29 – October 3
Theme: Contemporary Challenges to the Practice of Evangelism
Read: The Reason For God, by Timothy Keller, Part 2 & Epilogue, pp. 127-240.
Watch: Video clip of Oprah discussing religion, “One Way or Many Ways?” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12p34fi30MM&feature=related (2:49)
Interact:
- Post a response to The Reason for God, highlighting significant insights and/or
reactions you have to the material.
- Post a response to the Oprah video clip focusing on how best to respond to today’s
popular belief in pluralism. Read at least 5 other postings about the video clip,
and post a response to at least two of them.
Both posts close October 3.
Week 3 October 6 – 10
Theme: Personal “Prevangelism”
Read: I Once Was Lost, by Don Everts and Doug Schaupp, pp. 11-134
Watch: “Personal Prevangelism” Video lecture, outline included.
Interact:
- Real-time conversation (Date and Time TBD) focused upon a discussion of the “5
Thresholds” model presented by Everts and Schaupp.
Week 4 October 13 - 17
Theme: Church “Prevangelism”
Read: unchristian, by David Kinnaman, Foreward, Chapters 1-5, pp. 7-119.
Watch: “Church Prevangelism” Video lecture, outline included.
Interact:
- Write a post explaining one thing you have learned about personal prevangelism and
one thing you have learned about church prevangelism, and how you will apply these
new insights in your life and ministry setting. Read 6 other posts and write about what
you have learned from your colleagues’ insights and ideas.
Post closes October 17.
Week 5 October 20 - 24
Theme: Effective Personal Evangelism, Part 1
Read: unchristian, by David Kinnaman, Chapters 6-9, Afterword, pp. 121-246.
Watch: “Effective Personal Evangelism” Video lecture, outline included.
Email me a fairly polished draft of your FaithStory by October 22. I will provide feedback to incorporate into your final draft.
Interact:
- Post a response to unchristian. Highlight three things that will help you be a more
effective witness. Also, respond to this question; “The apostle Paul said he
would become all things to all people in order to win some for Jesus Christ. Are there
any limits to how this should be practiced and, if so, what are they and why?
Finally, read five other postings about this question, and post a response to at least
one.
Post closes October 24.
Week 6 October 27 - 31
Theme: Effective Personal Evangelism, Part 2
Watch: Online talk by Tim Keller, “The Supremacy of Christ and the Gospel in a Postmodern World” http://desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/1832/Video/
The talk is a bit over one hour.
Interact:
- Real-time conversation (Date and Time TBD) in response to Keller’s talk. Begin your
contribution to the conversation by highlighting what you found most significant and
explain why.
Week 7 November 3 – 7
Theme: Effective Church Evangelism, Part 1
Read: Article by Ron Bennett, “Authentic Church-Based Evangelism in a Relational Age.” – in Course Documents
Watch: Video clip of Ravi Zacharias speaking about how to approach people in non-adversarial ways with the gospel. This clip is 5:16 long. Go to… http://www.rzim.org/USA/Resources/Watch.aspx#approachGospel
Interact:
- Post a response to Bennett’s article. Do you think Bennett accurately describes the
challenges facing today’s church? Why or why not? Do his ministry ideas seem
credible? Why or why not?
Post closes November 7.
Week 8 November 10 – 14
Theme: Effective Church Evangelism, Part 2
Watch: “Effective Church Evangelism” Video lecture, outline included.
Verbatim due Nov. 14
Interact: Choose three people and tell each other your FaithStory. Discuss what you appreciate about their story, what made the most impact, and what ideas you may have for further strengthening their story. Be affirming, even as you offer suggestions!
Contact with FS presenters needs to be completed by November 14.
Week 9 November 17 – 21
Theme: Spiritual Formation in Pre-Christians
Read: The Great Omission, by Dallas Willard, Sections 1 & 2, pp. ix-xv, 3-134.
Watch: “Spiritual Formation” Video lecture, outline included.
Interact: Read Colossians 3:1-17 and post what you believe this passage most importantly teaches about spiritual formation. Read at least 4 other postings discussing Colossians 3, and respond to two.
Post closes November 21.
Week 10 November 24 – 28
Theme: Creating a Seamless Journey from Evangelism to Discipleship
Read: The Great Omission, by Dallas Willard, Sections 3 & 4, pp. 137-229.
Integrative Portfolio Assignment due Nov. 28.
Interact:
- Real-time conversation (Date and Time TBD) to focus upon the following question:
“Why is there so often a disconnect between evangelism and discipleship? Does
something need to change in how we evangelize? Does our definition of and practice
of discipleship need to change?
Week 11 December 1 – 5
Theme: What Does a Disciple of Jesus Look Like?
Read: Invitation to a Journey, by M. Robert Mulholland
Final Integrative Project due December 5.
Interact:
- Post one paragraph responding to Mulholland’s definition of spiritual formation,
especially noting the last phrase, “for the sake of others.”
- Post a summary of what you have learned from this class experience, ideas you plan to
implement both personally and in your ministry setting, and ideas you have for helping
others grow stronger in their witness for Jesus and their daily life with Him.
Posts close December 5.