One Day Seminary for Everyday Christians
The Importance of Seminary Training
The idea of a One Day Seminary may seem a little strange, but is it really? When those who are called into vocational Christian ministry enter theological training, they generally expect it to take at least three to four years. Even with that, though, no one goes into their education thinking they will come out knowing everything there is to know about theology or church leadership. They recognize it for what it is – an educational foundation to build upon for their rest of their ministry. So they study basic doctrine, missions and evangelism, Christian ethics, apologetics, world religions, and other subjects that will establish that foundation.
Of course, it is natural that those called into church leadership ministry would feel a need for that kind of education. They will, after all, be responsible for leading and guiding those under their influence.
But What about Everyone Else?
But what about those who man the pews in our churches? Why don’t they also go to seminary?
Well, for one thing, the courses taught in most theological schools are primarily geared toward people who plan to go into professional Christian leadership ministry – not for the average Christian. Another reason is that most people simply don’t have three or four years to devote to that kind of training. At the same time, the Bible teaches that every believer is a minister of the gospel and needs to be equipped to carry the message into the world. So how do everyday Christians get their theological education?
Ephesians 4:11-13 provides a blueprint for that. It teaches that the work of church leaders is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry.” The corollary to that is that everyday church members must put themselves into a position to be equipped. So, the local church becomes their seminary.
Most churches provide at least some training opportunities. They do it through sermons, Bible study classes, and perhaps the occasional discipleship class. But this approach is, by nature, mostly random. And it is rare to find a church that has created a systematic way to provide a comprehensive educational foundation to help regular church members effectively prepare for and carry out their ministry mandate.
The One Day Seminary
Enter One Day Seminary. This is a one day class that shares a systematic and comprehensive training opportunity to provide that essential core foundation for everyday believers. Obviously, no one is going to learn in one day what seminarians get in three or four years of study. However, this training does provide a solid grounding in the core essentials needed by everyday Christians.
What Can Participants Expect?
The topics covered in this training will include the basic subjects that every Christian needs to grasp for effective ministry out in their world. It includes:
- Worldview Basics
- Essential Christian Doctrine
- Missions and Evangelism
- Ethics and Morality
- Apologetics
- A Christian’s Devotional Life
- A Study of Other Religions
But That’s Not Enough
While the topics above are a critical starting point, they are actually not enough in and of themselves. Christians need living, not sterile knowledge. One Day Seminary training starts with a basic knowledge base, but adds one more element – a worldview context.
A worldview is the most foundational beliefs every person holds. Everyone (Christians and non-Christians alike) has a worldview, and everything they think and do is based upon it. It is what allows people to make sense of the world they live in. Whether their worldview beliefs are true or false, it provides them a framework for understanding their world.
Too often, Christians think they only need to understand biblical worldview beliefs. That is an essential starting point, of course, but is not enough in our current pluralistic society. We need to know why our Christian beliefs are true and other beliefs are not. On top of that, we need to know how to share our beliefs across worldview barriers – and for sure, a worldview barrier is a huge chasm. Without that skill, our message is likely not to even be understood.
How Can Your Church Get This?
MarketFaith Ministries is a worldview discipleship ministry. Our specialty is to equip believers to profoundly impact the world for Christ. To do that, we have developed the One Day Seminary training opportunity. It would be our pleasure to share with you this equipping opportunity. Contact us today at info@marketfaith.org and lets begin that conversation.