Grace Prayer Bulletin # 19
Grace Prayer Bulletin #19
Dear Grace Prayer Partners,
I would like to spend a few weeks looking at some educational institutions of Reformed and Sovereign Grace Churches. These are not parachurch institutions, but learning opportunities handled by local assemblies. If your church has opportunities to train and you would like to share these with others please send them my way. It is my conviction we need to return control of the education of the minds of our people back to our churches where we can allow those who are gifted to train, not just the educated. Whether you are developed enough to assist other or just simply have ideas that can be helpful it would be appreciated.
Yours in Christ,
Rob Gerard
The following is a ministry of Audubon Drive Bible Church of Laurel, Mississippi.
A Prospectus for the Audubon Theological Academy
Pastoral Training and Continuing Theological Education
A Ministry of Audubon Drive Bible Church
Why Local Church-Based Seminary Instruction?
God Makes a Minister The Word of God clearly teaches that it is the triune God who gifts the church with faithful and able ministers of the New Covenant. The Bible speaks of the role of all three persons of the Godhead in giving ministers to the church. Of God the Father, we read that "all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Cor 5:18, see also 4:off). Christ the Son and second person of the Godhead "gave gifts to men. . . .He gave some as apostles,
and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph 4:8, 11-12). Also the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God, "made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:20).
God's People Make a Minister Likewise the Word of God clearly teaches that leaders for the church are to come from the church. In Acts 6:3 the first deacons were drawn from the believing body. "But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task." Overseers (Elders and Pastors) are likewise to come from the congregation. Paul and Barnabas in their years of missionary journeys and church planting "appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed" (Acts 14:23). In the pastoral epistles both Timothy and Titus were instructed to develop the leadership of the church through the recognition of gifts and graces and through training. Titus was instructed by Paul, to "set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you" (Tit 1:5). Timothy was commanded to develop leadership, "And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).
God's Church is the Ideal Place to Make a Minister
Thus, while God is truly the one who sends laborers for the harvest (Mt 9:6-9), He has chosen to do so through instrumentality of the church, the local church. It is usually the case that those who take seriously the means God uses are blessed to see the ends God chooses. So it is with pastoral training - God makes ministers of the gospel in the field of congregations where theological seeds are sown and zeal for God's glory water the ground. It is our conviction that the ideal context for the formative training of pastors is an academy or seminary integrally connected to the local church and overseen by the elders of the church. Such a seminary (literally, seed bed) provides the context for entrusting the "faith once for all delivered"
(Jude 1:3) to those "faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim 2:2).
Why "Audubon Theological Academy"?
The name of an institution is significant and should meaningfully communicate the intent of that institution. It is a Ministry of the Church Our school is called the Audubon Theological Academy because it is a ministry of Audubon Drive Bible Church and is vitally and integrally connected to the church. It is our conviction that the training of men for the church should be in the church. No better context for the whole-life development of doctrine and devotion can be found.
It is Theological
Our school is called the Audubon Theological Academy because the highest and noblest content of study is the Word about God (literally theology). We also believe that we have a Word about God, the Bible, which is the supreme authority and completely without error and sufficient for equipping men for the work of the ministry. Yet, a complete understanding of God's Word and its implications requires more than a narrow grasp of biblical content; it compels us to know classical/biblical languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Latin), interpretive, rhetorical and homiletical skills, logic, history, doctrine, pastoral competencies, and gain the skills and knowledge to stand for truth against error in our present context of Western Civilization. It is our conviction that the fullest theological training involves seven areas of theology: exegetical theology, biblical theology, systematic theology, historical theology, polemical theology, pastoral theology, and
experimental theology.
It is Focused
Our school is called the Audubon Theological Academy because as an academy it is educationally focused and contextually centered. The word "academy" has come to signify a school to train students for a particular purpose (e.g., the Naval Academy). It is our conviction that pastoral training should be led by those who serve as pastors and elders and accomplished in an educational context which is a ministry-focused, church-centered atmosphere.
The Students of Audubon Theological Academy
1- Those Called to Vocational Christian Service .
2- Those Presently Serving as Ministers
3- Those in Our Need of Further Theological Development
The Instructional Atmosphere of Audubon Theological Academy
Instructional Methods
In traditional seminaries lectures reign as the chief educational method, despite the fact that almost every educator agrees that the passivity of lecture (for students) usually produces a lack of retention and a lack content mastery. Thus, on the whole lecture methodology alone is ineffective for mastery of a subject matter. Therefore, the instructional method that we want to consistently employ involves dialogue and interaction around classic and contemporary texts, student involvement in class presentations of the material, drill (when appropriate, ala Greek), and lecture when it is necessary and educationally warranted.
Instructional Formats
The Academy will employ varied instructional formats:
1. Weekly Classes (in four tracks) for the classroom-intensive subject (languages, logic, pastoral subjects, etc).
2. Colloquiums for the discussion of subjects requiring preparation and presentation (Calvin, Turrentin Systematic Theology meeting on Saturdays).
3. Periodic Seminars lasting from two to four hours (such as English grammar, Computer, etc).
4. Selected Independent Studies involving students' personal reading, listening to tapes, writing, and projects (to be planned in the ministry training contract).
5. Informal Accountability Meetings for the area of experimental theology to discuss growth in godliness and spiritual disciplines).
Theological Education by Extension
The concept of TEE (Theological Education by Extension) has swept over the world of missions. This form of indigenous training for leaders in churches has been very effective because it keeps laborers in the harvest field (rather than pulling them out for three or four years, and many never return). The key elements of the TEE atmosphere are self-study and weekly meetings for dialogue and interaction, as well as periodic meetings a larger group of ministers/students all of this while one is ministering in a local church. The Academy is closer to this indigenous model, with a touch of liberal arts curriculum (Latin, Logic, Rhetoric), than what has come to be known as the traditional seminary model. We also hope to provide some correspondence or extension study ("distance learning") to those unable to attend the classes (each extension student will be directed individually, as the need arises).
The Product of Audubon Theological Academy
There are three important concepts in ministry training which form our goals
in the Academy:
1. Formative training is a time of training when a minister undergoes intensive training to gain the knowledge and skill base for the work of God.
2. Continual training flows from the internal shaping of the character of the minister, such that as a result of one's formative development there is a continual development in godliness, knowledge, and ministry skills beyond the classroom.
3. Diagnostic training is what is often needed by young men aspiring to the ministry. It is a time of training which helps one diagnose the call of God on their lives while gaining knowledge, skills, and life disciplines of godliness which will nonetheless aid the student. We pray that we might impact men to be lifelong learners, lifelong doers, and lifelong livers to the glory of God. Entrance Requirements Into Audubon Theological Academy
Cost
There are no tuition fees at all! Donations from those in support of the vision of the Academy will be greatly appreciated and tax deductible. Aside from the cost of books/materials, the cost of study is the cost of being a disciple: Requirements for Entry into the Program Faithful Christians Students should be committed believers and faithful members of biblically-ordered local churches. If circumstances permit, we wish
student to commit to Audubon Drive Bible Church. However, every case will be examined individually by our elder board and recommendations will be made to each student regarding educational, ministry, church concerns.
Available to Study and Serve
Students pursuing formal ministry training with a degree in mind, should attend a majority of the weekly tracks of study and be available to study diligently and serve faithfully.
Teachable in Life and Doctrine
Each student should be teachable as a Christian and as a student, both in daily living and in theological convictions. Our goal is to see students grow toward maturity and develop a well-articulated Christian worldview. Thus, the academic side of the Academy is to be ever complimented with a spirit of apprenticeship. Audubon Theological Academy and Other Educational Institutions The founding of this church-based educational institution and ministry should by no means be construed to mean that we see no purpose and value in other institutions of a like nature or institutions of higher learning in general. On the contrary, a fully developed Christian worldview demands that each vocation should be pursued to the highest level of competence and professionally, which often demands such institutions. Further, Bible
colleges and graduate theological institutions serve a fine purpose for many students, as well as provide contexts for research and theological development. Also, certain callings and vocations require a certain level of professional accreditation. Moreover, a minister's educational credentials need not be limited to that of our Academy. Frankly, we hope that the academic, theological, and ministry competencies gained from our Academy would greatly reduce the amount of academic effort needed to complete traditional academic credentials. It is our observation that those who graduate from the finest seminaries often still require an apprenticeship-like context in which to develop ministry skills. And those who never complete a seminary or Bible college degree who have nonetheless gained ministry skills by experience in pastoral contexts often still have a need for the theological content a seminary offers. We hope to provide the best of both worlds for those raised up in our own context and for those that we may have the privilege to minister to from our surrounding area, or those sent to us from other locations.
For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at talijew@c-gate.net
Or the web site for this page is http://www.c-gate.net/~adbc
For those desiring to speak with Jerry Marcellino about the possibility of their attending Audubon Theological Academy the toll free nationwide number is (800-405-3788).
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