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4. soul61: teaching & serving
Soul61 will involve many things, but the two essential bits we're focussing on are the role of serving and learning. You'll find yourself serving in some extrememly practical ways and getting some quality teaching on all sorts of stuff. Read on to find out more...
serving your heart out...
Each person on the course is given a placement in an area of ministry they feel especially passionate about. If Jesus is our example of leadership then we see it’s got to be about service so at Soul61 you’ll spend time serving God and serving others.
As part of this placement based at Soul Survivor Watford you could be involved with the youth, kids, evangelism, church planting, pioneering, production and many others, you will be stretched and thrown in the deep end. We want to equip you to lead and a great way of doing that is by giving you real responsibility. Each placement is designed to grow and develop gifts and provide real opportunities for exercising leadership. Around 2 days a week will be spent doing ministry.
stick with it...
We are passionate about raising up a generation of leaders who long to serve and bless the Church (whether in fulltime ministry or not). This part of the course might involve some pretty mundane tasks but serving is vital in growing and developing the character and heart that God loves in leaders.
We long to cheer you on and help you wrestle with the challenges that come up in all sorts of ways as you actively and practically serve God’s kingdom.
getting away from watford...
In addition, the course has optional overseas ministry trips with Mike. In the last couple of years Soul61 students have gone all over the world: California, New Zealand, Norway, Australia, Holland. The point of these trips is to see what God is up to around the world and to learn about ministry in different contexts. It really is a great way to learn how to think like a leader. It’s also a great chance to hang out, travel and for Mike to show you some of his favourite restaurants. Those of you who draw the short straw might end up on a trip to Birmingham with Andy.
Hopefully that gives you an idea of what to expect. Overall as the weeks go by in Watford our hope is you’ll grow as followers of Jesus, learn to love Him and His world and be transformed to change it.
the teaching
We want to invest the best we have into you. We’ll have two days a week worth of teaching where we’ll spend plenty of time studying the Bible and thinking through all sorts of things. The teaching is a mixture between really practical leadership skills (like how to communicate) and a good grounding in theology. Don’t worry if academia isn’t exactly your thing – this teaching will stretch your minds but it’s also intended to be really accessible and relevant. Our hope is that it will set your hearts on fire and not just give you a headache.
If you want a more detailed picture of the teaching it will involve modules taught by Andy Croft, Mike Pilavachi, Jeannie Morgan, Ali Martin, Beth Croft and other invited guests. Modules are likely to cover:
1. introduction to the old testament:
Andy will cover The Pentateuch, Historical books, Wisdom, Psalms, Major Prophets and Minor Prophets. The point is to really get to know our Bibles and the God of the Bible.
2. introduction to the new testament:
Again Andy will teach through the Synoptic Gospels, John, Acts and the Early Church, Paul, other letters and Revelation. Whilst doing this there’ll be lots of space for discussion, questions, enjoying and thinking through what God says to us.
3. key theological questions:
Ever wondered how God could be three and one at the same time (Trinitarian theology) or what and who Jesus was and is (Christology)? What about all that stuff on the cross, sacrifice, and salvation (Soteriology) or have you just got some questions on the work of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology). Did Jesus really intend to build his church on a rock and what part does it play (Ecclesiology). We'll look at all these ideas and questions, plus a few more besides!
4. tough questions:
There are lots of theological issues today from What about suffering, Hell, Other religions, Science etc. Engaging with some of the modern objections to Christianity. We'll spend time loooking into some of these discussions and have some time left over to debate the whole end of the world issue (Escatology)... if we're still here.
5. apologetics:
We'll also spend some time looking at some of the most engaging and classic objections to Christianity that are about today... the point isn't to rock your spiritiual world, but to give you the tools and insight to discuss and defend what you believe.
don’t worry...
Don't worry if academia and studying aren’t exactly your thing. This teaching will stretch your minds but it’s also intended to be really accessible and relevant - our hope is that it will set your hearts on fire and not just give you a headache!
communication
Ali Martin will be teaching on the principles of communication, how to prepare and give talks; the key things to avoid and to aim for. This will provide a safe environment to give talks and receive feedback.
‘praying for people so that stuff happens’:
Jeannie Morgan and others will be leading a module on hearing God’s voice, growing in the gift of prophecy, praying for healing of the body and heart, what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit and growing in the gifts of the Spirit. These sessions will be both biblical and practical.
worship:
Mike Pilavachi, Beth Croft and others will give the biblical base for our theology of worship and practical input in leading worship effectively today. This will include sessions on worship and culture, listening to the leading of the Spirit, the relationship between Pastor and Worship leader and song writing.
leadership and values:
Mike Pilavachi will lead a module covering principles of Christian leadership and how this applies to leading in the 21st century. It will involve an exploration of different models of leadership today with a view to forming a pattern that is biblical, authentic and relevant. Clearly in this module we will be reflecting the ethos and values of Soul Survivor. All of the above teaching will take place over the 10 month period.
and finally...
There’ll be a certain amount of flexibility involved – for example if you’re more Mike Pilavachi than Ben Cantelon, then you wouldn’t have to take part in the song-writing class! We’re doing everything we can to make the teaching exciting, deep and really practical. We believe that this stuff is important – the more we understand and believe in our heads, the better equipped we are to live it through our lives!