Jesus calls us all to be disciples – followers of Him. We are called to be disciples in all aspects of our lives and so the seminar programme is devised to help us consider what it means to be a disciple ‘everyday’.
Tuesday Morning
1. Disciples in the family – Sarah Holmes
We all share the desire to see Christian faith passed on to the next generation. But how does disciple-making in the family context take place most effectively? How can parents strike a balance between supporting their child's developing faith whilst juggling the pressure of daily life? How can churches best support and equip parents in this vital task? This seminar explores these issues.
2. Disciples who work and play – Christoph Ebbinghaus
God made us, human beings, "in His image" to show the world what He is like. When Jesus developed the theme with His disciples He told them that they were "the light of the world."This seminar considers how our church can become discipling communities that equip people for the whole of their real lives – all the places where they work and play.
Click here to download an accompanying PowerPoint presentation on 'Disciples who work and play'.
3. Disciples who think and engage – Paul Coulter
The rapid changes in our culture often leave Christians feeling confused and vulnerable. We need to raise up disciples of all ages who can think biblically about the issues of our time so that they can serve God faithfully and share the gospel confidently. We need to get beneath the surface of how people live and speak to understand how behaviour reflects ultimate beliefs that are either true or false. This seminar will explore the centrality of transformed thinking to whole-life discipleship. It will present a biblical worldview that challenges alternative ideas and provides a foundation for confident faith and persuasive evangelism. We will explore together both what this means for individual Christians and how, in practical terms, teaching in our churches can develop disciples who engage thoughtfully in the world.
Click here to download an accompanying PDF on 'Disciples who think and engage'.
4. Disciples who worship – David Montgomery
Few subjects cause as much disharmony in the church as the issue of music and praise. But is it all purely a matter of taste? Are there theological considerations we need to apply? What about the non-musical elements of worship? Given the strong emphasis on preaching in our tradition, and the time spent by preachers in preparing this aspect of the service, how much time should we spend putting together the other elements? In a culture where the ‘worship leader’ has assumed a prominent role in many emerging churches, what biblical principles govern this role. How can we encourage creative artists and musicians in a way which neither relegates their contributions to the periphery of worship nor elevates their role beyond what is appropriate? This seminar looks at the biblical and practical issues surrounding the putting together of corporate worship services within the PCI tradition.
Click here to download the accompanying PowerPoint presentation on 'Disciples who worship'.
5. Disciples across the world – Stephen McIlwaine
The world has changed and so has mission. In this seminar, we will look at some of the changes affecting mission today, and examine our role in getting our own congregations excited about mission. We will share our own experiences with ‘missionaries’ and teams, and ask how we can make mission a more integral part of our church life. We will look at how we can better support the missionaries we already know of, and how we can better use short-term mission trips to enrich the lives of those who go on them and those who don’t, not to mention those who host them. We will think about the increasing number of people from other faiths who now live on our doorstep, and on how we can engage with them.
6. Disciples who really care – Andrew Collins
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are followers and learners of a good shepherd who is our perfect model of care. But is ‘caring’ not just for the specialists? What does Paul mean when he writes to the Corinthians of ‘every member care’ in the body of Christ? And what would it look like in practice? This seminar and discussion aims to consider how we can grow in what Jesus called the defining characteristic of His followers – “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Click here to download an accompanying PowerPoint presentation on 'Disciples who really care'.
Wednesday Morning
1. Disciples in the family – Sarah Holmes
We all share the desire to see the Christian faith passed on to the next generation. But how does disciple-making in the family context take place most effectively? How can parents strike a balance between supporting their child’s developing faith whilst juggling the pressures of everyday living? How can churches best support and equip parents in this vital task? What role do salaried staff play in facilitating disciple-making in the home? This seminar will explore these issues, enabling churches to consider how biblical principles and research findings may be practically applied in individual settings.
2. Disciples who work and play – Christoph Ebbinghaus
When God made human beings He made us with a very specific purpose in mind. He made us “in His image” to show the world what He is like. When Jesus developed the theme with His disciples He told them that they were “the light of the world.” For too long the image has been hidden away… the light has been kept under a bowl. In this seminar we will be thinking about how our churches can become discipling communities that equip people for the whole of their real lives…not just Sundays, Monday to Saturday too…not just church, but all the places where they work and play. We’ll see how there is no such thing as ‘the Christian life’ or ‘spiritual life.’ There’s just life… ‘Life to the full’ Jesus called it… the kind of life that will draw a watching world to Him.
3. Disciples who think and engage – Paul Coulter
The rapid changes in our culture often leave Christians feeling confused and vulnerable. We need to raise up disciples of all ages who can think biblically about the issues of our time so that they can serve God faithfully and share the gospel confidently. We need to get beneath the surface of how people live and speak to understand how behaviour reflects ultimate beliefs that are either true or false. This seminar will explore the centrality of transformed thinking to whole-life discipleship. It will present a biblical worldview that challenges alternative ideas and provides a foundation for confident faith and persuasive evangelism. We will explore together both what this means for individual Christians and how, in practical terms, teaching in our churches can develop disciples who engage thoughtfully in the world.
4. Disciples who worship – David Montgomery
Few subjects cause as much disharmony in the church as the issue of music and praise. But is it all purely a matter of taste? Are there theological considerations we need to apply? What about the non-musical elements of worship? Given the strong emphasis on preaching in our tradition, and the time spent by preachers in preparing this aspect of the service, how much time should we spend putting together the other elements? In a culture where the ‘worship leader’ has assumed a prominent role in many emerging churches, what biblical principles govern this role. How can we encourage creative artists and musicians in a way which neither relegates their contributions to the periphery of worship nor elevates their role beyond what is appropriate? This seminar looks at the biblical and practical issues surrounding the putting together of corporate worship services within the PCI tradition.
5. Disciples across the world – Stephen McIlwaine
The world has changed and so has mission. In this seminar, we will look at some of the changes affecting mission today, and examine our role in getting our own congregations excited about mission. We will share our own experiences with ‘missionaries’ and teams, and ask how we can make mission a more integral part of our church life. We will look at how we can better support the missionaries we already know of, and how we can better use short-term mission trips to enrich the lives of those who go on them and those who don’t, not to mention those who host them. We will think about the increasing number of people from other faiths who now live on our doorstep, and on how we can engage with them.
6. Disciples who really care – Andrew Collins
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are followers and learners of a good shepherd who is our perfect model of care. But is ‘caring’ not just for the specialists? What does Paul mean when he writes to the Corinthians of ‘every member care’ in the body of Christ? And what would it look like in practice? This seminar and discussion aims to consider how we can grow in what Jesus called the defining characteristic of His followers – “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).