One of the key reasons many churches are not growing today is that many of their church members do not know the essentials of the Christian faith. Thom and Sam examine this phenomenon and offer key steps for the church to move forward.
-
- Many church members do not know or believe the basics of the Christian faith.
-
- Knowledge does not equate to action, but you need to know why to respond faithfully.
-
- Bible teaching is inconsistent or non-existent in many small groups in churches.
-
- Culture teaches many half-truths that are not truth at all.
-
- All churches should restart with an “essentials class” in their small groups.
Resources
Episode Sponsors:
The Bilingual Bible NLT/NTV provides the texts of the New Living Translation in English and the Nueva Traducción Viviente in Spanish in a parallel format. These two wonderful translations present God’s Word accurately and faithfully in warm, inviting, and easy-to-understand language that will speak straight to your heart. Now completely revised and updated, its features include:
-
- Presentation Page
- 365-day Reading Plan
- Table of Weights and Measures
- Three full-color maps
Eligible high schoolers can earn college credit online, the first class is free (not including books and course materials), and they get a significant discount ($166 per credit vs. $613 per credit) for every subsequent class. They can choose from more than 30 available courses. Here are just a few additional details not included on the flier:
-
- This program is open to third-culture kids, homeschool students, private and public school students, etc.
- Students can start during any eight-week session – summer, fall, spring, each semester has two sessions as indicated on the flier
- The first-class free offer is limited. I do not yet know for how long, but we should market it as temporary for now.
- Many students have successfully completed courses during their normal school year. Classes are asynchronous, so they can access course materials at their convenience.
- Sometimes universities have similar programs and they make classes specific for high school students – HS students sitting with other HS students. In our program, participants sit in on real college courses, with actual college student peers. They get the real deal through our experience.