SECTION 2.1: Overview / History of Christian Church – January 2011
SECTION 2.2: Practices / Observances – February 2011
SECTION 2.3: Roles – March 2011
SECTION 2.4: Gifts / Healing – April 2011

This section of study, teaching and discussion will focus on the history, specific elements of the practices of the Church. Even a cursory knowledge of the history of the Christian Church helps us frame how we arrived at the place we are in culture. During this section of study we will discuss common practices of the church including Lord’s Supper and baptism as well as more controversial subject matters like baptism of the Holy Spirit, gifts and healing.

If you are unavailable for any of these Section Gatherings, be sure to get your reflection paper sent in (remember, keep it between 200 & 500 words) If you need to miss more than 2 of the Section Gatherings for this trimester I strongly suggest you spend ample time in discussion with other members of the Incubator on these subjects or just go through it next time it is offered. So much of the value for you AND us in this process is the iron sharpening iron that occurs during discussion.

In this trimester there is also a writing element introduced to help you and your fellow students to process the reading and thoughts on each topic. A maximum 500 word reflection synopsis is to be emailed en mass to all in the group on Friday before we meet. Please note all four gatherings of the Pastor Incubator will be on the campus of Oak Hills Church 1100 Blue Ravine Road in Folsom. Our thanks to the great people of Oak Hills for providing space for us to meet. Bring your own brown-bag meal, drinks are provided.

//SECTION 2.1//

History of the Christian Church // January 2011 //

1. For personal study read and thoroughly consider the following:

Church History_shelley

History of the Church timeline

2. Reflection Paper

In your reflection paper (200-500 words) please discuss one of the eras in Christian history described in the reading that you knew the least about previous to your personal study and discuss what key facts you learned. paper is to be emailed to each person for further reading and reflection from one another. For this first section email your paper to stu@discipleschurch.net and I will forward it on to everyone. In future months we will do our digital correspondence by emailing everything directly to pastorincubator@googlegroups.com this should direct everything we send to each person in the group automatically.

3. Come prepared to discuss the following:

–What do you see as Constantine’s greatest contribution to The Christian Church?

–What are the great tragedies of the Christian Middle Ages, and how would you lead those in today’s church to avoid the mistakes of their time?

–What are the great triumphs of the Christian Middle Ages, and how would you lead us to celebrate those triumphs and learn from them?

–What would you say is the lasting affect in your life and the local Church of the Reformation?

–Let’s talk denominations…their time, their triumphs and their place today.

–What would you say was the greatest progress in the Age of Progress?

//SECTION 2.2//

PRACTICES/OBSERVANCES // FEBRUARY 2011 //

Because we are church that is relentless about people far from God AND developing leaders we will focus the bulk of our discussion this month on this subject of developing leaders who connect people far from God and His church with Christ and Community. There are many other important practices and observances worthy of discussion but most of these will come up naturally in the course of discussion. The lecture this month will focus some of it’s time on baptism, communion, prayer, lent, advent, etc. That being said, the major focus this month is to paint the picture for an intentional and clear development process for how we lead this local body.

1. For personal study read and thoroughly consider the following:

You will notice there is considerably more reading this month than most. Forgive us, we are leadership junkies. We will die for the idea that to truly engage those far from God and Church with Christ and Community it will require a heightened level of passion and intentionality to LEAD. We are not given the luxury to  just follow what everyone else is thinking or doing, we must innovate, create and dream. This requires a focus on leadership most of us have never experienced in church.

snyder on genetic material of thriving churches

snyder on DNA of structures

malphurs on process to developing leaders

malphurs spiritual health in leadership

2. Reflection

With the amount of reading this time around, try to focus your reflection on synthesizing what was the overall message in all this structural and systematic discussion. Was it, “never stop changing”, “Be intentional”, “keep scripture first”, all of the above, or something completely different. Try and synthesize. 200-500 words max, please. email your reflection to pastorincubator@googlegroups.com

3. Come prepared to discuss the following

–What makes this leadership piece so important to God?

–How do you see the structure changing over the next few months, years, decades?

–What traditional practices are you most curious about? baptism, communion, lent, etc?

//SECTION 2.3 //

ROLES // MARCH 2011 //

1. For personal study read and thoroughly consider the following:

Genesis 1-3 / 1 Timothy 2 / 1 Corinthians 14 / Galatians 3 / And ANY other Scriptural texts that have helped you in the process of finding God’s heart in this.

John Piper on Women in Ministry

NT Wright on Women in Ministry

Graeme Codrington on Women in Ministry

2. Reflection

Remember this is a brief reflection. 200-500 words, don’t try to share all you know with the group, maybe just one significant “AHA” or one significant “NO WAY” you felt as you read and reflected. email to pastorincubator@googlegroups.com

3. Come prepared to discuss the following:

–What did you resonate with/ what did you disagree with in the readings? How do explicit writings in Scripture and its overall narrative support your thoughts?

–Is it fair to assume different formats or approaches to this issue will be appropriate in different settings?

–If you were to write the Disciples Church heart for women in ministry what would you want to say?

–Does our approach to this also help us arrive at God’s heart for Youth in leadership as well?

//SECTION 2.4 //

GIFTS, HEALING // APRIL 2011 //

1. For personal study read and thoroughly consider the following:

–Purchase and read Ministry and the Miraculous, A Case Study at Fuller Theological Seminary edited by Lewis B. Smedes. This book is out of print but look online to purchase or use a loaner copy from Stu.

–Jack Deere from Surprised by the Power of the Spirit

2. Reflection

Remember this is a brief reflection. 200-500 words, don’t try to share all you know with the group, maybe just one significant “AHA” or one significant “NO WAY” you felt as you read and reflected. email to pastorincubator@googlegroups.com

3. Come prepared to discuss the following:

–How is God challenging your thinking in this area?
–What are next steps for you in discovering God’s heart in this area?
–What do these new realities mean for us as a church?