Discipleship for the 21st Century
The Goal
You abhor the superficiality of 21st century Christianity and long for the people you lead to enjoy an intimate walk with Jesus Christ. But how? The formulaic agendas, the program-driven strategies, that arrive in your mailbox are obviously not the answer, but what is? How can you help your people become authentic disciples of Jesus Christ? Talbot can help. Discipleship for the 21st Century is a Doctor of Ministry track designed to make authentic discipleship to Jesus Christ a present day reality. With Michael Wilkins as your faculty-mentor, and with a host of highly esteemed guest lecturers, you will explore the 1st Century world of biblical discipleship and discover how to encourage your people to become a similar community, committed to living radically in the 21st Century world as disciples of Jesus.
Videos
Videos go here.
The Strategy
Year One: Personal Discipleship
(Wilkins, Willard, & Hull)
During the first week we will seek to understand Jesus' form of discipleship in contrast to other forms found in the ancient world. We will develop a firm grasp of discipleship as Jesus intended it to be, as it developed in the early church, and how Paul, Peter, and the other biblical authors understood discipleship and spiritual formation.
In the second week you will undertake and examination and application of these biblical principles in your personal life. You will be guided by Drs. Wilkins, Willard, Hull, Hung, and Coe as they reflect upon their lifetimes of study and application of discipleship and spiritual formation. In the end, you will have a strategy for spiritual growth in your own life and one for those within your ministry.
Year Two: The Church in Discipleship
(Wilkins, Ogden, Osborne, Hull & Hellerman)
During the first week we will explore discipleship as the wholistic ministry of the church. We will visit the cutting-edge ministry of Talbot professor Dr. Joe Hellerman to see church as “family.”
In the second week we will visit the churches of Dr. Larry Osborne and Professor Ben Shin helping us to understand specific practices of discipleship--mentoring, leadership development, and small groups. Considering discipleship as the ministry of the church allows each of these sub-categories to be placed within a workable strategy for church development.
Year Three: Discipleship in the 21 Century World
(Wilkins, Andrews and other guests)
Building on our prior studies, we will focus on how discipleship is lived out today. In the first week we will explore the relationship of the biological family to the church. Church and family experts like Dr. Jim Burns will help us elaborate the working relationship between family discipleship and church discipleship. We will visit Kathlene Doyle and Mike Erre, pastors at Rock Harbor Church, to discuss women and men in discipleship to Jesus.
The second week will focus on developing a discipleship strategy in relation to evangelism in our current global culture, and in the marketplace. Mark Mittleberg, Steve, Rundle and Alan Andrews will guide us in examining ways to build a local discipleship community that reaches into your neighborhood, school, and workplace.
The Faculty Mentor
Dr. Michael J. Wilkins With 30 years experience in both academic and church ministry, Dr. Michael J. Wilkins is currently Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and also Dean of the Faculty at Talbot. His expertise in Biblical discipleship has resulted in authoring three books for the academy and the church, one of which is Following the Master: A Biblical Theology of Discipleship (Zondervan). He has authored or co-edited four other books, most recently the award-winning commentary on Matthew in the NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan). Dr. Wilkins' broad experience will be used to assist you in understanding the nature of discipleship to Jesus, and how that can transform your personal life and ministry.
Additional Faculty
Dr. Dallas Willard is one of the leading figures in discipleship and spiritual formation, Dr. Dallas Willard is Professor in the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California. His book Renovation of the Heart received Christianity Today's 2003 Book Award in the category of "Spirituality," and his book The Divine Conspiracy was selected Christianity Today's "Book of the Year" for 1999.
Dr. Bill Hull, a Talbot alumnus, is director of Choose the Life ministry. His books include Jesus Christ Disciplemaker, The Disciple Making Pastor, The Disciple Making Church and The Complete Book of Discipleship, which provide an authentic paradigm for disciple making. Bill pastored EFCA churches for 20 years and created T-NET International, a training network dedicated to local church transformation.
Dr. Joe Hellerman, Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Talbot and Co-Pastor at Oceanside Christian Fellowship, has served in both the church and the academy for more than two decades. His book The Ancient Church as Family demonstrates the necessary relationship between the spiritual and biological families in developing authentic discipleship for the church and home.
Dr. Greg Ogden is the Executive Pastor of Discipleship at Christ Church of Oak Brook, Oak Brook, Illinois. He is the author of Discipleship Essentials and Transforming Discipleship. He has taught for many years a D. Min. course entitled "Growing a Disciple-Making Congregation" and brings to this track rich academic and practical experience.
Dr. Larry Osborne, a Talbot alumnus (M.Div. and D.Min.), is the senior pastor of North Coast Church, one of the most dynamic disciple-making churches in America. Author of The Unity Factor, Larry is a popular contributor to Leadership Journal, and writes and speaks extensively on the subject of leadership and developing healthy ministry teams.
Dr. Alan Andrews is President of the U.S. Navigators. In this role he oversees the work of more than 1,800 missionaries serving in the United States and overseas. Alan has forty years of experience in reaching the lost, ministering to the poor, and developing authentic relationships in every day life among believers that facilitates transformational discipleship.