« TRACKS

Outreach & Discipleship

Informing spiritual passions by…
Forming mentored learning communities, thereby…
Transforming ministers and ministries for a lifetime.

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Informing

Concentrating on the pattern set by Jesus and His disciples, Christian leaders can make sure that their own course of action fits into God’s overall plan for the Great Commission – gaining His blessing and His power. By bringing together the dynamics of evangelism, discipleship, and revival in the context of the Great Commission Lifestyle, I believe this track answers the greatest yearning for leadership in the church today! – Dr. Robert Coleman, founding mentor

Check out this Christianity Today article, specifically book #21! The Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals

Forming

As a Doctor of Ministry student, you attend three two-week intensive residencies (seminars), one each year for three years. One of your residencies for this track will be held outside the United States.

You also complete projects following each of the three residencies, including a major thesis-project following the third residency. You read widely in books and periodicals, and your reading and research contribute to the residencies and to your current ministry.

• Coleman, Robert E.  The Mind of the Master. Christian Outreach, 2000.
• Beougher, Timothy, and Alvin Reid, eds.  Evangelism for a Changing World.  Wheaton:  Harold Shaw, 1995.
• Fernando, Ajith.  Redeeming Love:  Radical Relationships in a Complex World.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 2012.
• Lovelace, Richard.  Dynamics of Spiritual Life:  An Evangelical Theology of Renewal.  Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1979.
• Macchia, Stephen A.  Becoming a Healthy Church: Ten Traits of a Vital Ministry.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker, 2003.
• Malphurs, Aubrey.  Advanced Strategic Planning,: A New Model for Church and Ministry Leaders, 2nd edition.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Baker Books, 2005.
• Mittleberg, Mark with Bill Hybels.  Building A Contagious Church. Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2000.
• Park, Seong Hyun; Spencer, Aida Besancon; Spencer, William eds., Reaching for the New Jerusalem: A Biblical and Theological Framework for the City.  Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2013.
• Platt, David.  Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.  Multnomah, 2010.
• Putnam, James; Harrington, Bobby; with Coleman, Robert.  DiscipleShift: Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples.  Zondervan, 2013.
• Stetzer, Ed. Planting Missional Churches. B&H Academic, 2006.
• White, Tom.  City-wide Prayer Movements: One Church, Many Congregations.  Vine Books, 2004.

To order these books through Christian Book Distributors, go to our online bookstore:

GCTS Bookstore

Transforming

Here is how your studies will transform you and your ministry by seeking to fulfill our general Doctor of Ministry goals in some track-specific ways:

• To resource students through a biblically-grounded educational program taught by faculty who are committed to God’s Word and the application of principles of Scripture to the issues of contemporary culture.
• Students will be able to look more fully at the world from Jesus’ perspective and see how they can follow in his steps, believing that Jesus has clearly disclosed God’s way for our lives.
• Students will be able to understand the general sweep of the history of evangelism and revival from the early Church until today.
• To form in students a sound foundation of theological and biblical inquiry in their professional doctoral program’s specialized track that they are able to integrate into the life of Christian ministry.
• Students will be able to develop adequate tools for evaluating the biblical and theological assumptions undergirding various evangelism and church growth methodologies through increased awareness of varied theological perspectives concerning evangelism and discipleship.
• Students will be able to discern the general principles that are normally at work in spiritual awakenings and to formulate a biblical and theological understanding of revivals and awakenings.
• To provide students with the skill sets and understandings in a specialized area of ministry to such an extent that they can impact their congregation or community more powerfully for God.
• Students will be able to grow in awareness of the contemporary literature of evangelism, discipleship and revival.
• Students will be able to develop competence in assessing the environment and needs of the local congregation for more effective evangelism and discipleship.
• To create through the cohort model of the program a dimension of Christian community and spiritual nurturing so that students form strong friendships with one another and enter long-term relationships with the scholars who guide the learning experience.
• Students will be able to recognize that Christian ministry flows out of the character of believers and through their shared experiences together will want to grow in the knowledge of our life in Christ and to learn more of the beauty of His holiness.
• Students will be able to grow in their zeal for the glory of the God as the motivation for evangelism through shared worship together, basking in the wonder of love divine–the joy of revival.
• Students will be able to develop an appreciation of the responsibility of the minister to be a peer support for fellow ministers by becoming a contributor to fellow students’ formation for ministry efforts.
• To develop in students a deeper understanding of Christ’s lordship in all areas of life for the common good of the contemporary world.
• Students will be able to analyze the sociological and religious factors involved in the various revivals studied.
• Students will be able to develop an historical perspective as a basis for evaluating contemporary evangelistic and discipleship practices, including developing insights for evaluating the nature of contemporary “revivals” in the light of historical, biblical, and theological principles.
• To cultivate within students through critical reflection and careful research through the residencies and projects an enriched Christian witness in the places of society they are called to serve.
• Students will be able to critique his/her ministry in light of biblical and theological perspectives on evangelism, discipleship and revival.
• Students will be able to apply the principles of awakenings to his/her own ministry setting.
• Students will be able to implement and evaluate specific evangelism and discipleship strategies within a local congregation.
• To instill in students a refreshed view of their ministry as it relates to the proclamation of the Gospel among all people.
• Students will be able to discern principles of evangelism, discipleship, and revival that have played a key role in the spread of the gospel around the world.
• Students will be able to explore dynamics of cross-cultural witness through cross-cultural site visits.