What to expect

This course introduces you to key concepts and characteristics of New Testament discipleship. Building on a foundation of an evangelical identity, the course examines both the Greek as well as the Old Testament ideas of disciple. As rooted in three distinguishing marks of the evangelical church, you will explore the meaning of discipleship as it relates to apologetics, justice, and evangelism. These markers, along with a biblical foundation, will help construct an identity-based discipleship as a practical model to equip Christ-followers to join God as imitators focused on living out their identity as a royal priesthood. By the completion of the learning experience, you will have:

  • Articulated the meaning of an evangelical identity planted firmly in the New Testament

  • Developed a clear biblical foundation for the meaning of being a disciple and discipleship

  • Critically assessed the differences between various discipleship models such as obedience-based discipleship.

  • Gained a sense of the importance for a disciple maker to model a life lived out by imitating Christ.

What's inside this course:

    1. Welcome to this Ephesiology Master Class

    2. Course Introduction

    3. How to use this course

    4. Free Book Offer

    5. Before we begin...

    1. Instructions

    2. Learning Tasks and Syllabus

    3. Resources for Academic Research

    4. Course Bibliography

    1. What to expect in this session

    2. Identity Theories

    3. Theory of Religious Satisfaction & Deprivation

    4. Markers of Evangelical Identity

    5. Excursus on Luther and the Reformation

    6. Excursus on Revival and Identity

    7. Are we on the brink of revival?

    8. Missiologically Theocentric Identity

    9. Helpful Definitions of Key Theological Terms

    10. Reflections and Application

    1. What to expect in this session

    2. Communication Theory

    3. The Grand Narrative of the Bible

    4. Principles & Guidelines for Interpreting Scripture

    5. Historical-Critical-Literal-Missiological Method

    6. Excursus: A Literal Interpretation of Genesis 1

    7. Planning Worksheets

    8. Words Matter

    9. The Hermeneutical Community

    10. Reflection and Application

    1. What to expect in this session

    2. Excursus on the Missionary Nature of the Gospels

    3. The Meaning of Disciple in John's Gospel

    4. The Meaning of Disciple in Matthew

    5. Maturing Disciples of a Movement, Part 1

    6. Maturing Disciples of a Movement, Part 2

    7. Five Priorities of Discipleship

    8. Reflection and Application

    9. Make Disciples

    1. What to expect in this session

    2. God, Covenants, and Identity in the Old Testament

    3. The New Testament foundation

    4. Identity Based Discipleship

    5. Identity Based Discipleship and Obedience Based Discipleship

    6. Developing an Identity Based Discipleship Study

    7. Missiology in Tension

    8. Reflection and Application

About this course

  • Free
  • 68 lessons
  • 27 videos

The benefits of the course include:

  • On-demand video accessible on multiple platforms

  • Articles and blogs written by our instructors

  • Accessibility 24/7 from your phone, tablet, or computer

  • Personal reflection questions to help you digest and apply the content

  • Discussion forums to do theology in a community with others taking the class

  • Do theology collaboratively with an instructor on live Zoom webinars

Instructors

Professor of Missiological Theology Michael T. Cooper

Dr. Cooper earned a PhD in Intercultural Studies with a focus on religious movements and a minor in theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He currently serves as a missiologist for a missions agency where he focuses on missiological research and equipping missionaries for effective cultural engagement. He has thirty years of missions experience, including ten years as a pioneer church planter in Romania after the fall of communism and has equipped church planters and leaders in Africa, Europe, North America, South America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. He is a guest faculty at Torch Trinity Graduate University, adjunct faculty at Mission India Theological Seminary, Asia Graduate School of Theology Nepal, and Ebenezer Bible College in Katmandu, and affiliate faculty at Kairos University. He has written and contributed to more than 30 books and academic articles and has presented conference lectures at the London School of Economics, University of Bordeaux, Loyola University, Baylor University, and many others. His recent book, Ephesiology: A Study of the Ephesian Movement is a best seller at William Carey Publishing.

Associate Pastor, Neartown Church Andrew Johnson

Andrew is a proud husband, father and pastor in the Bayou City, Houston, TX. Previously, he’s ministered in Chicago, Flagstaff and Tempe in a variety of church contexts. Andrew as a BA in Christian Ministry from Trinity International University. After graduating Phoenix Seminary, he, his wife, and three kids moved to Houston join the growing ministry at Neartown Church, a church geared towards starting and supporting other strong local churches through church planting. He is currently a Doctor of Ministry student at Kairos University. When not at work, he’s an avid disc golfing, ultimate playing, Spider-Man following/collecting fellow. Go Pacers.

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