What to expect

You’ll hear leading experts, like Jeff Christopherson, co-director of the Send Institute at Wheaton College, and Alan Hirsch, founder of Forge and best-selling author, focus on what the future of evangelicalism and its leadership. You’ll also hear from church planters like Devlin Scott of NewCity Church, Russell Cravens of Neartown Church, and Heath Haynes of The Bridge Montrose as they wrestle with how the 21st century church must adapt to the new cultural realities of racial tension, global pandemic, and pastoral leadership. Among other things, expect to take away:

  • An understanding of how the early church grew during times of crisis

  • A biblical theology of Christianity's relationship with government

  • Clear direction when facing racial reconciliation

  • The important role that leadership plays during times of crisis

  • A vision for what the church will look like in 2050

What's inside this course:

  1. 1
  2. 2

    • Instructions

    • Learning Tasks

    • Rubric for Asynchronous Discussion Participation

    • Rubric for Final Research Project

    • Course Bibliography

    • Resources for Academic Research
  3. 3

    • What you'll learn in this session

    • Ecclesiology

    • Ecclesiology Part 2

    • Ecclesiology, Part 3

    • The Church in Crisis

    • Reflection
  4. 4

    • What you'll learn in this session

    • Christianity's Relationship with the Government - Dr. Michael Cooper

    • Notes

    • Individualism and the gospel during a pandemic

    • Reflections

    • Other Resources
  5. 5

    • What you'll learn in this section

    • Confronting our Bias

    • Ethnicity and Diversity, Part 1 - Rev. Devlin Scott

    • Ethnicity and Diversity, Part 2 - Rev. Devlin Scott

    • We Are Not Okay

    • Racism has no place in the presence of Christ

    • Reflections on the Church in Ethnic Tension
  6. 6
  7. 7

    • What you'll learn in this section

    • Jeff Christopherson and North American Evangelicalism

    • When Evangelicals Sneeze

    • Reflection

    • Other Resources from Jeff
  8. 8

    • What you'll learn in this section

    • Alan Hirsch and APEST Leadership

    • Reframation

    • Reflection

    • Other Resources from Alan
  9. 9

    • What you'll learn in this section

    • Heath Haynes and Pushing Shepherding to Small Group Leaders

    • Reflection
  10. 10

    • What you'll learn in this section

    • Russell Cravens and the Changing Role of the Sermon

    • Reflection
  11. 11

    • What you'll learn in this section

    • Matt Till and Resources for the Micro-Church

    • Reflection

    • Resources for ‘Going Micro’
  12. 12

    • Case Study Introduction

    • What will the church of 2050 look like?
  13. 13

    • Recovering a Growth Posture - The Ephesiology Team

    • Download this Roadmap to Growth before you proceed

    • Recovering a Growth Posture for Your Church

    • More Resources for Growing the Church during Crises
  14. 14

    • Want to go further? Here's what's next.

    • Before you go...

    • Clearing Up the Confusion

    • Invite us to speak
  15. 15

    • Reading, Reflections, and Class Lessons

    • Participation

    • Book Review

    • Research Project

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

  • A roadmap and case study to help your church get into a growth posture

  • 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

  • Free book download

  • Certificate of completion

Meet your instructors

Co-Founder, The Send Institute

Jeff Christopherson

Jeff is Chief Missiologist and Co-Founder of the Send Institute. Author of several books including Kingdom Matrix: Designing a Church for the Kingdom of God, and Kingdom First: Starting Churches that Shape Movements. His weekly column ‘Missio Mondays’ is featured in Christianity Today. Jeff serves as a Co-Vocational pastor of The Sanctuary in Oakville, Ontario. He is married to Laura and has two children.

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 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: The Study of the Ephesian Movement is a best seller at William Carey Publishing.

Founder, Movement Leaders Collective

Alan Hirsch

Alan Hirsch is the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network, 100Movements, The 5Q Collective, and Future Travelers. All these are focussed on developing missional leadership and movemental organization. Known for his innovative approach to mission, Alan is considered to be a thought-leader and key mission strategist for churches across the Western world. Hirsch is the author of The Forgotten Ways; 5Q; The Shaping of Things to Come, ReJesus, and The Faith of Leap (with Michael Frost); Untamed (with Debra Hirsch); Right Here, Right Now (with Lance Ford), and On the Verge (with Dave Ferguson).

What are you waiting for?

We do not just simply fill your heads, but your hearts so that your hands are motivated and equipped to lead movements.

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