One of the grave dangers of the Church and for every Christian is to believe what the Bibles says, but not practice those beliefs. James expressed it this way,
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says(bold mine.) Anyone who listens to the word but does not dowhat it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22, NIV, bold mine)
Our five core courses examine the biblical theology for why the church exists as found in Acts 2:42-47. This beautiful passage portrays how these early Christians spent their time and energies. Our five core courses are Theology and Practice of . . . worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism/missions. Students develop a systematic biblical understanding of theology, but they also learn how to put those biblical foundations into practice in their unique ministry context.
Pastors and church ministers are called to lead others. People need to know “why,” but they also must be taught “how.” It is important to tell believers to be engaged in discipleship, evangelism, and the other tasks of the Church, but unless leaders give people the tools for practicing their faith, doctrinal teaching will have little impact on the lives of others.
Check out our Facebook page @rockbridgeseminary. If you have taken one of our core courses, please post how the course helped you do church.
End of the Year Giving
We are so blessed to have so many supporters of our mission to develop servant leaders for Christian ministry. One third of student costs is covered by the faithful giving of people like you. Here is how you can help.
