Day 1
The Pastor’s Bible
Jim Cecy
The Bible is God’s instrument of change, transformation, and, above all, a revelation of His heart. We should expect that whenever the Bible is opened and faithfully taught, lives will be changed and transformed. This session will consider the importance of the Bible in the life of every disciple and the local church. How should the teacher/preacher approach the Bible in order to see transformation in their own life as well as in the lives of those who hear?
Shaping a Message: From Text to Ideas
Mike Chalmers
How do we move from personal Bible study to preparing a message that is biblical, clear, engaging, and relevant to our listeners? This session gives an overview of the steps from the study of the text to understanding the main idea. A group exercise will engage the process with a specific biblical text.
Day 2
Shaping a Message: From Idea to Message
Mike Chalmers
This session gives an overview of the steps involved in shaping a message based on previous study of the text. Following the presentation, we will work in facilitated groups to apply the learning to a biblical text as we move from text to sermon.
Preaching with Variety: Narrative, Poetry, and Discourse
Peter Mead
The Bible God has given us is overflowing with variety. It was written by over forty authors, in three languages, on three continents, over a couple of thousand years, and yet is united by the Spirit into a single masterful work that points us to Christ. The Bible is anything but dull. The Bible God has given us is what you might expect from the kind of God we find in it: creative, diverse, and fully united. It doesn’t remain aloof and abstract, but engages with real life in all its fullness. This session looks at the main three types of literature in the Bible: narrative, poetry, and discourse. If we can rightly understand the types of literature, we can tap into their unique strengths to make our preaching the best it can be!
Day 3
Sermon Exercise
Mike Chalmers and Steve Mitchell
Working together as a learning community we will seek to reinforce the learning that has already taken place as we work with examples of the different genres introduced in the previous session. How will a different genre of passion change the approach we take to shaping our message when we preach? How can we make sure that the main idea is effectively communicated, and how can we be certain that God’s inspired genre influences the message we fashion?
Preaching the Bible Evangelistically
Stefan Gustavsson
The Bible God has given us is overflowing with variety. It was written by over forty authors, in three languages, on three continents, over a couple of thousand years, and yet is united by the Spirit into a single masterful work that points us to Christ. The Bible is anything but dull. The Bible God has given us is what you might expect from the kind of God we find in it: creative, diverse, and fully united. It doesn’t remain aloof and abstract, but engages with real life in all its fullness. This session looks at the main three types of literature in the Bible: narrative, poetry, and discourse. If we can rightly understand the types of literature, we can tap into their unique strengths to make our preaching the best it can be!
Day 4
Interview with Peter Mead (Combined with Advanced Track)
hosted by Mike Reeves
This combined session with both Bible Teachers Networks will offer a unique opportunity to hear and learn from Peter Mead as he talks about the Bible, ministry and how God works in our day.
The Preacher (Combined with Advanced Network)
Mike Chalmers, Andy Hamilton, Steve Mitchell, Fraser Kay
Preaching is not only about the message, but it is also about the messenger. In this final session we will engage with three different aspects of the life and ministry of the preacher, allowing what we hear to provoke our thinking as a learning community. Finally we will use some of the session to conclude the week and reflect on the journey we have been on during these days.