By Pauline Simonsen

When the Jews in Berea were confronted by the apostle Paul with a strange and fascinating new teaching about Jesus of Nazareth, “they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Wouldn’t it be great to be a Berean – eagerly searching the Scriptures for truth, understanding what we are reading and seeing how it all fits together into a coherent narrative? Having tools to unpack tricky passages; learning how to interpret the ancient texts? This course introduces those tools and gives you a framework to interpret the Bible – from obscure Old Testament texts to the core New Testament teachings of the gospels. You don’t need to be a Bible expert to understand God’s Word!

6 week course. Enrol Now!

By Bev Marsh

Pastoral Care, soul care, is not just the domain of a select few. If we hold to the principle of the Priesthood of all Believers (1 Peter 2:5,9), we are all invited to be involved deeply with the care of those in our church family and community. In this course we will explore WHAT is Pastoral Care in its broadest sense; WHO are the Pastoral Carers and HOW do we ‘do’ Pastoral Care. This course is applicable to anyone who has a pastoral heart and would like to expand their understanding of what it means to pastorally care and explore how to grow and develop as pastoral carers.  

6 week course. Enrol Now!

The gospel of Luke is a fascinating account of the beginnings of Christianity. We will journey through the narrative meeting interesting characters along the way. We will see how Luke demonstrates that God’s plan of salvation is available for all through Jesus Christ. At times on our journey we will experience the same amazement as Luke’s eyewitnesses did and we will feel as if we are there in person. Finally, we will consider how the word applies to us today.

By Lindsay Tamblyn

8 week course. Enrol Now!

By Nigel Dixon

This course will explore the building blocks of 'end time' thought.  Attention will be given to Jesus teaching, Paul's eschatology which will provide a grid to interpret Revelation.  Most people either ignore the book or obsess about it - hopefully you will end the course embracing this extraordinary ending to the New Testament.  The focus is facing the scriptures and developing a biblical theology of hope to face faithfully our unravelling world.

8 week course. Enrol Now!

By Elizabeth Rowe

How do you preach a message of judgment and doom at the same time as one of hope and restoration? Jeremiah anguished about his role as a prophet of God to his own people who were doomed for destruction, yet his love for them caused him to weep over them.  What is the relevance of his ministry for us today?

8 week course. Enrol Now!

By Chris Saunders

Christianity in New Zealand: beginnings, development and some key movements.

When did Christianity first arrive in New Zealand and who were the first missionaries? (Hint they weren’t European!) Weeks one and two include material about Christian contacts with Maori before Samuel Marsden, the success and failures of the first European missionaries and Christian beginnings to 1839. The course continues with the “Treaty Years” and the “Transplanting Period”: Church and State, Parihaka and the Maori prophets, education and the role of the churches, the development of the “mainline" churches. Week five is about the healing ministry in New Zealand in the 1920s and the course concludes with the three “waves” of charismatic renewal from the 1960s. Contributions and conflicts, key leaders, music, healing ministries ... and more!

8 week course. Enrol Now!

Andrew Lim is the former pastor of Christ Sanctuary and is known and loved in the Manawatu for his deep, life-changing Bible teaching. Andrew’s exploration of this ancient book of wisdom will take us through many issues of life - including human suffering.  We will re-discover the attributes and character of God and the ways we humans perceive God to be.

8 week course. Enrol Now!

Lecturer: Mick Duncan

For Mick Duncan, the first 25 years as a Christian felt like one disappointment after another, of life going from bad to worse. There were many ‘dark forest’ moments. How do you stand fast in such turbulence? And how do you keep on going for another 20 years (as Mick has)?! Over our 6 week course we will cover an array of pertinent topics: bereavement work, God’s sovereignty, the angels and other players, creation care, our egos, fear…and so many more. This is a course providing wisdom for some of life’s complex mysteries. 

6 week course

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Lecturer: Chris Saunders

Jonathan Edwards said, “When God is about to do a mighty new thing He always sets his people praying”. This course will help you identify some of the principles of revival, those things that keep occurring over the centuries each time God does a mighty work.

We’ll consider what a revival is and isn’t, some of the positive and negative aspects of revival, and what we might do to prepare for revival! All this and some history studying revivals and key people involved in them, from (a bit before 😊) Jonathan Edwards to Billy Sunday.

8 week course

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Lecturer: Ralph Sutherland

What really is the church for? To only look after its congregation?, To be a sort of “holding pen” for heaven?  William Temple once said “The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members.” Is this really true today? Or just a nice thought?

This course is designed to dig into what is considered to be the primary reason that the church exists… church for the unchurched. Based on the Andy Stanley “Deep and Wide” concept, it will take us on a journey that is practical, and yet inspirational. Be ready to be challenged!

8 week course

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Lecturer: Elizabeth Rowe

Two live birds, cedar wood and scarlet thread to cure a leper? If the Bible is God’s Revelation of Himself and His Messiah to us, and it is, then we should expect to see the Messiah in prophetic pictures all through the Old Testament. The coming of His Messiah, as the climax of God’s intervention in history, is foreshadowed in the Feasts, the Festivals and the religious rituals of Israel, and we should read the Old Testament with eyes that look for Jesus. 

8 week course

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Lecturer: Lindsay Tamblyn

The book of Acts is a fascinating account of the spread of the gospel and birth of the Church. Real people, real places, real resistance & real results. There is a massive amount we can learn from the examples in this book to apply to our lives today. 

Participants will be led on a journey back in time to engage with the characters, culture and message of the story and, at the same time, challenged to apply the principles they learn to their own lives and the world around them as the Holy Spirit speaks to them.

8 week course

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Lecturer: Pauline Simonsen & Nigel Dixon

Who is God? Who are we humans? What is the meaning of existence? The big questions that lie beneath our human stories are answered in the God who is three Persons. Christian theology - the study of this God - explores these questions and offers credible, hopeful answers for our lives and the world. This course will follow the narrative provided by the Apostles Creed to strengthen our understanding of the story of God and humanity.

8 week course

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Lecturer: Alan Frost

This course looks at our human journey with a particular emphasis on finding the sweet spot where our commitment to follow Christ intersects with our discovery of what it means to be fully human.

Topics to include Discipleship, Authenticity, Context, Time and Space, Pain and Diakanos.

8 week course

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Lecturer: Alan Frost & Nigel Dixon

The church in Corinth had been blessed in so many ways.  Now five or six years later we find that issues have arisen that are beginning to tear apart the fabric of their community.  So, Paul writes them a letter which is both rich in theology and full of practical advice.  His letter has much to teach us about the functioning of a healthy Christian community.  There are a few controversial bits, so we will be exploring those along the way as well!

8 week course

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Lecturer: Andrew Lim

From the peasant to the philosopher, everyone has a worldview. A worldview is the lens through which we make sense of the world we live in. It offers answers to the Big Four questions: origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. 

This course explores other worldviews that seek to give an answer to those and other vital questions of life. It will examine how the Christian worldview provides a coherent and robust framework for our most basic beliefs about everything; how it shapes and directs our lives in important ways. We will touch on the issues of how we know what we know; the despairing vision of a culture without God; the problem of evil, naturalism, eastern religion and postmodernism and how we may bring the Christian worldview to bear on non-Christian thought.

8 week course

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Lecturer: Elizabeth Rowe & Pauline Simonsen

The Messiah, the coming future Messianic Age; God’s holiness; our sinfulness. The Book of Isaiah has to be one of the most intriguing books of the Old Testament, absolutely relevant to ancient Israel and to us today.

8 week course

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Lecturer: Lindsay Tamblyn & Nigel Dixon

This is a short course for those who desire to be effective communicators of biblical truth. It is suitable for beginners or more experienced preachers seeking to up-skill themselves, or even for those wishing to gain confidence with public speaking. 

Participants will be led through a step by step process showing them how to construct an expository sermon. The course covers all aspects of preaching including preparation, application, delivery and evaluation of a sermon. 

This is a "hands on" course where participants will gain the skills they need to prepare and deliver their own sermons. 

8 week course

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Lecturer: Pauline Simonsen

When people encounter Jesus Christ, their lives change radically. No-one who truly engages with Jesus can remain unchanged. The gospels are full of such meetings, when Jesus in just a few words transforms a person’s mind and thinking. Or metaphorically transplants a person’s heart. Or literally heals their body! The outflow in the person’s life is astonishing. This course re-visits some of these extraordinary encounters, and invites Jesus to come and meet with us in the same ways - not just once, but again and again.

8 week course

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Lecturer: Chris Saunders

For a person seeking to understand why the world thinks as it does today, or why religion today is configured as it is, the Reformation is – or should be – of direct and immediate relevance... The shape of Christianity worldwide today is substantially a product of the Reformation” (Ives, The Reformation Experience” p6)

So ... sign up, log-in and get the facts (or “alternative facts” from Mr. President) about the Reformation/s in England – was it all about Henry VIII; the Scottish Reformation – just what did Knox say about the queen!!; those problematic dissenters; and the Catholic counter-Reformation. 

(This is a stand alone course and doesn’t require prior attendance at the Reformation A Course). 

8 week course

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Lecturers: Bev Marsh & Elsa McInnes

‘Life is one darn thing after another’ said Mark Twain. We will explore what shaped the foundational building blocks of identity, trust, and meaning, and what happens when life’s crises threaten to shatter all three. We will explore the losses and traumas that undermine our security, sense of control, hope and purpose. We will explore the crises that may challenge our deep seated beliefs andprecipitate acrisis of faith. We will examine the stories in scripture for insights into navigating crises and seek to identify God’s ultimate design for identity and meaning and respond toGod’s invitation to growth and fullness of life in a world of continual uncertainties.  

6-week course

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Lecturer: Andrew Lim

The three epistles of John are highly practical letters addressed to his flock.  In an actual historical setting, John addresses specific issues such as truth and deception, light and darkness, love and fellowship, assurance of salvation, walking in the light, repentance from sin, the incarnation of Christ, and the importance of obedience. 

Our purpose is to allow these epistles to speak into our contemporary situation so we may better base our lives on the true doctrines of Christ and His person, and live our lives in truth and love.

6-week course

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Lecturer: Ralph Sutherland

There are huge challenges that face the church and church leadership in the days in which we live. This course tracks the journey of one church in our city, exploring the values, principles, methodology and practices that may be helpful to any church or organisation of any size or type. We will look behind the scenes to view both the abstract and practical aspects of church life, with the aim of discovering great ideas toward growing a healthy church.

8-week course

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Lecturers: Nigel Dixon

The “Who is Jesus?” course will be getting into the real nitty-gritty about who exactly Jesus is – both eternal God and fully-alive human being. 

So we’ll look at how  he was understood by his own contemporaries and afterwards, how people started to get their heads around him being God and yet human; what that means for us human beings. We’ll explore his purpose for coming to earth, what his mission was with the Kingdom of God, and what happened on the cross. What does his resurrection mean? What significance does all this theology (Christology, to be specific!) have for us living now in Aotearoa in 2016?

8-week course

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Lecturer: Chris Saunders

Was the Reformation a rupturing of the "bride of Christ" or a purification of the Church? How has the Reformation influenced your denomination and your own beliefs? What were they protesting against?

This first course of two on the Reformation/s will briefly look at the big picture - what was going on in Europe at the time: how and why did the Reformation/s come about. Who were some of the leading figures and what did they believe? E.g. Calvin, a brief consideration of Luther (extra notes available for those who didn't do the Eight Significant Christians course), Zwingli, Muntzer, Hus, Wycliffe. The Catholic Counter-Reformation.  

8-week course

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Lecturer: Pauline Simonsen

As gospels go, this one is different! John’s gospel sounds different to the other three, is arranged differently, and contains different material. What do we do with that difference?  As we read through John’s Gospel in this course, we will listen to the mature, processed understanding of who Jesus is and why he came. The voice that speaks to us from this gospel carries an authority that speaks with simplicity and yet with profound power. The testimony in John’s Gospel has changed many lives – let it change yours as well.

8-week course

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A seminar for parents and youth leaders.

Lecturer: Murray Brown

Teenagers are going through an enormous series of life changes: physical, emotional, cognitive and social. These changes affect their view of themselves, their behaviour, their values and their faith. Together we’ll understand the impact of these changes, we will look at what is “normal” and what is not, and we will discover strategies to parent and lead young people through these changes.

8-week course

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Lecturers: Nigel Dixon & Alan Frost

The goal of this course is to bring the pastoral epistles of Paul of life.  The letters to Timothy and Titus have long been regarded as early training manuals/mentoring for young leaders.   While the truth is probably more complex they are incredibly interesting letters with a focus on how to do the life of God together – and how to approach things when it falls apart!

8-week course

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