THE VYBORG CHRISTIAN CHURCH TRAINING INITIATIVES

I. CHURCH PLANTING  and CHURCH HEALTH COURSES

 

How to Plant a Healthy Russian Church A church planting training course based on the book DYNAMIC CHURCH PLANTING by Paul Becker. Deals with questions such as Why Plant New Churches? Who is the Lord of Churchplanting? Models and Pitfalls of Churchplanting and others.

 

Characteristics of a Healthy Church – a course dealing primarily with church health, as opposed to church growth. It is based on the premise that healthy organisms are bound to grow. God produces growth, people take care of the environment. The course covers a variety of topics useful and applicable in church planting. It clearly lays out biblical principles of working within a healthy church body, its purpose, priorities, process of ministry, discipleship and the need for further mission beyond the borders of a local congregation.

 

II. CHURCH LIFE COURSES

John 3:16 Seekers’ Course – is a course on the basics of the Christian faith. It is organized as a series of sessions lasting 6 weeks total. The main topics covered in the course are: What is the Bible? Who is God? Who is Jesus? What is Love? Who is a Christian? What is the Church?

 

Stop Dating the Church  -  an all day training based on the book by Joshua Harris by the same name. The training is focused on the fact that faith was never meant to be a solo pursuit. The church is the place God grows us, encourages us, and uses us best. Loving Jesus Christ involves a passionate commitment to His church — around the world and down the street.

 

Spiritual Gifts Four-hour training on spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts is a necessary tool in order to be actively involved in ministry. The seminar gives definitions of spiritual gifts, lists categories of gifts, provides practical examples from the Bible. The seminar helps Christians to identify one's gifts.

Church membership course Deals with the important issues of the need of a Christian to belong to and be an active part of a local body of believers.

 

Making Your Mark Two-day seminar developed in order to help Christians understand their unique design for ministry in a local church. The seminar contains temperament test, test on spiritual gifts, talks about the goals and types of spiritual gifts, helps identify calling for a particular ministry. It is usually followed by a personal interview that personalizes data.

Baptism class – is designed to explain, discuss, and explore the scriptural meaning and the wonderful experience of baptism. Looks at the deep significance of this commandment of God that should not be underestimated. This training is done in close connection with the general teaching on the two main sacraments (Baptism and The Lord’s Supper).

 

III. DISCIPLESHIP COURSES

Your Life in Christ – 1-1 basic discipleship course for new believers developed by Campus Crusade for Christ is designed to help new believers in understanding foundations of Christian faith with the following reproduction of the truths taught in the course. It is designed to teach believers how to practically invest in lives of those they lead to the Lord.

 

2 Timothy 2:2 – a one-on-one transferrable training course allowing for a more mature Christian to invest in a life of another believer to help him grow to his full potential in God’s plan for a believer’s life. The course has many practical applications and assignments, it teaches a new believer important basic skills of Christian life. It can be best described as practical application of a person’s spiritual standing.

 

IV. TEAM WORK

Sharpen Your People Skills One day seminar that talks about differences in temperaments. The goal of the seminar is not only to identify one's temperament but also to teach how to identify personality types of other people, it gives basic idea about tension areas between different temperaments. It gives basic information about strengths and weaknesses of different personality types and team value of each.

Equipping Your Team For Ministry – a four-session seminar based on John Maxwell’s leadership materials. Focuses on the need to equip lay people’s teams for ministry and delegating responsibility to lay leaders.

 

V. PRACTICAL SKILLS COURSES

Financial Planning A 4 session seminar for people who are interested in budgeting their personal money. It covers not only the material about reasons for budgeting, how to make a personal budget, but also teaching on tithing, giving and basic principles of handling God-given possessions.

Biblical View of Work (loosely based on a book by Bill Hendricks Your Work Matters To God)

The training is designed to give people a biblical view of work explaining that just because God may not call one to vocational ministry does not mean that the person and his work are insignificant! It helps Christians to see their current jobs as God's place for them to minister to others for His glory!

 

The course examines several major themes that cover such questions as:

1. The secular view of work vs. biblical view of work.

2. God’s care about our careers despite the effects of sin in the workplace!

3. Dignity that can be seen in work when it is done for God instead of working just to satisfy an insecure ego (fleeting accomplishments and praise from fellow employees).

 

This training also addresses those who consider full-time ministry.

 

VI. CHRISTIAN LIVING COURSES

The Biblical View of Love – a weekend-long seminar based on 1 Corinthians 13 dealing with each feature of love mentioned in this incredible chapter. The seminar provides a fresh look on love the way God sees it, and has many practical applications.

 

Biblical View of Friendship This seminar is dedicated to the topic of friendship, building strong relationships. It gives an overview of the Biblical principles and examples of friendship and talks about principles of solving conflicts.

Biblical fellowship – a four-session training covering the following topics: What is the true meaning of fellowship? What is the purpose of biblical fellowship? What are the hindrances for fellowship as the Bible sees it? Biblical fellowship, giving and stewardship.

 

Conflict Resolution A three hour seminar explaining the nature of conflict and how to deal with it in biblical manner giving a blessing and achieving unity.

 

VII. SMALL GROUP COURSES

Small Group seminar is a four-hour course designed to give people biblical motivation to be involved in fellowship and growth groups and principles of organizing and running a small group in a church or other setting.

Glad Tidings Bible Study Course – a evangelistic Bible study method for lay people or leadership through which anyone can introduce Jesus to friends and relatives through a new approach. Usually the participants of a Bible study are expected to have at least some basic knowledge about Christianity. In Glad Tidings group the questions are designed in such a way that even newcomers can take part in the discussion just by looking at the passage. Participants are also led to apply the text in their own lives with the help of the questions.

 

VIII. SINGLES’ MINISTRY COURSES

Courtship seminar – an-all day training designed to help people acquire biblical view in their pursuit of true love and give them the tools to build a strong marriage foundation - one that will stand the tests of time and pressure and release much potential for serving Christ. Parts of the seminar include materials on personality types and their interaction, five languages of love and five levels of communication.

 

Searching for True Love – a three-session course based on Joshua Harris’ book I KISSED DATING GOOD BYE and lead with the help of the three video sessions done by the author of the book. The first session (LOVE) helps to understand the biblical view of love in light of the ultimate example of the sacrifice of Jesus. The second part (PURITY) deals with various false views of purity today and focuses on the truth of God’s word on this matter. The third session (TRUST) helps people get a positive view of singleness as a season of learning and growth in life of a Christian. Having incredible life applications it is highly recommended for single people, many of whom during the process of the training radically change their outlook on life and current life situation.

 

IX. FAMILY MINISTRY SEMINARS AND CHURCH COURSES

Premarital (and after-ceremony) counseling – a course of 6 sessions in a couple-to-couple format. Involves the couple to-be-married into open dialogue with each other on several basic subjects, before they say “I do”. Consists of homework questions and discussion sessions. Session subject include such topics as Personal profile, Family backgrounds, Communication skills, Family budget, Sexual relations and more. A 3- and a 9-month after-the-ceremony check is also available, reviewing the main topics of the course. Translated from Called Together by Steve and Mary Prokopchak.

 

Small groups for couples :

Home Builders by Family Life. No need for advertisement. Natasha and Vlad got additional Family Life training in Moscow by a staff Family Life speaker, and were invited to speak at Russian one-day Family Life conferences in Saint-Petersburg.

Biblical Portrait of Marriage by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson (Walk Through the Bible). Video lectures. Used in a small group setting with couples and, sometimes, youth who want to participate in couples’ discussion and learn with an eye for the future.

 

Small groups on parenting:

All based on GFI curricula, by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo.

 

Preparation for Parenting – a 6-week small group course for expectant parents. Talks about the priority of husband and wife relationship (continued in all the following courses), implementing basic biblical principles of order and harmony to create a feeding and sleeping routine for the baby that, in turn, serves the needs of the rest of the family.  Birth through 6 months. Includes topics like Getting your baby to sleep through the night (by two months), Monitoring your baby’s growth, etc.

 

Preparation for the Toddler Years – a 5 –week course to build on the foundation of a basic common-sense feeding routine. Adds new dimensions to a baby’s day – extended wake-time and productive activities to fill it, starting solid foods, self play-time skills, the basics of moral training, and even teaching your baby a sign-language before he is ready to communicate verbally. 5 to 1 5 months.

 

Growing Kids God’s Way – a 18-week-long small group parenting course that covers ages 2 to 12. Topics include The Importance of Providing the Moral Reason ‘Why’ in Parental Instructions, Developing Your Child’s Conscience, Character Training, Encouragement and Correction – the two sides of discipline, and many more. A course that challenges Christian parents to rethink their own values, and even serves as an evangelistic tool, bringing non-believers to Christ.

 

All three parenting courses mentioned above have a corresponding printed manual and a set of lectures in Russian on video that we share with other churches, so they can start their own parenting ministry. Manuals and videos were translated and are distributed by Vyborg Christian Church. Leaders of the course travel regularly, providing welcome seminars on the above parenting curricula to help start or aid Family ministry in other churches.

 

The following courses are available for our own church needs, yet in need of translation and printing of manuals and/or making videos, to be shared with other churches:

 

Preparation for Adolescence. A course for parents of 8-12-year-olds. Preteen years are crucial in establishing your child’s moral set of values. This is the time to prepare him or her for the big decision in life – to follow Christ. Emphasizes the need for extensive talk and teaching in this special phase of a child’s development. Helps enjoy the teen years by giving guidelines for preventing rebellion due to lack of trust in parent-child relationships.

 

Reflections of Moral Innocence – a small group study for parents on the all-important topic of sex education. Answers the question of when, how and what to teach your young ones before it is too late and they have been educated by somebody else. Reveals a beautiful tool, given by God, to assist in this process of providing comprehensive knowledge of the facts of life, to children of all ages.

 

Raising a Responsible Child – a one-time fun session for both parents and children of various ages on the importance of giving the ‘monkeys’ of personal responsibility away to our growing children, instead of collecting them back onto our own shoulders.

 

Preparing for School – a seminar on training pre-school children for school readiness. Developed by members of VCC Family ministry team. Leaves the responsibility for teaching children where it belongs – on parents, teaching them how to train their young ones in basic skills of reading, penmanship, logic, and more.

 

X. CAMPAIGNS 

Our church is eager to train other congregations to help them have the same campaigns in other churches. These campaigns bring congregations together and encourage them to take a step beyond their usual limits.

 

Forty Days of Purpose – a 40 days’ campaign developed by Rick Warren at Saddleback in California, the Purpose-Driven books and courses have been very successful world-wide.

 

The Forty Days of Purpose course contains:

 

Worship - Six special worship services, with sermon material, leading to a Celebration Sunday at the close of the journey.

 

Small Groups - Small Groups designed to take the Sunday message deeper by studying specific scripture passages.

 

Personal Study - Each member engages with the daily personal devotional readings in the book The Purpose Driven Life. This is the real heart of the journey.

 

The course is arranged around five key purposes:

Purpose One: You were planned for God's pleasure.

Purpose Two: You were formed for God's family

Purpose three: You were created to become like Christ

Purpose Four: You were shaped for serving God

Purpose Five: You were made for a mission

 

The Forty  Days of Community – program developed by Rick Warren

 

Just like The Forty Days of Purpose The Forty Days of Community course contains:

 

Worship - Six special worship services, with special sermon material, leading to a Celebration Sunday at the close of the journey.

 

Small Groups - Small Groups designed to take the Sunday message deeper by studying specific scripture passages.

 

Personal Study - Each member engages with the daily personal devotional readings in the book The Forty Days of Community.

 

In addition to these things each small group involved in the project is encouraged and equipped to take the Gospel outside the church walls through the means of several evangelistic, service and mission projects. These projects are designed to be a foretaste and beauty of mission work for every believer.

 

XI. PASTORAL COURSES

Preachers training course

 

The main purpose of this course is to glorify God through mastering the art of preaching

 

The course consists of several parts:

 

Theory of preaching. During this part students receive basic knowledge in exegesis, hermeneutics and homiletics.

 

Practical application.  Students are given opportunities to practically apply the knowledge they received by preparing and delivering sermons and are taught skills of evaluating sermons of other people.

 

Main stages of the course:

 

Helping students acquire and sharpen their skills of working with the biblical text while they learn to draw information directly from the Word of God.

 

Moving students from gathering biblical material for their sermons to interpreting the Bible text and from interpretation to public delivery. One of the main challenges that preachers usually face is to turn the results of their Bible research into a sermon. Much attention is paid to help students overcome this barrier.

 

Giving newly trained preachers opportunities to sharpen their public speaking skills at the pulpit and in other public contexts. The content of a sermon is highly important but the way of its delivery is equally crucial. Good sermons can become less effective due to the lack of good public speaking skills.

 

XII. CURRENTLY DEVELOPED COURSES

How to Find God’s Will

 

Assurance of Salvation

 

How to Start a Church Nursery

 

Victorious Christian Living