Bill Mounce is the President and founder of BiblicalTraining.org, a ministry that seeks to provide seminary-level classes free of charge via the Internet (accessible by some of the poorest of the poor in the majority world). They have launched a new Foundations course called Communicating the Gospel. The new class is a combination of Gary Parrett’s class on Christian Education, Bryan Chapell’s class on preaching, and Ron Pyle’s class on small group (which should be published by August). Byran Chapell is the author of several books, including Using Illustrations to Preach with Power (Crossway, 2001). Chapell’s preaching curricula in this course contains three parts:
The Heart of a Christ-centered Message
If we speak with the voice of Jesus, it is important that we speak the message of Jesus throughout the whole of scripture. The goal is to understand how all Scripture focuses on Christ. This is the unifying principle that binds all Scripture together.
The Hands of a Christ-centered Message
How do we look at Scripture and see a redemptive message everywhere we turn? The goal is to understand how to interpret Scripture so as to communicate the Christ who is there. Our messages must proclaim that all is a result of God’s grace, both salvation and sanctification.
Theology of Change
How do Christ-centered messages effect change in the way we live our lives each day? We obey God because we love him, not to avoid punishment or to get things from him. Threatening people with punishment or enticing them with “stuff” cause people to respond to God out of selfish motivations. Encouraging people to obey God because of our love for Him and gratefulness for His love for us produces holiness. If grace is not put into the equation of human works and divine acceptance, then legalism or moralism results. The rules don’t change but the reason we obey changes. We motivate by grace, not by guilt.
Check out this course, along with a list of many more Foundation courses. The goal of the Foundation set of courses is to education laypersons and lay leaders in local churches.