6-Week Electives
July 23-August 27
About Electives
The purpose of our electives is to engage and equip the people of our church with the Word for the roles God has given them. The classes survey a variety of doctrines or topics, helping us to grow in our walk with Jesus and in our relationships with each other. We’re eager to dive into these studies with you.
During the adult Electives, children, middle school, and high school students meet according to their grades.
Learn more on the Electives page.
6-WEEK ELECTIVES
Sundays, July 23 – August 27, 11:00 AM
The Gospel and Arguments for God
Overview: Introducing a friend or neighbor to the good news of Jesus Christ often includes conversations around the existence of God. A typical roadblock toward faith is the question, “Does God actually exist?” Unfortunately, in those situations of defending our Christian faith, or apologetics, we often focus on winning the argument while the gospel takes a back seat. In this class, participants will learn to use apologetics as a tool to help them better explain the hope of the gospel and the glory of Jesus Christ. We’ll explore the classical arguments for God’s existence each week by defining an argument, considering typical refutations, and explaining how the argument reveals the wonders of the gospel. Come grow your confidence and knowledge in approaching your lost neighbors with God’s truth.
Teacher: Jim Knauss
Week 1: Introduction to Basic Logic
Week 2: Ontological Argument: The Necessity of God
Week 3: Cosmological Argument: The Uncaused Cause
Week 4: Teleological Argument: The Great Designer
Week 5: Moral Argument: The Foundation of Morality
Week 6: Q&A
The Hope of the Messiah in the Book of Daniel
Did Jesus Have to be Perfect?
Overview: Several centuries before the coming of the Messiah, God’s people found themselves once again in exile, this time in Babylon. But as with every moment of history, God was in complete control. The book of Daniel captures a portion of that history with some of the Scripture’s most memorable events and strangest dreams. From the lion’s den to the fiery furnace and four beasts coming out of the sea, every bit of the 12 chapters displays the power of our sovereign God over the nations of the world. This class will explore the text and themes of Daniel by working through the book a couple chapters at a time, looking for promises to be fulfilled when the Son of Man would finally come. Join us as we look closely at the hope of the Messiah and his unrivaled kingdom as exiles awaiting his return.
Teacher: Mark Centers
Week 1: Daniel 1-2: The End at the Beginning
Week 2: Daniel 3-4: No Other Gods Before Me
Week 3: Daniel 5-6: Humbling of Two Kings
Week 4: Daniel 7-8: Visions Beyond Babylon
Week 5: The 70 Weeks
Week 6: Visions of the End
Reading for Joy:
Colossians
Overview: As the saints in Colossae faced the threat of false teaching and a distorted gospel, Paul wrote to them concerning the one thing that would help them hold fast to the truth—the supremacy of Christ over all things. Written while on house arrest in Rome, Paul called them to keep their focus on Christ, the one who redeemed them and united them to himself. Join us as we study the Colossian letter together and behold the preeminence of Christ in this discussion-focused elective. Participants will learn the major themes of the letter, new skills for studying passages within the whole context of the Bible, and how to read the Bible one-on-one with another person.
Teachers: Harry Clement and Kevin Johnson
Week 1: Introduction to Colossians & COMA Method; Colossians 1:1-14
Week 2: The Doctrine of Scripture; Colossians 1:15-23
Week 3: Look Down: Close Context; Colossians 1:24-2:5
Week 4: Look Back: Continuing Context; Colossians 2:6-23
Week 5: Look Ahead: Complete Context; Colossians 3:1-17
Week 6: Reading the Bible One to One; Colossians 3:18-4:18
Ready to Restore:
Marriage Relationships
Overview: Paul tells us in Ephesians 5 that marriage, in a mysterious but real way, pictures the hope and truth of the gospel. Marriage and the gospel are wed together. Our relationship with God is what makes our relationship with each other not only possible, but progressively growing and strong. So the gospel picture your marriage paints grows in beauty over time as the gospel changes you. In this course we will explore biblical tools to help marriage relationships grow and change for the glory of God.
Teachers: Travis Fleshman and Brad Hilgeman
Week 1: The Gospel: The Hope for Mankind and Marriage
Week 2: Relationship from God’s Perspective
Week 3: Marriage Basics
Week 4: Marriage Goals and the Christian Life
Week 5: Communication Comes First
Week 6: Conflict Resolution
Shepherding a Child's Heart
Esther
Overview: Parenting is a wonderful, God-given task that’s full of joy and heartbreak, clarity and confusion, fun and exhaustion. But what is our goal in parenting? As Christians our goal is to parent our children according to God’s Word and in a manner that clearly proclaims to our kids their need for the gospel and the hope found in Jesus Christ. We’re aiming far beyond external obedience. In the book Shepherding a Child’s Heart, author Tedd Tripp teaches us how to lead our kids to understand themselves in light of God’s rule and his Word. Join us for this 6-week, discussion-oriented class with assigned weekly reading as we consider together how to best lead our kids toward the good news of Jesus Christ.
Purchase the book: Available online at Amazon, Christian Book, Westminster Bookstore and others
Teachers: Sandy McCormick and Pete Hansen
Reading prior to each week’s class
Week 1: Intro & Chapter 1: The Heart
Week 2: Chapters 2 & 3: Development
Week 3: Chapter 4: Who’s in Charge?
Week 4: Chapters 5-7: Goals for Parenting
Week 5: Chapters 8-10: Communication
Week 6: Chapters 11-13: Discipline and Sin
