Growing in Faith: Foundations Courses

Foundations: Growth begins with solid roots, and so do we!

Six 5-week courses – The foundations course of study will provide a strong base which will be built upon in subsequent study through practical courses.
We highy recommend you start here!

Note: Gap Weeks are intended as sabbath for students between classes but can be used as make-up sessions at the discretion of the instructor.

Worship Matters

Why do we worship Sunday after Sunday? Is worship intended for an ‘in group’ to comfort and console? Is worship intended to equip for mission and service? Is worship for God or for us? As we explore these questions, we will discover tensions in worship: a God focus or a communal focus, a head focus or a heart focus, a structured worship or a free worship, a universal church focus or a focus on the local assembly and its needs.

Christianity in a Lutheran Key

While all Christians share a common set of theological beliefs, Lutherans look at things through a filter of grace. In this course we will discover more about our Lutheran roots. We will also look forward to challenges that face us in the future.

Introduction to the Old Testament

The aims of this course are: to give the students an overview of the structure and theology of the Hebrew Scriptures and present the varieties of forms used to communicate the truth of God’s Word contained in them. Special attention will be given to covenant theology and to relating Old Testament theology and history to our understanding of the New Testament.

Introduction to the New Testament

The goals of this course are to understand the gospel message as revealed in the New Testament (NT), to explore the life and faith of the Christian church in the first century, to understand how the Bible came down to us in its present form, and to understand and use a variety of tools for interpreting the Bible. Throughout the course students will reflect on how the New Testament Gospel has shaped our Christian lives.

Lutheran Creeds and Confessions

This course provides an analysis of the historical context and theological content of the Book of Concord (the Lutheran Confessions) with an eye to establishing the importance of its witness for Christian mission and ministry.

Living as a Christian in the World

Students will discuss and explore their role as a member of a Christian community and the community at large. This course allows students to explore their place in a community that is not necessarily predominately Christian. Begin discernment on future service and ministries in their congregations and communities.