Open Classes
All participating in Open Classes will meet in the ROC Downstairs prior to heading to class.
SUNDAY MORNINGS | 8:30 AM
December 1-February 16 (No Classes on December 22)
Meaningful Membership (December 1, 8, 15) | Parlor
Teachers: Dan Tankersley, Paul Thompson, & Charles Uptain
This required membership class introduces prospective members to 1) what we believe and teach, 2) how we function together as a church, and 3) our church covenant.
Systematic Theology 2 | G-315
Teachers: Dave Lindey & Charles Uptain
This class puts Christian doctrine in logical order, helping you build a framework for knowing God and His creation.
Two Ways to Live | G-314
Teachers: Duane Haley, Stacey Harrison & Dan Tankersley
This class provides theological foundations and practical applications for faithful Christian evangelism. Two Ways to Live is designed for two purposes: 1) to help solidify the content of the gospel in our own minds, and 2) so that we might go out and share it with others (1 Peter 3:15).
WEDNESDAY EVENINGS | 6:00 PM
December 4-February 26 (No Classes on December 25 or January 1)
Old Testament 2 | R-308
Teacher: Tommy Perry & Josh Robertson
This class offers a 30,000 ft. view of the books of the Old Testament.
Apologetics | R-300/302
Teachers: Eric Donop & John Stickles
This class explores evidence, logic, and historical context to answer questions or objections about Christian beliefs, practices, and the reliability of biblical texts. This class will equip you to defend and explain the Christian faith.
Grief and Suffering | R-306
Teachers: David Glover & Lynn Forrester
The Christian life involves a tension between suffering and God’s character as revealed in the Bible. Suffering challenges faith but also offers a chance to strengthen it. This life is our last opportunity to please God through a faith that isn’t blind but grounded in His actions and promises. This class aims to build such faith.
FAQs
Why are we adding these classes? The elders are responsible for the teaching of the body, so we all grow up into maturity. (Ephesians 4) We believe open classes enhance our teaching ministry by giving us a venue to teach basic Christian subject matters in a systematic way versus just waiting on those subjects to surface in our expositional preaching and sermon based small group curriculum.
Why are we offering these on Sunday mornings at 8:30? We want to offer these classes when the largest number of our membership could participate. We also hope you will see the value in learning and interacting with members whom you might not know well because they are not in your small group.
Do I need to sign up beforehand? No, anyone who wants to participate can meet in the Sanctuary at 8:30 each Sunday. We will introduce the classes and teachers for that week, and all walk together to the classrooms below the Sanctuary.
Do the classes build on one another? The subjects will flow together, but every class meeting will standalone, and anyone could come any week and jump right in.
What is the format for the open classes? A normal class would include prayer, a moment for the class participants to greet one another and meet new people, a teaching time, a time for questions and/or discussion. This request for questions could be interspersed in the teaching time or come at the end depending on the teacher’s preference.
How can I participate and stay connected to my small group (life group)? We would suggest creativity, flexibility, and open discussion with your group. Here are a few suggestions, but this is surely not a complete list:
Bring some, or all, of your group with you to the class
Continue to connect outside of the 8:30 Sunday morning hour through text groups/phone calls/social events/meals together after church/sitting together in worship or midweek/eating at church before midweek together
Participate in the shorter classes (6-7 weeks long) and then go back to your group for a while
See if your group’s members that choose to participate in open classes want to get together some other time of the week to discuss the sermon and pray
When will we know what will be taught next? The elders are working to produce a schedule of classes. We hope to publish this in March. The schedule would lay out our expectations for the remainder of the year.