Newsletter for the College of Biblical Studies
Volume 2, Number 3
May, 2004
Summer Workshops
"At the River's Edge" is the theme for this year's Summer Workshops, July 29-31. Jeff Childers will be our featured presenter and will bring material on baptism from the booklet, At the River's Edge, he co-authored with Frederick Aquino. In addition to Jeff's presentations, the workshop will feature tracks on children's faith formation, adult faith formation, pre-marital counseling training, and small church ministry. Both the pre-marriage counseling and small church tracks are new to the Summer Workshops' menu. Richard Ellis will direct the pre-marriage training program, using the Prepare program. The cost for Prepare certification is $160. Dr. Charles Siburt will be leading the new Small Church Ministry track. Presenters include Tommy LeFan, Richard Pruitt, Scott Clark, Art Lynch, Joe Hailey, and Larry Roberts. As with past years, those interested in enhancing their ministries to children and adults will have many classes from which to choose. Workshop registration is $30. For program details and access to registration and housing forms, see our website www.acu.edu/events/summerworkshop.html.
Seniors Blessed By Faculty and Peers
"Passing the Torch" was more than a slogan for the Senior Blessing held on April 15, 2004. Packed full of prayer, affirmation, and fun, the day is designed to send off seniors from the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry with spoken and written blessings from faculty and peers.
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More than 90 seniors and faculty gathered at a Christian camp southwest of Abilene for this important event. After a fun "ice breaker," the group worships together and hears stories from faculty of some of their "big" mistakes. Quiet time follows and students then move through prayer stations. In the five prayer stations, faculty members greet the students and pray for a specific aspect of their future lives (family, ministry, community involvement, etc.). The day concluded with a time together when faculty articulate appreciation and affirmation for the seniors. Specific students are acknowledged by many of the faculty; however, others pronounce blessings on the entire group of seniors. Students participate in this closure of their college careers as they speak words of blessing to their classmates and faculty. All the nametags of faculty and students contain only first names. Faculty emphasizes the fact that for four years their role has been teacher and mentor, but as seniors graduate from ACU we all become friends and colleagues.
This year's event marks the fifth year that seniors in the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry received special blessings from faculty and peers. Many alumni of the department agree that the Senior Blessing is one of the best expressions possible for passing the torch to the next generation of ministers, missionaries, scholars, and spiritual leaders.
Five Majors Selected as 2004 University Scholars
Other than being selected as class valedictorian, the designation of University Scholar is the highest recognition of academic accomplishment at ACU. Only fifty senior men and women are designated each year as University Scholars. This year one tenth of the University Scholars are majors in Bible, Missions and Ministry.
The Faculty Senate sponsors this annual event that is held in the Chapel on the Hill. Teacher of the year in 2002-03, Dr. Paul Morris, presented the charge to this year's young scholars.
Rance Bland, David Case, Ryan Porche, Kenneth Rigoulot, and Jackie Beth Shilcutt were acknowledged at the April 15 Chapel. Each honor student selected a Bible faculty member, someone who had impacted their life spiritually and intellectually, as their host for the event. Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen, Provost of the University, introduced each student to the assembly and the faculty host then presented their student with a medallion to wear at commencement. Almost sixty students will graduate with degrees in Bible this year, and the five University Scholars lead the class in scholarship and achievement.
ElderLink Ministry Expands
2004 is a year of expansion and development for the ElderLink ministry. Since its beginning in 2000, two annual ElderLink Forum events have been offered, one in Dallas and another in Portland. On March 27 the first Atlanta ElderLink Forum was held on the campus of Greater Atlanta Christian School. 240 leaders participated in the day-long agenda. The first Northeast ElderLink Forum is scheduled for September 11 at the Nashua Church of Christ in Nashua, NH. The Portland ElderLink Forum will be October 8,9 on the campus of Cascade College, and the Dallas ElderLink Forum will be on November 13 at the Highland Oaks Church of Christ. The mission of the ElderLink ministry is to equip, encourage, and link those who lead and serve as elders in Churches of Christ. Through these four ElderLink events, the ElderLink ministry will serve near 1,000 leaders this year. Detailed information about all of these ElderLink forum events will be available on ACU's Ministry Resources website.
Small Churches Workshop July 29-31
Most churches are smaller, not larger. And smaller churches are different in some very specific and distinctive ways. Though smaller, they may be stronger. The new Small Churches Workshop will be one of the Summer Workshops offered on the ACU campus July 29-31 and will address the needs of smaller congregations. Six ministers from small churches will serve as presenters and facilitators for all sessions. The workshop is open to all who serve and lead in them. Participants will receive useful information, ideas, resources, and network contacts to assist them in their ministries in their own congregations. For registration and schedule information, see the ACU Ministry Events website.
New Ministry Salary Survey Launched
In 2000-2001 ACU administered a nationwide Ministers Salary Survey to gather data about the status of compensation for ministers in Churches of Christ. The database containing the results of that survey have been available on the Ministry Resources website for about the past three years. Now the Church Relations team has launched a new Ministry Salary Survey t gather recent information for ministers and other church leaders. Instead of mailing printed survey forms to a sampling of ministers as we did previously, we are using a program called Zoomerang to administer the survey via email to most Churches of Christ and various personal email addresses. The survey can be completed in a few minutes, and the results of the survey will be available on the ACU Ministry Resources website by June 1. More than 500 ministers who serve in a variety of ministry roles have already completed the survey. Any minister interested in participating in the survey can do so by clicking here.
World Wide Witness
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| April 21, 2004 President Royce Money gives a blessing to ACU students that are preparing to spend their summer in cross-cultural ministry internships through World Wide Witness. |
This is the third year of the World Wide Witness program, directed by Wimon Walker and Gary Green. About 30 students served as missionary interns for 6-10 weeks during each of the first two years of the program, and this year almost 50 ACU students are planning to work at 22 sites in 18 countries on 6 continents. In addition, six of our graduating seniors are preparing for 2-year apprenticeships.
World Wide Witness is much more than a campaign or missions trip. Students are expected to serve the missionaries and local churches, to study language and culture, and to develop their spirituality and practical ministry skills by observing and listening to the supervisors, as well as by trying things out for themselves. World Wide Witness interns and apprentices serve missionaries and churches in a variety of ways. Here are some examples: In Brisbane, Australia interns will encourage youth in the church and the community. Chiang Mai, Thailand is the home of two large universities where World Wide Witness is involved in campus ministry. In the Bronx (New York), interns participate in street evangelism and development of house churches. Two students will be traveling with Dan McVey of ACU and Sam Shewmaker of Harding as they survey sites for future teams in several African countries. In San Jose, Costa Rica the interns' primary task will be studying Spanish in a language school, but in addition the interns will be living with families from the local Church of Christ and will be involved in the activities of the congregation. An intern going to Choluteca, Honduras will have a chance to put her nursing major to work as she spends part of her time in a clinic. In Mbale, Uganda and Mwanza, Tanzania ACU students will join interns from other schools and participate in ministries that include both rural and urban outreach. A group of interns traveling to France will spend some time living with French families, and will use music as an outreach tool.
Seven of this year's summer interns are majoring in missions, and another 18 are Bible or ministry majors. The remaining interns represent 15 other academic disciplines including music, art, psychology, sociology, biology, marketing, and nursing.
Because of their participation in summer internships, some students hear God's call to long-term missionary service. As they "try out" mission work, some of them will be convicted of the needs of the world, and will see that God has gifted them for this ministry. A missionary internship or apprenticeship also allows young men and women to develop ministry skills. What they learn about reaching out to people from different backgrounds can be useful no matter where in the world they live or what kind of career they end up pursuing. They may put their language and cross-cultural ministry skills to work by becoming "tent making" missionaries. Or they may discover the hundreds of opportunities for cross-cultural ministry within the United States, especially in the growing Hispanic community.
Another purpose of World Wide Witness is to increase the vision for missions of the American church by multiplying the number of church members who have had first-hand experience in cross-cultural ministry. Many young people who participate in World Wide Witness will conclude that they do not belong in long-term missionary work. But what they have seen and experienced will give them insight into the nature and urgency of the missionary task. As they participate in congregations in America, they will be intelligent and passionate senders and "encouragers" of missionary work.
Kenyan Experiences
Last January five young men traveled to Kenya to experience serving God in another culture. Four of the young men were from Harding University and one was from ACU. Denton Josey, a beginning missions student began conversations with the Harding crew and decided after much prayer that he would join the effort.
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| Denton Josey | Kenya team with some of the area youth. |
All of the young men were responding to the call of the Lord. They are working in the Eldoret area of Western Kenya. They teach English and Bible at the Chepkong'ony Christian Secondary School. They also coach soccer and direct a choir. Besides their school responsibilities they invest their lives in the churches in the area. They are part of helping with youth rallies and other outreach activities. All of these experiences are building relationships that will help share the gospel with others. This adventure will last a year. There is no missionary nearby but there is the loving support of a Christian community that is home to them for a year. When they come home in December they will be changed because they have lived a Kenyan experience, and because God has been at work in their lives. Our hope is that many students will have experiences like these that will bless them in their journey into missions.
Summer Seminar in Missions
Summer Seminar in Missions is more than course work; it is an EXPERIENCE. While you attend classes you also network with others who care about missions. You experience the full impact of three weeks focused on missions. Students preparing for missions, missionaries on furlough, campus ministers, those seeking second careers in missions, and missions faculty and staff experience learning about missions in community.
Both undergraduate and graduate level courses are offered in Seminar. Those courses can be taken for academic credit or for continuing education units. The dates for the seminar are: (Session I: May 17-27) and (Session II: May 25-June 4). You will notice there are three days when Sessions I and II overlap (May 25-27). No academic studies are going on at that time, but those are three days of practical training regarding missions called Missions Focus. (Read the related article.)
Our ACU missions faculty and staff teach the Seminar courses. We have also invited several individuals who will come and expand our offerings. During Session I, Janine Morgan will teach Spiritual Formation and the Missionary Family at the undergraduate level. Janine has served as a missionary in Brazil, ACU's Oxford study abroad site with her husband Ron, and is finishing her doctorate in missions from Fuller. Dr. Evertt Huffard, dean of the Harding Graduate School of Religion, will be teaching Gospel and Islam at the graduate level. Evertt and his family served as missionaries in Israel. Session II will include a course called Language Acquisition taught by Brad Willits, a Bible translator in Guinea, W. Africa, with Pioneer Bible Translators. Dr. Monte Cox from Harding University will teach Missions in the 21st Century at the graduate level. Monte was a missionary in Kenya and directs Harding's Center for World Missions. Other courses that prepare missionaries and equip mission committee members are offered. Generous scholarships are available. Check out all our courses at our Seminar website www.bible.acu.edu/missions/summerseminar .
Seminar continues to be a place where individuals can come and receive training in missions. In three weeks you can complete two courses and experience much practical training during the three days of Missions Focus. Come and join others who are passionate about God's mission in the World.
New Degree Options for Marriage and Family Therapy
A collaborative effort between the Graduate School of Theology and the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy has resulted in the development of two distinctive but overlapping approaches to the study of marriage and family. A path that leads to licensure as a marriage and family therapist is optimal for some. A direction that includes marriage and family within a ministry context is the calling for others. Both are now possible at ACU.
For persons interested in professional licensure, two years of study within the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy will earn a student the M.MFT degree. The person choosing this option of study will learn skills of marriage and family therapy from a Christian worldview, and he or she will be prepared to work in a variety of settings in the mental health world. Some may also choose to add theological studies that lead to the MACM or the M.Div. degrees.
Others who are called to church ministry, but not to professional licensure, now have the option of earning the Masters of Arts in Christian Ministry, a 54 hour degree plan that has at its core 21 hours in marriage and family. This degree plan combines biblical studies, ministry, history and theology, and marriage and family. See this MA degree plan.
A second ministry-oriented track is the Master of Divinity, an 84 hour program that has a 30 semester hour marriage and family emphasis. This degree plan combines biblical studies, history and theology, ministry, and marriage and family. See the MDiv track degree plan.
For more information about the MFT-oriented M.Div. contact Tim Sensing at sensingt@bible.acu.edu. Contact Mark Hamilton at hamilton@bible.acu.edu for information about the MACM. For more information about the M.MFT degree and its related tracks, contact Waymon Hinson at hinson@bible.acu.edu.
Other Institute for Missions programs can be seen at http://www.acu.edu/missions .
Unveiling Glory
Why did Jesus come to earth in the flesh and live among us? In what sense did he both embrace this world and reject it? How should our view of Christ form the way we live and act as Christians in our families, neighborhoods, nations, and churches? Unveiling Glory seeks to address these topics and others, boldly considering many of the problems facing Churches of Christ today and insisting that the key to their resolution lies in a deeper commitment to Jesus.
The introduction establishes the premise for the book when it declares that "approaching Christ with transformation in mind has not always been a key element in…our heritage. Yet we are convinced that whenever scripture is allowed to speak with its full voice, the notion of Christianity as transformation into the image of Christ becomes inescapable." The book seeks to deliver on this promise, leading the reader through the important events in Jesus' life and unveiling their significance for the Christian today.
Unveiling Glory will be an invaluable aid for churches and individuals as they seek to embody Christ and to bring his story to a needy world.
The first three books in the Heart of the Restoration Series are being made available to congregations at a special group discount, according to Thom Lemmons, director of ACU Press. "The books in this series were conceived and written in order to take an important place in the current discussions among Churches of Christ," Lemmons said, "and we want to do everything we can to help that discussion continue." Congregations across the country are using the books, Lemmons says, both for individual and group studies of the issues presented.
Churches wishing to make a group purchase of one or more of the books in the Heart of the Restoration Series may send a message to lemmonst@acu.edu . For purchases of twenty or more books in the series, buyers will receive a 10% discount from the retail price. Shipping charges and sales tax for Texas residents will be added to the order.
In The Crux of the Matter: Crisis, Tradition, and the Future of Churches of Christ, Jeff Childers, Doug Foster, and Jack Reese give voice to several crucial decisions now facing Churches of Christ, placing those decisions in a comprehensive historical, cultural, and biblical context. God's Holy Fire: The Nature and Function of Scripture (Ken Cukrowski, Mark Hamilton, and James Thompson) focuses on hermeneutics, or the way members of Churches of Christ read, understand, and interpret Scripture. Future volumes in the series, all written by members of ACU's College of Biblical Studies faculty, will deal with the church, and worship.
River's Edge: Meeting Jesus in Baptism
ACU Press announces the release of "River's Edge: Meeting Jesus in Baptism," a special supplement to the Heart of the Restoration Series. The 48-page booklet will be available in conjunction with ACU's annual Bible Lectureship, February 22-25, 2004.
Adapted from Chapter Three of the latest volume in the Heart of the Restoration Series, "Unveiling Glory: Visions of Christ's Transforming Presence," this booklet highlights the biblical significance of baptism for followers of Jesus Christ.
The booklet is priced at $2.99 per copy. For more information, please send an email to lemmonst@acu.edu
Related links:
Missions Opportunities
May 17 - June 4, 2004
Summer Seminar in Missions at Abilene Christian UniversityJuly 18 - 22, 2004
6th Pan European Lectureship Edinburgh, ScotlandOctober 20 - 22, 2004
2004 Urban Ministry ConferenceJuly 20 - 24, 2005
Global Missions Conference, Arlington, Texas
