Christianity Explored

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How to run a course

Equipping leaders

How to get started with Christianity Explored

Your quick guide to running a Christianity Explored course for all course organisers and table leaders.

Q. How long does Christianity Explored last?

A. The course runs for ten weeks, including a course weekend or day away for participants (and leaders). Each week the course covers a different topic:

Introduction
Jesus - Who Was He?
Jesus - Why Did He Come?
Jesus - His Death
What Is Grace?
Jesus - His Resurrection
Exploring Christian Life Sessions: The Church, The Holy Spirit, Prayer, The Bible
What Is A Christian?
Continuing As A Christian
Choices - King Herod
Choices - James, John and Bartimaeus

Course organisers also run table leaders' training sessions just prior to the course, or even arrange a training weekend away for leaders.

Q. How do I use the course?

A. The course is designed to introduce people to Christianity in an unthreatening way. You can run it for five people or 500, adapting it to suit the needs of your potential participants:

alongside preparation courses for marriage or confirmation
as follow up after missions
on a one-to-one basis
as a 'refresher' course for church members.

Q. How long does it take to set up?

A. Starting from scratch, you will need a minimum of three to six months to be ready to run the first week of the course. You should allow time to:

bring the church family on board and set up a venue
purchase resources in-store from your local Christian bookshop or online
select and train course leaders after studying resources
arrange welcome, catering and prayer teams
promote the course and prepare the church to invite participants

Ideally, the church family will take the course themselves first before opening the doors to other participants.

Q. Do our course leaders need to take a course first?

A. A training day run by the course leader should take place before the course begins. All table leaders should attend, even if they have led on tables before, as this helps to build relationships. Information on organising a training day for table leaders is contained in Chapter 4 of 'How to run the course'. This includes a sample schedule including nine sessions. Training days are essential to ensure that the course leader and table leaders understand the reasoning behind the course and begin to apply it in their own particular setting.

Training conferences are optional events run by Christianity Explored staff at the invitation of local churches. They offer in-depth guidance on teaching Mark's Gospel, and are aimed at pastors and all types of church leaders. Here, the focus is assisting those who want to investigate further before committing their church to the course, or those who want to fine-tune aspects of how they run their course. Training conferences should not be seen as a substitute for training days!

Q. Is there anyone locally that can help us?

A. Training conferences are the best way to share local support. Christianity Explored can also put you in touch with contacts near you. Please use the contact us page.

Q. Are there any resources to help me present it?

A. All the material you could need is readily available, including transcripts of the talks, digital slideshow presentations, and of course, answers to the weekly Bible studies. To order worldwide, see the resources section of the website or telephone the Good Book Company on +44 (0)845 225 0880 [Orders for UK and selected countries]. All 14 talks are also available on DVD. These DVDs are a tremendous resource for those who want to run the course but don't have time to prepare the talks themselves.

Q. Can I use it outside a church setting?

A. Yes, it's designed to to be used in a range of contexts by many different groups of people. Christianity Explored groups can be set up for businesses, parent/toddler groups, in sports or leisure clubs, prisons, universities and colleges - as well as in churches and homes. Resources produced for specific needs include an English Made Easy (EME) edition and youth ministry materials. And if you use the DVDs, the course can also be used 'one-to-one'.

Q. Is Christianity Explored the same as Christianity Explained?

A. Christianity Explained consists of six one-hour sessions, and was developed by Michael Bennett in Australia. Christianity Explored is a longer ten-week course that makes use of the additional time to forge trusting relationships with participants, and look at Mark's Gospel in greater depth. It also explores other themes such as assurance, the church, the Holy Spirit, the Bible and prayer. Christianity Explored resources contain a far greater breadth of training material for those leading on the course.

Q. So what makes Christianity Explored distinctive?

A. There are three main ingredients that make Christianity Explored different:

First, the course focuses on the Gospel of Mark. Throughout the course, participants are encouraged to explore the book of Mark in their group, and on their own. The aim is to help people answer three questions that cut to the heart of Christianity: who was Jesus? Why did Jesus come? And what does Jesus demand of those who want to follow him?

Second, the course carefully explores the problem of sin. Participants are gently and respectfully shown what Jesus says about the human heart, God's wrath, judgement and hell so that the sheer wonder of God's unmerited love can be fully grasped.

Third, participants are given time and space to consider the cost of becoming a Christian before being given the opportunity to begin following Christ.

Q. What do I need to run Christianity Explored?

How to run the course

A. All you need is a Study Guide for each participant, a Study Guide - Leader's Edition for each leader (including yourself), and a single copy of the How to Run the Course book. Of course, if you'd prefer to run the course with DVDs rather than presenting talks 'live', you will also need the DVD Series.

A Christianity Explored Starter Pack is available and contains everything you need to start your course: How to Run the Course, the DVD Series, nine copies of the Study Guide, and three copies of the Study Guide - Leader's Edition. To order, go to http://www.christianityexplored.org/resources/

Q. Is advertising material available to help publicise my course?

A. Packs of posters (sizes A2 to A4), postcard invitations and large banners are available. Each has a space in which you can print (or write) when and where your course will be happening. To order, go to http://www.christianityexplored.org/resources/

The Downloads section of this website also has images and logos you can use if you'd rather make your own publicity. And don't forget to put yourself on the map! Add your course so that it appears on our course finder page [http://www.christianityexplored.org/find-a-course/]

Generally, the main reason people come to CE is because trusted friends have invited them (or have invited them to a 'guest event/service' at which CE is mentioned). Of course, church members may be reluctant to invite friends until they're assured of the course's quality. With that in mind, many churches have run CE for their own congregation first, either as a church induction course, or by using CE studies in any small groups that are already running.

Q. How do I use the DVDs with the books?

A. A short booklet entitled Guide to Using the DVDs is included with the DVD Series, and tells you everything you need to know.

Q. Are there any translations available?

A. Translations into ten languages have been produced, and there are many more in the pipeline. Send translation queries via our contact form.

Q. Are audio cassettes of the talks available?

A. No, but there is a DVD Series. You can use the DVDs in place of a 'live' talk, or - if you're preparing to give your own talk - as a way of getting to grips with the material.

Q. Can I go on using the course for years to come?

A. Yes. Because it is based on Mark's Gospel, Christianity Explored doesn't date. Each time you run the course, you can add new illustrations to keep things topical, but the core material will remain the same.

More

Add your course to the website
Blog post: 10 reasons why I love Christianity Explored [external website]

Contact us

Complete our web enquiry form if you have further questions, or phone +44 (0)207 580 8954
The latest version of this FAQ can be found online at
http://www.christianityexplored.org/faq-leaders/

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