Teaching Program for 2007

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TEACHING PROGRAM 2007

Paul the apostle spoke of the gifts of people-in-ministry that the risen and ascended Jesus Christ gives to his church: ‘The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ' (Ephesians 4:11-12). In New Testament times, while some of these were stationed in particular local churches, many of them moved among the churches.

New Creation Teaching Ministry is a movement of such ministries among the churches. As such, it is not a ‘para-church organisation’. It is part of the ministry supplied by Christ to his church.

What we bring in our preaching and teaching is the apostolic gospel of the grace of God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—centred on the cross of Christ, as ‘the whole purpose of God’ from the beginning to the end of the Scriptures, with a view to the ultimate community of God with His people (see Acts 20:20–21, 24, 27, 32). This is brought through prophetically to all who will hear, as a life-giving and life-sustaining word, by the activity of the Spirit of God.

Several principles follow from this, to guide the deployment of our ministry:

• We do not seek to reproduce what is or should be happening in the churches, nor to support a particular church’s program. When we come to particular churches, we would expect to extend them beyond what they might normally do.

• While people are welcome to participate in study with us for periods of time, (see separate leaflet on the Christian Workers Course) we are not here to act as a Bible College, nor after the fashion of a Bible College’s regional ministry.

• Subject to the Spirit of God (as in Acts 16:6–10), we are to go where an apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral teaching ministry of the word is not otherwise available in this way. We prefer to work with a number of churches in an area, across the denominations, or where a particular church is seeking to break new ground and needs help with that.

• We look to go where there is an invitation and a welcome from a local support base (as in Matthew 10:11–14; Acts 16:15). We do not seek to set up our own initiatives, or to grow ourselves as an organisation.

• These principles apply both to short-term missions (weekend, week or fortnight) and to series of classes (weekly or monthly). When either of these start to become self-perpetuating fixtures, consideration should be given to moving on from there.

• Studies at the Teaching Centre (weekly or monthly) and short-term Schools at the teaching Centre or off-site (weekend or week-long) are gatherings for upbuilding and encouragement, both for those who come and for those who participate by speaking. These help sustain the theological backbone of the ministry in other places, and provide the basis for recorded and published resources.

While these principles are not new, they are set out here to explain the rationale of our teaching program this year, and the relationship of its various elements to each other. There are fewer weekly classes this year than previously, to increase our flexibility and availability for other forms of ministry. By nature of the case, while some ministries can be planned a year in advance, and so are included in this printed program, others become possible closer to the time, and will be notified as they arise.