Timothy Paul Jones, associate professor of leadership and church ministry at Southern Seminary, will teach a 3 credit-hour course in conjunction with the Connecting Church and Home conference.
Southern Seminary will host the Connecting Church and Home conference Aug. 20-21, during which Jones will lead students in “The Family in Christian Theology and Mission” (course 45900).
Jones’ course will explore the history of families in the church with an emphasis on developing biblically- and theologically-rooted models for family ministry in local churches. Topics of discussion and reading include family in biblical theology, adoption in church history and the Christian family as a means for Gospel proclamation.
Course objectives include:
-Students will become aware of historical and theological foundations for family ministry
-Students will understand, from a theological perspective, why parents must function as primary faith-trainers and how a church can respond in a Gospel-centered way to spiritual orphans.
-Students will analyze their congregational contexts and identify specific challenges related to family ministry.
-Bringing together course readings and knowledge gained through the conference, students will develop a theologically-grounded curriculum that lays the foundation for a family ministry in which care for orphans is integral.
Students will receive pre-publication PDF copies of two forthcoming books; first, Jones’ “The Family Ministry Field Guide,” which brings together three years of research, including an extensive survey of parents’ current practices of discipleship in their homes, and articulates the vision and theological foundations for the family-equipping ministry model that has been developed within Southern’s School of Church Ministries. Secondly, “Trained in the Fear of God,” edited by Randy Stinson and Jones, which provides the first in-depth exploration of the implications of the family-equipping ministry model from a historical and theological perspective, coupled with practical strategies for transition. “Trained in the Fear of God” includes chapters from Bruce Ware, R. Albert Mohler Jr., David Prince, Brian Haynes and Jay Strother.
Students wishing to earn full credit for the course must prepare to attend the entire conference and complete follow-up assignments. Conference speakers include R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Seminary, Russell D. Moore, dean of the School of Theology at Southern Seminary, Randy Stinson, dean of the School of Church Ministries at Southern Seminary, and Steve Wright, assistant pastor at Providence Baptist Church in Raliegh, NC. Worship will be led by Matthew Smith and Indelible Grace.
For a complete course syllabus see eCampus (ecampus.sbts.edu), the complete conference schedule can be viewed at www.sbts.edu/events.