For more information about opportunities listed below, to register online, or to download a registration form, go to www.ctsnet.edu > Lifelong Learners (in the top navigation bar). Then click on the dates of the courses and events you wish to attend. You may also call the registrar, Pat Roper, at 404-687-4587, for more information or to register by phone. Unless otherwise noted, events take place on the seminary campus, in Decatur, GA. Some events listed below require registration through the Presbyterian Board of Pensions. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for most events. Inquire at time of registration/event sign in.

 

Jubilee! Luke’s Gospel for the Poor. Presbyterian Women’s Bible Study Training (weekday course). The Gospel of Luke contains stories that show the mission of Jesus to be the revelation of the beginning of the Messianic Age—a celebration of God’s jubilee for all people. In this course, we will examine the idea of jubilee, and the response Jesus received in his ministry. Designed for women who will be teaching this series, this workshop is open to anyone interested in this topic. Leader: Dale Lindsay Morgan, author of the 2008-2009 Horizons Bible study. $90 (includes 3 lunches).

 

Jubilee! Luke’s Gospel for the Poor. Presbyterian Women’s Bible Study Training. See description above. Leader: Rebecca Parker. $70 (includes lunch).

 

Programming with a Plan: Intentional Youth Ministry. In this Youth Leadership Ministry Initiative (YMLI) event, participants will examine various planning approaches and have the opportunity to assess their own programs. Offered in conjunction with the Youth Ministry Certificate, but anyone may attend. Leaders: Lynne Turnage and Eric Dillenbeck. Facilitators: Sarah Erickson and Neema Cyrus Franklin. $150 (includes 2 meals). On-campus housing additional.

 

Church-based Evangelism. Lay Leader Training/English. Using case studies, we will view strategies for corporate congregational witness and address church-based evangelism through such ministries as worship, service, pastoral care, and new house fellowship groups. To enroll, you must be a paid registrant in the certification program. Leader: Ray G. Jones. $50 residents in tri-presbytery (Greater Atlanta, Cherokee, Northeast Georgia); $100 outside tri-presbytery area ($75 each additional person from same presbytery). Textbooks not included in fee.

 

Islam Explored: Selected Stories and Spiritualities in a Living Faith. Explore the life of the Prophet, spiritual leaders, lay spirituality, and current promises and challenges of the Christian-Muslim dialogue. The course provides participants with a comparative approach to spirituality—Islamic and Christian—not only by the use of historical material, but through inter-religious conversations with Muslim scholars and leaders of the Atlanta community. Leader: Carlos Cardoza-Orlandi. $350. This is a course in the Certificate in Spiritual Formation program, but everyone is welcome.

 

Growing Into Tomorrow….Today. A retirement planning seminar for Board of Pensions benefit plan members. No charge (on-campus meals and housing are extra). Contact the Board of Pensions to register: education@pensions.org or 800-773-7752, ext. 7223.

 

Getting In Shape Fiscally. Clergy and lay benefits plan members under age 50 will discover ways to coordinate coverage and personal finances to maximum advantage. This seminar fulfills one Seminary Debt Assistance Grant application requirement. No charge (on-campus meals and housing are extra). Contact the Board of Pensions to register: education@pensions.org or 800-773-7752, ext. 7223.

 

The Book of Proverbs: Forming “Fearers of the LORD.” A weekend Bible seminar with Old Testament scholar Christine Roy Yoder. What is good for people in life? How do we live wisely and well? How do we teach our children to do so? These are among the age-old questions at the heart of the book of Proverbs. Come explore how the book engages in theological-ethical formation and wrestles astutely with justice, neighborliness, wealth and poverty, the “stranger,” and what it means to “fear the LORD.” $100.

 

Youth Ministry Leadership Beginning Retreat. This Youth Ministry Leadership Initiative event (YMLI) allows participants to ask important questions about their particular call to youth ministry and youth ministry as a whole. YMLI courses are designed for lay leaders and pastors who are committed to developing strong programs for youth within our churches. Leaders: Rodger Nishioka and Neema Cyrus-Franklin. $150 (includes two meals). On-campus housing additional.

 

Invitation to a Deeper Spiritual Life (Certificate in Spiritual Formation —Weekend Immersion Experience). Join us for this feast for the soul as you explore the origins of the Christian spiritual tradition. Participants will study the formative elements of biblical, monastic, and Reformed spirituality. There will be an opportunity for personal reflection through guided meditative journaling, exploring one’s own unique journey with the living God. Community and practical application of acquired knowledge are also part of this experience. This course is the starting place for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation. Occasional students are welcome. Leaders: CTS Faculty. $400.

 

God in Ordinary Time: Faith Practices for Today. Christian practice is a hot topic right now, as individuals and congregations re-discover the value of walking labyrinths, going on pilgrimages, hammering nails, and keeping prayer journals. In this weekend course, participants will explore some of the reasons why physical practice strengthens the human spirit in ways that mental exercise can only envy, as they experiment with new and old practices for deepening faith day by day. Leader: Barbara Brown Taylor. $150; (includes Friday and Saturday lunch). On-campus housing additional.

 

Spiritual Leadership. Certificate in Spiritual Formation course at Montreat Conference Center. What is spiritual leadership, and what are the characteristics of an effective spiritual leader? How does the Holy Spirit empower spiritual leaders and what kinds of disciplines are needed? These questions and others will be explored in a lecture/discussion format during this course. Participants will have time to reflect on their own leadership settings and be encouraged to write a personal Rule of Life that can help them be better spiritual leaders. This course will be widely focused and helpful to persons growing into spiritual leadership within and outside church settings. Leader: Joan Gray. $378.

 

Guthrie Scholars. The Guthrie Scholars Program is a learning opportunity offered twice a year on an application basis. Guthrie Scholars are invited to the campus to pursue a topic of their choice that engages a pressing issue of the church from a Reformed perspective. The seminary covers all costs, except travel. For more information, visit www.ctsnet.edu > Lifelong Learners > Special Programs.

 

Spiritual Gifts and Ministry (Lay Leader Training/English). This course is designed for lay leaders and ordained pastors interested in discovering their spiritual gifts and ministries, and how to use them in a new church development setting. Leader: Lucas de Paiva Pina. To enroll, you must be a paid registrant in the certification program. $50 residents in tri-presbytery (Greater Atlanta, Cherokee, Northeast Georgia); $100 outside tri-presbytery area ($75 each additional person from same presbytery). Textbooks not included in fee.

 

Contemplation through the Ages. Certificate in Spiritual Formation course at the Calvin Center, Hampton, GA. This course will examine four classics in contemplation from different historic periods. Participants will engage in interactive lectures, sharing in small groups, practicing silence together, and finding solitude in the quiet of retreat center. Leader: Ben Johnson, with Paul and Sarah Lang. $350.