Class Info

Date: Monday, January 16, 2017

Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

Location: Valley Church 4343 Fuller Rd West Des Moines IA 50265

Contact:

• • Instructor

    
    

• • Lesson 1

    The Living God is a Missionary God

    God's purpose is three-fold: against evil—kingdom victory; for the nations—redemption and blessing; and for God—global glory in worship. God's purpose revealed in promise to Abraham. Exploring God's purpose for the nations: Blessing to the nations described.

  • Instructor

    

    Todd Ahrend

    The Traveling Team, Fayetteville AR

    Todd Ahrend graduated from Northeastern State University, has a Masters from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Doctorate from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the founder and international Director of The Traveling Team, a national missions mobilization movement. He and his wife, Jessica, have spent almost two decades traveling both nation-wide and abroad, speaking to thousands of people about involvement in world evangelization. Todd has exposure in over sixty countries and has lived in the Middle East. He is the author of The Abrahamic Revolution and In This Generation. Todd and Jessica have six children: Camden, Brody, Axel, Noble, Quincy and Cruz!
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, January 16, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 2

    The Story of His Glory

    Exploring God's purpose for Himself: How God has been steadily unfolding a plan throughout all nations and generations to bring about His greater glory, ultimately drawing to Himself the worship of all the peoples. Passion and prayer for God's glory.

  • Instructor

    

    Stan Yoder

    World Partners, Maquoketa IA

    Stan and his wife, Valli, served full-time with World Partners since 1978. Valli passed away in November 2021 after a long battle with M.S. Their experience includes 10 years of church planting and curative medical work in Sierra Leone, West Africa among the Yalunka People; 3 years at the US Center as Administrative Director for the Adopt-a-People Clearinghouse; 3 years mobilizing churches to adopt unreached people groups; 2 years training students at Bethel College, Mishawaka, IN; 4 years coaching workers in Africa and the Middle East; and 16 years reaching out to Middle Wast refugees in Kansas City, Missouri. They moved to Maquoketa, Iowa in October 2018 and will begin a new ministry to Middle East students. Stan will continue to serve with World Partners as a traveling evangelist among Muslims and instructor for Perspectives.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, January 23, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 3

    Your Kingdom Come

    Exploring God's purpose regarding evil: How God has accomplished a defeat of evil powers in order to open a season of history in which the nations can freely follow Christ. The kingdom of God as the destiny of all history. Christ's mission seeks a hindering of evil to bring about a sign of the coming peace of the kingdom of God. Our prayers contend with evil in order to bring about the transformation of society with Christ's kingdom in view.

  • Instructor

    

    Luke Hettinger

    Restore Counseling Services, Columbia MO

    When I was 24 I became the pastor of a small town church in Sumner, Iowa. It was there that God began to show my wife and I his heart for the nations through books, people, and Perspectives. Since that time we have had the incredible privilege to work as mobilizers, welcomers and even goers in a number of different contexts. Most recently my wife and I work as counselors and mentors to workers on and off the field through our counseling practice in Columbia, MO.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, January 30, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 4

    Mandate for the Nations

    Jesus shows great strategic interest in Gentiles; wise strategic focus by initiating a global mission on a few disciples among the Hebrew people. The Great Commission and the ways of God's sending in relational power. Dealing with the ideas of pluralism (all religions the same) and universalism (all persons saved).

  • Instructor

    

    Brooks A Simpson

    Grace Community Church, North Liberty IA

    Brooks Simpson is Pastor for Teaching and Preaching at Grace Community Church in North Liberty, IA. Brooks came to faith in Christ as a college student athlete while attending Grace in 1988 and has been on staff since 1998. Brooks’ heart is to see Christ magnified and exalted in the lives of people. The spiritual battle described in Ephesians 6 is real and Brooks’ passion is to equip people to take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. Too many Christians see this battle as defensive and miss the fact that there is an offensive component as well. Brooks took Perspectives in 2008 and is excited to be a part of the team which equips the saints to offensively take the sword of the Word to the ends of the earth. Brooks has been married to his bride Stacy since 1989. They have two children, Ryan and Katelyn.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, February 6, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 5

    Unleashing the Gospel

    The first followers of Jesus: obedient in costly, foundational ways. The climactic act of the book of Acts is the freeing of the gospel to be followed by Gentiles without Jewish traditions as a requirement. A foundational act of God which speaks to the situations where the gospel is hindered today. Strategic suffering and apostolic passion.

  • Instructor

    

    Robert Nordstrom

    OMF, Wheaton IL

    Robert works in partnership with local churches and campus ministry organizations in Chicago to reach and disciple international students (with a focus on East Asian students). This involves evangelism and discipling, preparing returnees, and developing training.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, February 13, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 6

    The Expansion of the Christian Movement

    The story of God's purpose continues relentlessly from Abraham's day until the present moment. An overview of the largest and the longest-running movement ever in history—the world Christian movement. How the gospel surged through the peoples and places of the world. Important insights for our own day.

  • Instructor

    

    Mary Ho

    All Nations Family, Inc, Kansas City MO

    Dr. Mary Ho is the International Executive Leader of All Nations (http://allnations.international), a global Christian missions organization with workers making disciples and doing church planting in 44 countries. Dr. Ho is passionate about finishing the Great Commission in this generation by sharing the love of God among every people and in parts of the world where the name of Jesus Christ is little or not known. Dr. Ho received her Doctorate of Strategic Leadership from Regent University, VA, U.S.A. in 2016.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, February 20, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 7

    Eras of Mission History

    The greatest explosion of growth ever has taken place in last 200 years in three "bursts" of activity. Why we could be in the final era of missions. The global harvest force comprised increasingly of non-Western missionaries.

  • Instructor

    

    Nathaniel Allen

    Global Outfitters, Fayetteville AR

    Nathan Allen is the Global Missions pastor at New Heights Church in Fayetteville, AR and the Director of Global Outfitters. He has a Bachelors of Arts in History and political Science from the University of Arkansas. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Theological Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, February 27, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 8

    Pioneers of the World Christian Movement

    Today we anchor the race by continuing what others have begun. It's a day of finishing. All the more reason to learn the wisdom and the heart of ordinary people who did extraordinary things in earlier generations. Reading the writings of William Carey and other leaders to discern what these people have left to us. Exploring the contribution of women in missions throughout the centuries.

  • Instructor

    

    Jon Hardin

    Frontiers, Highlands Ranch CO

    Dr. Jon Hardin is the National Communications Specialist for Frontiers. He has served in full-time missions work for over 25 years. Jon regularly speaks and teaches in churches, conferences, and various training events around the world--he has taught over 35,000 Perspectives students. Jon has a passion for seeing local churches and ordinary Christians step into strategic roles in the global missions enterprise. Jon is an ordained minister, holds a PhD from the VU University in Amsterdam, and did post-graduate studies at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague. He is also a graduate of Denver Seminary. Jon is a CPA and prior to going into full-time ministry he worked for IBM Corporation for nine years.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, March 6, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 9

    The Task Remaining

    God's pressed His purpose forward until the present hour of amazing opportunity. Understanding the concept of "unreached peoples" to assess the remaining task. Recognizing the imbalance of mission resources shapes strategic priorities. The basic minimal missiological achievement in every people group opens the way for working with God against every kind of evil so that the gospel of the kingdom is declared and displayed with clarity and power. The need and opportunity of urban mission.

  • Instructor

    

    Jim Capaldo

    Converge Heartland, Sioux Falls SD

    Jim Capaldo and his family spent 11 years serving in a pioneering church planting movement among the Tuvan tribe of Siberian Russia, a land where Shamanism and Buddhism have the prominent religions for centuries. Jim took a holistic approach to church planting that involved both the spiritual elements of evangelism and discipleship as well as addressing the the physical elements through community development and business as mission. Following his missionary career, Jim has served as as the Outreach and Teaching Pastors at ChangePoint Church in Anchorage, AK and Central Baptist Church in Sioux Falls, SD. He currently serves as the District Executive Minister of the Converge Heartland District (formerly known as Baptist General Conference) working to see a gospel-centered church bringing transformation to every Heartland community. The Converge Heartland District spans from ND to KS, Jim and his family are based in Sioux Falls, SD.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, March 20, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 10

    How Shall They Hear?

    Culture and intercultural communication of the gospel. Communicating the gospel with relevance at the worldview level helps avoid syncretism (blending of cultural error with God?s truth) and also enables powerful movements of the gospel. Sensitive missionaries will look for ways that God has preserved or prepared people to hear the gospel, often finding redemptive analogies for God's truth.

  • Instructor

    

    Brian Hogan

    Disciple Making Mentors, Fayetteville AR

    Brian and Louise Hogan have served in mission since 1987. From the Navajo Tribe to Outer Mongolia, their passion has been to see Jesus glorified and lifted up among those who have never known Him. From 1993-1996 their team pioneered a church planting movement in Erdenet (AIR-DUH-NET), Mongolia that continues to grow under fully indigenous leadership to this day. Their Mongolian disciples are now training and sending out their own missionaries to other unreached people groups. The story of the work in Erdenet can be read in Brian’s book: There’s a Sheep in my Bathtub (Asteroidea Books), and in the case study article – “Distant Thunder: Mongols Follow the Khan of Khans” – on page 695 of your Perspectives Reader.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, March 27, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 11

    Building Bridges of Love

    The incarnation as a model of missionary humility. How missionaries can enter appropriate roles in order to form relationships of trust and respect to develop a sense of belonging, and thus to communicate with credibility for understanding. Explore the intricacy of identification in another culture. Explore the even greater complexity of presenting identity with integrity in a globalized, terrorized, pluralized world. Recognizing the dynamics of social structure in order to initiate growing movements of ongoing communication throughout the society.

  • Instructor

    Bobby

    HBI Ministries International, Broken Arrow OK

    Dr. Paul Gupta is a missionary statesman who has served the nation of India in building transformational leaders to disciple the nation. He serves as the Chairman and President of Hindustan Bible Institute & College, India and the President of HBI Global Partners in the USA. He has served as a national missionary in mobilizing and envisioning the church in India and around the world. Dr. Gupta completed his Master of Divinity in 1980 from Talbot Seminary, and his Master of Theology and Ph.D in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminary, in 1992 In 1985 he pioneered a church planting movement called the Indian National Evangelical Church (INEC) that currently has 844 indigenous pastors who have planted 10,118 churches in 23 states of India and in Nepal. In 1987 Paul enabled a movement called "the Council on National Service" (CONS) that is committed to discipling the whole nation by envision, mobilizing and equipping the Church to disciple India. In 1985 India had less than 114,000 and after envisioning and mobilizing the local churches with a strategy of saturation church planting, it is estimated that India has over 750,000 churches presently. Paul Gupta has been honoured as the Alumnus of the year for 2005 by Fuller Seminary, California, USA In March 2006, Dr. Paul Gupta co-authored a book entitled, “Breaking Tradition to accomplish vision” with Dr. Sherwood Lingenfelter. He has co-authored a series of books titled "Unfinished Task" for the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. In addition to Dr.Gupta’s teaching at HBI & College, he regularly teaches for the U.S. center for World Missions (Venture Missions) in their perspective courses; and the Haggai Institute of leadership development. Bobby and Linnet Gupta are married for 41 years and are blessed with three children.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, April 3, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 12

    Christian Community Development

    A survey of world need. Dynamic balance of evangelism and social action. Hope for significant transformation as a sign of Christ's Lordship by Christian community development. Exploring the charge that missionaries destroy instead of serve cultures. Healing the wounds of the world between the peoples.

  • Instructor

    

    Tim Lubinus

    Baptist Convention of Iowa, Ames IA

    Tim Lubinus and his family served in South Korea for six years in student ministry with the International Mission Board and ten years as team leader for the IMB in Turkey. Then after serving on staff at Cornerstone Church in Ames, Iowa as the Global Ministry Director for eight years, Tim became the Executive Director for the Baptist Convention of Iowa in March, 2014. Darlene and Tim have four children.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, April 10, 2017

    Time: 1:00 AM to 1:00 AM

• • Lesson 13

    The Spontaneous Multiplication of Churches

    Look beyond institutional features of churches to understand churches as dynamic movements of Christ Himself being followed. Such a view of churches as organic, living things opens up the practicality of seeing them multiply rapidly as movements and also flourish in society bearing the fruit of social transformation. Churches as counter-communities, acting as salt and light, bringing change to their cultures. How movements multiply by connecting with entire families and larger social structures.

  • Instructor

    Matthew Malone

    Elmbrook, Brookfield WI

    Matthew is a church planter, pastor, mobilizer and trainer. Currently he serves as the pastor of Mission for Elmbrook Church, a role where he is responsible for almost 80 field workers spread across the globe. Before that he and his family lived in Siberia for almost a decade helping start churches and encourage leaders. They returned to the states in 2004 and planted a multi-site church in Washington County, Wisconsin. He also currently serves as the Wisconsin area mobilizer for Perspectives and loves seeing people take steps of involvement in God’s mission. Matthew and Kari were married in 1994 and have four children. Matthew is a hack triathlete, which means he enjoys biking and swimming, and endures running.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, April 24, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 14

    Pioneer Church Planting

    The hope of planting churches among unreached peoples. How the breakthrough of the gospel in an unreached people requires that the gospel be "de-Westernized". The difference of contextualizing the message, the messenger and the movement. Distinguish and appreciate people movements, church planting movements and insider movements.

  • Instructor

    

    Bradley Buser

    Founder Radius International, San Diego CA

    Brad came to faith in Christ at 17 and soon after was challenged with the need of unreached people groups. He began training for this directly after High School. Beth is from St. Johns MI., her Mom and Dad love the Lord Jesus and raised her with a heart for the world. They met, had two boys and left for Papua New Guinea in January of 1979. Soon after arriving they moved in among the Iteri people who live in the headwaters of the Sepik River Basin. After 4 years of studying the language and culture of the Iteri people they were fluent and began to share Christ with them for the first time. The baby church was discipled and in a few years leaders were ordained. The Busers worked on the New Testament translation and by 1999, after 20 years in the village, with the translation done, the church up and thriving, their need to be among the Iteris was over. Upon returning from PNG he and other men saw the need for appropriate training for missionaries who would be sent to Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. In 2010 he helped found Radius International as a ministry to do such training. Radius is currently the largest training program for those going into Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Tribal peoples. For those who desire to do church planting among the least reached it is the premier training available.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, May 1, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

• • Lesson 15

    World Christian Discipleship

    What it means to integrate life for Christ's global purpose as a "'World Christian". Into the great story for His glory: a Person-driven life as a way of. pursuing a purpose-driven life. The basic practices of world Christians: going, sending, welcoming and mobilizing. The essential disciplines of World Christian discipleship: community, giving, praying and learning. Simplifying your lifestyle as if in "war-time". Exploring the practical ways of pursuing God's purpose. Business and mission. Short-term mission. Welcoming international visitors. Wisdom in working with local churches and in partnership with Christians in different parts of the world.

  • Instructor

    

    Rick

    Minneapolis MN

    Rick planted churches among refugees in the US for over 20 years before moving to SE Asia to serve on a church planting team. During his time in Asia he was involved in developing an English vocational center as well as seeing a church planted among an UPG in that country. He now devotes his time living out his God given vision through a ministry called Engage Global. Engage Global exists to be a catalyst for the long term engagement of unreached peoples around the world by providing intensive World Christian training among unreached people groups living in the Twin Cities. He serves with a fantastic team along with his wife, Nicky and their two daughters Lilly and Liana.
    
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  • Class Info

    Date: Monday, May 8, 2017

    Time: 6:15 PM to 9:15 PM

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