As of July 8th, 2023, we are exclusively using the new Perspectives 2.0 site for new classes.Click [here] to go there!

 
Rochester, NY S18    Spring 2018
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January 21 - May 20, 2018


Browncroft Community Church

2530 Browncroft Blvd.

Rochester, NY 14625


Sundays from 3:00-6:00 PM

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WHAT is Perspectives?



Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is a catalytic course designed to equip the people of God to partner with Him in His mission to reach all peoples, tongues, tribes, and nations. It presents the biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic aspects of fulfilling the Great Commission. We encourage anyone who is serious about gaining a deeper understanding of God’s ultimate purpose in the world to attend this course.

Perspectives seeks to reveal the nature of God's heart to be worshipped by all nations, and that we are called to be a part of HIS purpose regardless of whether we feel called to serve overseas, at home or in our own work place. It's about a deeper understanding of who God is, what He's about, and how we are ALL called to be a part of it. Throughout the 15 weeks, students will learn about God’s nature, His purpose, and how He uses ordinary people like us to bring the glory to His name.

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What Will the Course Entail?


Classes will be held weekly and will include lectures from 15 dynamic instructors from diverse backgrounds, interactive learning experiences, and creative demonstrations. The weekly textbook readings include 170 articles from 150 mission scholars and practitioners. Homework assignments are specifically designed to engage every aspect of a Christian’s life and to encourage students to see how they can utilize their own unique abilities to advance the Kingdom locally, nationally, and internationally. The course will require dedication but it will be well worth the 4 short months and will change your life!   

We are also excited to announce that there will be a partner Perspectives class in Buffalo, NY on Mondays, 6:30 - 9:30pm. If you or someone you know lives in or near the Buffalo area, feel free to contact us for more information about this class. Check out their class website here!

Class Info

Date: Sunday, January 21, 2018

Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Location: Browncroft Community Church 2530 Browncroft Blvd Rochester NY 14625

Contact: Les Moore

(585) 259-7188

 
    • Registration & Orientation

      Registration & Orientation

    • Instructor


    • Date: Sunday, January 21, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

    • 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

      Dave Shive

      Frontier Ventures (formerly US Center for World Mission), Catonsville MD

      Dave Shive is a 1968 graduate of the Washington Bible College, a 1972 graduate of Capital Bible Seminary with a Th.M. in New Testament Studies, and a 1994 graduate of Baltimore Hebrew University with an M.A. in Biblical Literature. Dave has spent the past 47 years in full time ministry as a pastor, Christian school director, and college professor. He currently serves with Frontier Ventures (formerly the US Center for World Mission) as a missions mobilizer for the northeast region of the United States. Dave lives in Catonsville, MD, with Kathy, his wife of 52 years. Dave and Kathy have three married children, Dan, Mike, and Becky. They are also the proud grandparents of 9 grandsons and 2 granddaughters.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, January 28, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Shirley Innis

      International Students, Inc., Stillwater OK

      Shirley grew up in a Christian home and at the age of 12 dedicated her life for missionary service. After graduating from Cairn University (Philadelphia College of Bible). She and her husband served as directors with Word of Life Ministries in Ecuador for 17 years and have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. She has recently been certified to teach Dog and Cat Theology material for lessons 1 and 2 and share lesson 2 with her husband. She is on full-time staff with International Students, Inc. as a City Director. She teaches in English or Spanish.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, February 4, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Lyn Newbrander

      International Students, Inc., Philadelphia PA

      Lyn has 25 years of overseas missions experience in Japan, The Netherlands, and Germany. Since 2013, she and her husband Tim have worked with international students from all over the world. Lyn's role is primarily at the University of Pennsylvania where she is a chaplain's associate. Over 70 nations have been represented in the Newbrander's home in Philadelphia. Lyn and Tim open their home and their hearts wide to students, many of whom consider them their family away from home.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, February 11, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Gary Kneezel

      Webster NY

      Gary Kneezel has served in various leadership positions in the local church for 40 years, including serving as an elder, a teacher, and a missions team member. Gary has been a member or leader of 11 short term missions trips. For the past 15 years he has been active in a partnership to reach an unreached people group in West Africa.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, February 18, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Bruce Heckman

      Brownstown PA

      Bruce and Joyce Heckman met while serving the Lord in the Middle East. Their nearly twenty years of service in that region equipped them to prepare others for ministry among the world’s unreached peoples. They have given their lives to bring the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to those who have never heard.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, February 25, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Chuck Walton

      Wycliffe Bible Translators - Ret., Hatboro PA

      Chuck Walton is a graduate of Cairn U, Wheaton College and Temple University. He and his wife Janice have served with Wycliffe Bible Translators for many years. Most of their career has been in the Philippines. They worked with two very different ethnic groups in there, the Itneg of Northern Luzon and the Sama of Pangutaran Island (a Muslim UPG) where they completed the translation of the New Testament. In addition to translation Chuck had been involved in mission administration and has taught Linguistics at the Wycliffe affiliate school in Dallas, Texas, Alliance Biblical Seminary in Quezon City, Philippines and the University of North Dakota. In 2013 Chuck retired but still does Mobilization for Wycliffe on a volunteer basis, and teaches ESL. They live in Newtown, PA (Bucks County). Chuck has taught for Perspectives since 2006 and is a coordinator.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 4, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Doug Jackson

      Rochester NY

      Doug Jackson has served in missions for over 20 years including teaching theology in Sweden, serving as Pastor for immigrants and refugees in Uppsala, Sweden and ministering to graduate faculty at USA Universities through InterVarsity. He has a Masters in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary as well as Ph.D studies in Norway. Doug is active in short term missions focusing on leadership development in Eastern European countries, and West Africa.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 11, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Godwin Manuel

      Amherst NY



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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 18, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      John Pitterle

      Advocates for the Unreached; Volunteer with Cafe 1040, State College PA

      John is a Penn State grad and currently works at Penn State. John's family spent several months in South Africa and Namibia with YWAM. With the Assemblies of God, his family lived in Madagascar for four years as the Lord used them to help bring the story of Jesus (Book of Hope) to children and then to help start the first Malagasy study Bible. John has been on short-term trips to Ukraine (with YWAM), India (with Global Awakening), and Zambia twice (with Dynamis World Ministries). He is an author (http://AdvocatesForTheUnreached.com/ebook.pdf) and shares regarding the urgency to prioritize the unreached (http://AdvocatesForTheUnreached.com).

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, March 25, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Grace Fabian

      Douglassville PA

      Grace tells her amazing story in her book, Outrageous Grace. You’ll be inspired to hear how our Almighty God brings life out of death. Grace Fabian, whose missionary husband was slain while translating the New Testament into a Pacific island language, could easily be excused if she were to carry to her grave the conviction that the loss was meaningless. “Couldn’t I also, in a gesture of adoration and faith, offer my husband’s blood as a precious ointment to my Savior?” she asked after reading in God’s word about a woman who, in an act of worship, poured out expensive perfume over Jesus’ head. She along with her husband, Edmund, lived in an isolated Nabak-speaking village in Papua New Guinea, learned the language, devised an alphabet, produced literacy materials and translated the Scripture for the 25,000 people speaking this language. God’s kindness was poured out on this family, and after Edmund’s death, Grace, along with dedicated Nabak men and women completed the translation. In 1998 the Nabak New Testament was dedicated to the glory of God. Now Grace resides in Pennsylvania where she speaks, teaches and writes, hoping that others will be inspired to join in the work of reaching Bibleless people groups around the world.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, April 8, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Scott Boyd

      Pittsburgh Region International Student Ministries, Pittsburgh PA

      Rev. Scott Boyd and his family served nine years as church planters in Slovenia. He is currently Director of the Pittsburgh Regional International Students Ministry. P.R.I.S.M. is a dynamic network of cross-cultural programs and ministries to international students and visiting scholars in the Pittsburgh area. We include Scott in every Perspectives class as his ministry is so important to our area.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, April 15, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Stuart Chen

      Williamsville NY



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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, April 22, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

    • 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

      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: Sunday, April 29, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      De J

      International Ministries of the C&MA, Cleveland OH

      Raised internationally, Dr J navigates place and cultures intuitively without changing who he is. He has lived, worked, & served the church in multicultural settings for over 25 years. After almost 20 years of focusing on contributing to multiplying leaders and faith communities all over urban Cleveland, the Ammaris recently relocated to work with New Europeans in Germany by applying multi-cultural principles to equip urban Europeans to minister to one another and with one another.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, May 6, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 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

      Richard Mendola

      International Friendships, Upper Arlington OH

      Rich was born in Buffalo, NY, the grandson of immigrants from Italy who settled in Western, NY. His mother and father were both raised in the Italian section of the city. Although he was raised in a religious family who attended church, he did not personally know Christ until he was 17 years old. Prior to that, the death of his father at age 13 triggered a search for meaning and truth. This eventually led to studying the Bible, where he discovered that the true purpose of life was to worship and serve God. Through reading the New Testament he learned that Jesus Christ made it possible to come to God because of His sacrificial death for sins. Immediately upon coming to know Jesus, Rich had the strong desire to let others know the good news. Rich attended Colgate University in New York State where he majored in Biology and minored in Education and Philosophy and Religion. After his graduation, he had the first opportunity to pastor and was called to serve a rural congregation . At the same time he served on the Dean’s staff at Colgate University as the Director of Housing. In addition, he studied for a Master’s degree in counseling. In 1979 Rich and Janet attended.the Urbana Mission Conference. There Rich sensed a call to full time cross-cultural ministry. In 1980 he began to work full-time with international students in Buffalo, NY. At the same time, Janet attended medical school at SUNY Buffalo. In 1987 they moved to Athens, Ohio to open a new ministry to international students while Janet fulfilled her obligation to the National Health Service Corp – a program placing physicians in shortage areas. In 1991, Rich and Janet moved to Columbus, Ohio to work with International Friendships. Since 1998 he has served as the Executive Director. He also leads Bible studies and does 1-1 discipleship with students. He has written several Bible studies for internationals. He has served as the Chairperson for the Association of Christians Ministering to Internationals. Rich has also helped to plant two churches. He currently serves as lead pastor for All Nations Christian Fellowship. During Rich’s 29 years of service among internationals hundreds have come to know Jesus and many have returned as effective witnesses of Jesus among their own people. The kingdom of God is advancing among Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists because of the ministry to internationals. Jesus can share many wonderful and dramatic stories of God’s work among internationals. Rich is a regular speaker at missions conferences, evangelistic outreaches, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement and is a lecturer at Vineyard Leadership Institute. Rich and Janet have 6 children: Grace, Danielle, Hope, Philip, Melody, and Paul. Rich’s interests are: Evangelism, Discipleship, trips, chess, and hats. Rich’s spiritual gifts are leadership, exhortation, and evangelism.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, May 13, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

    • Celebration

      Celebration

      Celebration

    • Instructor

    • Class Info

      Date: Sunday, May 20, 2018

      Time: 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

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