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Greater Seattle, WA VF20    Fall 2020
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Greater Seattle Perspectives Virtual Class 
sponsored by Area Churches*

6:00 PM- 9:00 PM
Tuesdays, September 1, 2020 - December 15, 2020
August 25 - Orientation to Perspectives webpage, online resources, and Zoom.  

*Sponsoring Churches:
Bellevue Presbyterian
Overlake Christian
Northwest Church
Calvary Chapel South
Crossroads Bible
Northshore Community
Seattle Foursquare
Cornerstone Christian Fellowship
Alderwood Community
Covenant Presbyterian
Northside Church
and others. . .


Why should you take Perspectives?

Perspectives is a unique class experience that will give you a deeper understanding of God's glorious plan and His desire for you to participate with Him in it. It will open your eyes to the heart and purpose of God. The readings and unique instructors will enlarge your understanding as God speaks through them.

What is Perspectives?

Perspectives is a 15-week discipleship course for any adult follower of Jesus; high school and college students will also benefit greatly from the course. It will take you on a journey as you explore: 
  • God's global purpose through Scripture
  • God's purpose worked out through History
  • Expand your understanding of how the Gospel reaches across Cultures
  • Engage Strategically in the work God is doing locally and in the world today

Why Attend?

Great things happen when all our hearts align around God's global purpose and we become His disciples!


Questions? check out Perspectives FAQs 
 Contact Coordinator at  

First Two Nights Free:

Not sure yet if Perspectives is for you? Visit Lessons 1 & 2 for free by registering for "First Night Free" on the class pricing link to the right. 

Perspectives is offered at 3 levels:

Certificate

Key Reading

Credit**

Homework Time

7 hours of reading per week

3-5 hours of reading per week

8 hours of reading per week

Assignments

·        Weekly 10-question review assignment

·        5 'Personal Reflections’

·        1 research project due at course end

·        No written homework

·        5 'Personal Reflections' assigned during the course

·        Mid-term and final exam

·        Integrative project

·        Regular weekly assignments

Cost*

$245* (w/o books)

($195 with COVID discount)

$245* (w/o books)

($195 with COVID discount)

$495* (w/o books)


($445 with
COVID discount)

*COVID Discount of $50.00 for ALL students (see all discounts on website). ALL registered students will receive an email with instructions on how to order textbook and study guide. 

Teacher CEU's - through ACSI (7 hours). Application available, fee applies. 

WA-OSPI clock hours are also available. 

**Northwest University enrolled students are eligible for Certified Prior Learning credits when registering for Perspectives at the Certificate level.  Credit earned through Trinity International University may be transferred into Northwest University and do not need to be considered through CPL.  

Alumni are welcome and encouraged to register! 

 OUR VISION 
Perspectives is for students of all ages and seasons of life, who are open to adopting a world Christian lifestyle and to participating in what God is doing in the world. Graduates, we pray, will live with intentionality, in Christian community, to finish the one task Jesus gave His Church (Matt 24:14) – to witness and disciple all peoples. We pray alumni will have impact on their local church to awaken and to renew its commitment to be the leader in global missions, not leaving the task to others. We pray scales will fall off our eyes, the unreached will become visible and loved, and a slow ripple will become a tidal wave of action to witness, pray for, and disciple all peoples.
  





Class Info

Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Location: Zoom Virtual Class Online Seattle WA 00000

Contact: Tom Merritt

(425) 891-7256

 
    • Registration & Orientation

      What Type of Soil are You?

      Registration & Orientation

    • Instructor

      Darrell Dorr

      Frontier Ventures, Lynnwood WA

      Darrell Dorr was Perspectives Director 1980-1982 and an associate editor of the first edition of the Perspectives Reader. He has been a missionary with Frontier Ventures since 1980, specializing in communications, and has been on assignment with various other organizations and projects, including Frontiers, Operation World, the Adopt-a-People Clearinghouse, and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity.


    • Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 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

      Len Bartlotti

      Frontiers, Springfield MO

      Leonard N. (Len) Bartlotti, Ph.D. is a well-known speaker, author, mobilizer, educator and strategy consultant to faith-based organizations in the Middle East/Asia. He and his wife Debi served 14 years among one of the world's largest Muslim people groups. Dr. Len is a passionate communicator who combines a love for students with deep empathy and understanding of other cultures. He and his wife Debi, a nurse midwife and licensed Spiritual Director, have been married for over 45 years, and have three married adult children, and six grandsons, and live in Springfield, Missouri.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Steve Hawthorne

      Austin TX

      Steve Hawthorne serves as the director of WayMakers, a prayer and mission mobilization organization in Austin, Texas. He's the author of the widely used prayer guide called Seek God for the City. After co-editing the course and the book Perspectives on the World Christian Movement in 1981, he launched “Joshua Project,” a series of research expeditions among unreached peoples in world class cities. He co-authored, with Graham Kendrick, the book Prayerwalking: Praying On-Site With Insight. He has helped leaders in numerous cities unite and sustain life-giving prayer for entire communities. With humor and seasoned wisdom, he speaks with living passion for the greater glory of Jesus. He says of his ministry, “I like to commit arson of the heart.”

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, September 8, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Lynne Ellis Gray

      Serve the World Ministries, Woodinville WA

      Dr. Lynne Ellis-Gray is passionate about being an adoptive mom, pastor, catalyzer of people and resources for the kingdom, partnership builder, and social justice advocate. After spending 22 years as a mission's pastor at Overlake Christian church (and 35 years on church staffs), she is equipping individuals, churches and non-profits to strategically and intentionally live out their unique calling for the kingdom. She founded Ellis Gray Coaching and Consulting to empower missional living. Beside teaching this lesson, Lynne has served as coordinator and host church, believing deeply in the ministry of Perspectives.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Rich Leatherberry

      Bellevue WA

      Rich Leatherberry has served as Missions Pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian church for 18 years. He received his MDIV from Fuller Seminary and came to Belpres in 1999. One of Rich’s main interests has been to develop local and global partnerships to equip indigenous leadership for community transformation. Rich helped found Jubilee REACH Center in southeast Bellevue. Rich has been married to his wife, Kristen, for 32 years. They have three children and one grandson.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Colleen Wong

      Deoworks , West Hills CA

      Colleen is currently on staff with Deoworks as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Platforms, with a focus on national leadership development. Deoworks is a Gospel-centered consulting non-profit company connecting the body of Christ and accelerating the ministry of the Kingdom of God, seeking to incubate ideas to contribute the furthering of the Kingdom.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      James Mason

      Frontier Ventures, Perspectives Study Program, Albuquerque NM

      James served as a pastor for 12 years before responding to a growing passion to see God's glory established among all peoples on earth. He is now on staff with Frontier Ventures in Pasadena, CA where he serves as the US Director for the Perspectives Study Program. James has been married to his wife Kelly for 29 years and they have 3 precious children. Their passion is to help every person, every church, every denomination, and every missions organization find their most strategic place in the completion of the Great Commission.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      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: Tuesday, October 13, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      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: Tuesday, October 20, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Darrell Dorr

      Frontier Ventures, Lynnwood WA

      Darrell Dorr was Perspectives Director 1980-1982 and an associate editor of the first edition of the Perspectives Reader. He has been a missionary with Frontier Ventures since 1980, specializing in communications, and has been on assignment with various other organizations and projects, including Frontiers, Operation World, the Adopt-a-People Clearinghouse, and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Richard Nakamura

      Japanese Diaspora Ministries, Fort Worth TX

      Richard Nakamura was born and raised in a Buddhist home in Seattle, WA. At the age of 19 (1979), Richard received Christ through the influence of his older brother, who converted a year earlier. Richard joined SEND International in 1988 and served as a church planter in Japan until 2011. He is now doing a Japanese Diaspora Ministry outreach out of Fort Worth, TX. through SEND International and RJC (Reaching Japanese for Christ).

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Jennifer Haddox

      ECO (A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians), Waynesburg PA

      Jen first took the Perspectives class at Eastern College, and since then has been passionate about mobilizing the church for frontier mission. Jen served as a Perspectives class coordinator in Western, PA from 2002-2016. She currently serves as the Director of Global Engagement for ECO (A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians). In this role, she is a resource for mobilizing and equipping congregations for meaningful and effective global mission engagement.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Carlos Calderón

      Partners, Spokane WA

      Born in Central America, grew up during a civil war time, came to faith in Jesus with some other 30 friends in the neighborhood, and became active in evangelism, eventually joined a church and was impacted by the missionary call while at the university. Came to the USA for post-grad education and moved to a Muslim country. Now cooperates with indigenous movement work in some 60 countries in the Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist world, consistently resulting in thousands of decisions for Christ, and national indigenous church planting movements.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2020

      Time: 6:00 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

      Nathan J'Diim

      TOAG/Launch Internship and Frontiers, Chandler AZ

      Nathan J'Diim (pen name) is the Founder of TOAG and (semi-retired) Consultant, Instructor and Coach for Frontiers (www.FrontiersUSA.org). Launch (www.LaunchGlobal.org) has since replaced TOAG but carries the same DNA: a year long after-hours internship preparing beautiful feet to serve in the Unreached World. Offered in cities across the US, TOAG/Launch has apprenticed hundreds of interns, many who serve or will soon serve the least reached world wide.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      Edward Aw

      Tsunami Unleashed, Gilbert AZ

      Ed and Rachel have two teenage sons and live in Arizona. Their ministry, Tsunami Unleashed, focuses on helping bring clarity to believers on how to live purpose "full" lives for Jesus. In addition, they provide a simple path to exponential discipleship, leadership, and church reproduction. Currently, the Lord has them building Tsunami Unleashed. The vision is to see 1 billion people across the global mobilized, equipped and impacted for Jesus. This will leverage the technological infrastructure that exists (everything internet) in an effective way that draws people from the cold medium of the web into hot relationship with believers (in-person) and Jesus. It will require an open-handed approach to all interactions and resources. They don't care who gets credit as long as the work is done giving glory to God through loving obedience to Jesus Christ. They seek to partner with any believer or organization who desires to do "something" for the Lord, not matter how small.

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    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 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

      John Kim

      Bellevue WA

      John Kim and his wife, Sol, and their three kids, Ethan, Audrey, and Emma, make up the Kim family. John and Sol have been married 25 years. John is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master’s in Theology (Th.M). John has been in ministry for over 30 years as a student pastor, missions pastor, children’s pastor, college pastor, lead pastor, church planter, and other various capacities. John also has been a leader in commercial property management (10 years) and recently has pioneered a Food Truck business/ministry model here in Seattle. When John isn’t trying to change the world, he loves to smoke Texas style BBQ, hike, run, and bike around the trails in Seattle. He is a consummate foodie, so you might see him at a hole in the wall munching on the best eats in and around the city. 

      b

    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2020

      Time: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

    • Celebration

      OFF for Thanksgiving

      Celebration

    • Instructor

    • Class Info

      Date: Tuesday, November 24, 2020

      Time: 1:00 AM to 12:00 PM

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