1. Are there any limitations on who can participate?
No. BILD is not for men only. It's not for teachers only or for people who are interested in formal leadership. It's available for anyone who would like to grow deeper in their knowledge of the Word and love for Christ.
2. Do I have to enroll in the school?
Not at all. If we move forward with several of the classes, people can sign up on a class by class schedule. In many ways, it would be no different than signing up for a Beth Moore study or the Elder Leadership Class. You would simply sign up for the class and cover the cost of the book. The real need is for discipleship and spiritual development, and the accredited school portion only comes up for two reasons:
- To show its quality. The materials are organized, high quality and detailed (three adjectives your probably don't typically associate with Danny). This is not just a few random studies that could be available, but really have been thought out (by working through the accreditation process) and time tested (BILD has existed for about 30 years). Mentioning the school feature only shows that I don't think you'd be disappointed or feel like you didn't learn, when going through a class.
- Some may want it. If we are offering the classes they do for the school, and since we have a couple people (at least) who would be interested in working toward a degree, it only made sense to let them know this option was available. Quite frankly, in a class of 12, I could imagine that one or maybe two are actually enrolled in the formal schooling process.
We hope not. Do we want to raise up missionaries and pastors from within our church that we would send throughout the globe? Sure we do! (Why wouldn't we?) Are those people any more valuable to the body of Christ? Not at all. We want to be very clear that we do not want to form a spiritual caste system. If God grants up people within our church who want to serve in a full-time capacity, we want to be faithful to do what we can to prepare them. However, we do not want to treat them as if they are "super Christians." Knowing the Word better and glowing closer to Christ is what's best for everyone, not just the full time shepherd. Not only will growing deeper enhance your walk, it will enhance the life of Greenville Grace too. This world needs more faithful full-time workers, but it needs many more "non full-time" Christians servants!
4. Why not just point people to other resources? Why do something specific here at the church?
There are a lot of good materials available to people. Many schools offer on line classes. Cedarville isn't that far away. Lots of people in our church have benefited from ministries like BSF. Why not just point people to these ministries instead of Grace looking to start something?
That's an excellent question, and we wouldn't discourage anyone from considering any of those options. BILD won't be the right fit for everyone, and those may be better alternatives to some. However, BILD has an extra element that excites us. God has ordained that the focal point of personal growth is to happen in the context of the local church. He has promised to build His church. By being tied into the local church, BILD is able to be more than just classroom training. It also incorporates character development and hands on real life application. BILD is designed to not just teach you things, but help you apply it, and then show you how to use that information in ministry settings. You not only learn things in your church, but you also get the chance to use those things to help others grow in the church.
5. It sounds intense. Are all the classes so involved?
Not at all. BILD is simply the discipleship program that was born out of Oakwood Road Baptist Church in Ames, Iowa. Their church developed a specific, structured discipleship strategy and then things grew out of it. Their materials range from Doctoral level stuff (don't see anyone around here probably touching that stuff) down to "New Believer's Basic Training" materials. But by being unified, if a new believer took the "Basics" classes and grew, we have a natural place to turn them if they want more and want to grow deeper.
6. Does it fit here?
Will our doctrine have to change to fit the curriculum? Will LIFE Groups still be a central element of Grace, or will BILD dominate? Does it mean we'll have to reconfigure who we are as a church to make it fit?
The way BILD is designed, it fits into your church, not the other way around. We wouldn't require a BILD participant be in a LIFE Group, but man would we encourage it. We still want LIFE Groups to be our primary focus for studying the Word of God together. As for doctrine, several trusted Grace Brethren pastors are using BILD already, and an overview of their curriculum shows we are committed to all the same essentials, and they allow liberty in nonessentials. Therefore, it would fit in easily with our faith and practice.
7. Sounds like a lot of work. Can we really afford to do this right now?
As elders, this was the question we dealt with the longest. To do it right, someone has to organize the classes, teach the classes, follow up from the classes and coordinate details. We don't want other ministries to suffer or die because we've thrown all our eggs in one basket. So as we looked, we realized two things:
- We can't afford not to. We are not currently an "80/20 Church" (80% of the work done by 20% of the people), but we're not a "100/100 Church" (100% of the work being done by 100% of the true body of Christ) either. Every ministry in our church can be enhanced as people grow closer to Jesus. Elders don't grow on trees, they must be developed. LIFE Group leaders aren't brought in by the stork, Jesus desires that we develop them here. This is true in every area of ministry. Worship is enhanced as members of the music team know their Savior better. Greeters serve with more joy and purpose when they know Christ and His hospitality better. Coffee will taste better as....well, it already tastes good (I am told). But even ministries like the coffee bar and nursery get transformed from simply activities to opportunities to serve Christ as we know Him more deeply. We can't afford to be a church with just a select group of leadership, we've got to be a place where everyone is serving Christ through supporting ministries at Greenville Grace. That kind of mindset isn't going to "just happen," we have to strive to develop it. BILD could be a tool to help us get there.
- So, get organized. We're taking strides to get our ducks more in a row (do I hear an "Amen!"). Frankly, I feel like I've just recently come to understand what it means to administrate a church, and the Lord is providing people to help assist in that way. (Consequently, if you enjoy organizing and administrating things, don't hide that under a bushel...let us know.) Just the conversation to consider BILD (which began last fall) has forced us as elders to begin reorganizing some things. God has blessed us with growth, and that growth has given us opportunities to adjust and rearrange some things. In some ways, we think BILD could actually streamline some areas.
This was just me (Danny) taking a stab at a few questions I thought you might be asking, and some which have been asked to me. If you've got other questions, feel free to call the office, stop by, email me or even leave it in the comment section. (As always, when leaving a comment its great if you provide some way to identify you. That way we can always follow up in person.)
As we've said before, our "vision" is to proclaim Christ so that every man (and woman) may be found mature and complete in Christ. That mean you. That means people in Greenville who don't know Christ yet! That means people in the Dominican, Brazil and the Indianapolis area. That means people in places we haven't even begun to consider!
May God grant us the grace to accomplish that which He has called us!
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