Searchers

Searchers is a study system for the serious student. The course is available in two forms - the short course and the full course. Students are provided with a series of lecture which comprise video/audio lectures accompanied by summary notes. Assignments are set at intervals during the course.

While Searchers is a substantial course and will involve 70 audio lectures of 50 minutes average length in the first Module, students are able to set their own time scale for their studies - it is up to you how long you take over each module. The lectures with the marked and non marked assignments could be done in about three months at about one lecture a day. A student will be requested to agree with their mentor how long they wish to take. This can be changed with consultation with the mentor, if desired.

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Please contact Graham Stock for the full details of this course.

Short Courses

Church Leadership - Introduction

This short course in church leadership has been developed from the main Searchers course to be a summary of the main issues involved in this vital subject.  ‘Church' is such a difficult problem today, for both believer and non-believer; never in living memory have so many believers been so disillusioned with church leadership that they have given up on church attendance and are just ‘waiting on the Lord' for further direction.  This course is designed as a crash course to help believers understand the New Testament church and leadership pattern, so that, in particular, young people can prepare for a time when real churches are led by real overseers in fruitful testimony.

The course consists of 14 lectures [video/audio] each with a page of summary notes.  There are 2 assignments, one, a 1,000 word essay, to be a precursor to the lectures, and a final assignment which is a 3,000 word ‘essay'.  During the course the students will submit answers to 4 case studies which will involve working through real ‘church life' situations and problems from an overseers point of view.

There will be Skype conferences after each of the 4 case studies have been assessed.

Full Course

Chosen for fruitfulness!

Searchers is a distance learning study course for free thinkers - serious study for serious Christians in 7 modules and about 320 lectures. If you wish to study scripture in a way that will get you thinking in the bigger picture, so that you can  really make 21 st century sense of your Christianity and church life, then Searchers is the course for you.

While Searchers is primarily a devotional course, the study is a very serious look at scripture and often addresses issues that are not talked about very often from church pulpits.  We trust that you will be encouraged and challenged so that you will benefit spiritually and thereby make your Christian life really fruitful.

Utilising the Moodle distance learning internet platform, all work is done over the internet – no need for paper and pen; although the student is free to print out whatever materials that are available, but all course work and examinations will be submitted electronically through the Moodle platform.

Further study material is planned with New Testament books such and they will be looked at in a way that is practical and realistic so that it is meaningful for 21 st century Christians.

Four modules of this course were originally devised for the demanding situation of a Nigerian Bible School, so some specific issues that arise from that context will be dealt with in ways that would not usually be investigated, because they indirectly influence everyone.  So, the material has been revised, updated and extended to deal with the situations in established churches all over the world.

Some of it might be strange for a ‘new church' context, as in China and other parts of the east, but we believe the course would be useful for Christians in that context too, as it would be a warning as to what can happen, in fact, what usually happens as the years go by!

Searchers then, has been devised to take scripture as literally as possible although that is not fashionable in some circles today, we need to remember that it is all God's words and as relevant today as ever.  It is that word ‘relevant' that is so important, a secular society looks on and sees 'church' as a failed institution of the establishment and totally irrelevant to their needs. Preaching has become nonsense to our communities and the only way we can prove our faith to our communities is to be fruitful, real 'salt and light' that will make people aware that there is a God and instil a genuine fear of Him.  Do you want to see that?  Are you prepared to do anything it takes to be fruitful so as to bring God His deserved glory?  Then let's explore the Word together and find that Narrow Way to much glory and blessing.

The Searchers Course consists of –

Devotional Core Module – 70 lectures on video or audio, with printable course notes and a ahost of resources.  This extensive module goes through from basic principles of Christian and church life, to the deeper and more vital issues that will lead to the fruitfulness and blessing that the Christian life is all about.  Several lectures on eschatology take a look at this important subject directly relevant to the Global scenario and especially the Middle East today.  There will also be 8 lectures that are an introduction into the Bible Study that will be in later modules; a few Psalms, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Collosians, Song of Solomon and Hebrews will be looked at.
Students are required to enter the Searchers course with this module and having completed it, they are then able to do any, or all of the following modules -

Devotional Studies 2 – Luke, John, Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, 1John; Revelation -  40 lectures.

Research Module – Acts of the Apostles, a detailed study of the practices initiated by the Holy Spirit in the 1 st century.  25 lectures.

Specialised Church History - a Module looking at what helps and what hinders revival over the last 600 years; 40 lectures.

World View Module - exploring how Christianity fits into the 21 st century across the globe – 50 lectures

Church Leadership Module - 60 lectures.

Christian Ethics – 40 lectures on the ‘whys and wherefores' of Christian living. [Full Notes]