The Trellis and the Vine (21 page)

About Matthias Media

Matthias Media is an evangelical publishing ministry that seeks to persuade all Christians of the truth of God’s purposes in Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible, and equip them with high-quality resources, so that by the work of the Holy Spirit they will:

• abandon their lives to the honour and service of Christ in daily holiness and decision-making

• pray constantly in Christ’s name for the fruitfulness and growth of his gospel

• speak the Bible’s life-changing word whenever and however they can—in the home, in the world and in the fellowship of his people.

It was in 1988 that we first started pursuing this mission, and in God’s kindness we now have more than 300 different ministry resources being used all over the world. These resources range from Bible studies and books through to training courses and audio sermons.

To find out more about our large range of very useful resources, and to access samples and free downloads, visit our website:

How to buy our resources

1. Direct from us over the internet:

– in the US:
www.matthiasmedia.com

– in Australia and the rest of the world:
www.matthiasmedia.com.au

2. Direct from us by phone:

– in the US: 1 866 407 4530

– in Australia: 1800 814 360 (Sydney: 9663 1478)

– international: +61-2-9663-1478

3. Through a range of outlets in various parts of the world. Visit
www.matthiasmedia.com/contact
for details about recommended retailers in your part of the world, including
www.thegoodbook.co.uk
in the United Kingdom.

4. Trade enquiries can be addressed to:

– in the US and Canada:
[email protected]

– in Australia and the rest of the world:
[email protected]

Register at our website for our free regular email update to receive information about the latest new resources, exclusive special offers, and free articles to help you grow in your Christian life and ministry.

About Ministry Training Strategy

MTS is an independent training ministry, training ministers of the gospel to declare the saving work of Christ to the world. Our focus is to train men and women as faithful and competent Bible teachers who will serve Christ as pastors, evangelists and church-planters. MTS began informally in 1979 on the campus at the University of New South Wales, and in 1992 was established more formally to serve the wider church. We work with ministers across many denominations and specialist ministries, equipping them to train others for the work of the gospel.

Contact details:

Mail: MTS Ltd

GPO Box 175

Sydney NSW 2001

Australia

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +61-2-9238-0271

Fax: +61-2-9238-0272

To find out more about MTS, and to gain access to the resources and services MTS offers, visit our website:

www.mts.com.au

Also published by Matthias Media

Passing the Baton

by Colin Marshall

After the gospel itself, the greatest need of the Christian church is to keep finding and training people who will faithfully teach the Bible to both Christians and non-Christians. How can we discover these individuals? How can we help them develop in both Christian commitment and ministry competence?

This book is part of the answer. It’s about recruiting godly, ministry-hearted Christians, placing them under the guiding hand of an experienced minister, and giving them a two-year full-immersion experience of working for a church or related ministry. It’s about
ministry apprenticeship
.

In this convenient handbook, you’ll find an introduction to the what, why and how of ministry apprenticeship, including first-hand testimonies from trainers and apprentices, and loads of detailed information and practical suggestions about how to set up, run and maintain a ministry training program in your local church or fellowship. For ministers who see the need for such training in their churches, or potential trainees who want to understand what apprenticeship is about,
Passing the Baton
is the place to start.

www.matthiasmedia.com/rd.html?sku=ptb

Growth Groups

Growth Groups
is an acclaimed training resource that has been widely used to train Bible study group leaders throughout Australia, the UK and the USA over the past 10 years or so. The training material has a number of objectives:

• to equip leaders with the vision, attitudes, knowledge and skills to initiate and lead a small group (or ‘growth group’ as it is called)

• to train leaders as Bible teachers and pastors, not simply small group facilitators

• to develop an understanding of small-group ministry shaped by the Bible

• to impart a big vision of the ministry of
Growth Groups
—a long-term, expansive strategy.

Growth Groups
consists of a manual for each person being trained, plus a book of notes for the trainer. The manual falls into two sections:

• Section 1: a set of 15 ‘training topics’ about small groups; these are like discussion papers that are read and discussed as part of the training.

• Section 2: 10 training sessions that utilize the training topics, along with other exercises and activities.

Growth Groups
can be used either as a 10-week training program for future Bible study group leaders, or to provide ongoing training for current group leaders. Whatever way you end up using the material,

Growth Groups
provides everything you need for the vital task of training small-group leaders.

www.matthiasmedia.com/rd.html?sku=growth-groups-manual

Six Steps to Encouragement

God has given every Christian an enormous privilege and gift: the power to speak his life-changing word into the lives of other people. There’s no reason at all for there to be ‘passengers’ in a church: every Christian can change the lives of those around them through knowing and telling the message of God’s grace, whether in front of a group, in a handwritten note, in a one-to-one conversation over morning tea, or in a thousand other ways. Every Christian can be a channel of encouragement.

In
Six Steps to Encouragement
, course participants learn the why and how of personal encouragement. Through video input, Bible study, practical examples, discussions and hands-on exercises, they discover how to bring life, hope and strength to those around them by bringing the powerful word of God to them. They also work through practical case studies on welcoming newcomers, listening, rebuking, and dealing with suffering.

Six Steps to Encouragement
is a six-session course, best undertaken in a small group (of 6-10 people). To run the course you will need:

• a workbook for each person, which also contains notes for group leaders

• a DVD to use in the group.

www.matthiasmedia.com/rd.html?sku=sste

Two Ways to Live: Know and share the gospel

Two Ways to Live: Know and share the gospel
stems from the conviction that every Christian should know and understand the gospel clearly, and be able to explain their faith effectively when the opportunity arises. However, the beauty of this course is that it does not assume that every Christian will have the same gifts or opportunities to share the gospel.

Participants spend some time looking at what the Bible says about sharing the gospel, and at the attitudes, motivations and methods that should accompany it. They learn not only what the gospel actually is, but how to share it simply and naturally with others. This involves learning to adapt a basic gospel outline (
Two Ways to Live
) to their own conversational style, and practising this skill in different contexts. They also spend time reflecting on the content and theology of the gospel outline through listening to two talks (contained on their CD-ROM), and discussing them in the group.

After this seven-week course, participants should come away with:

• a sound and thorough knowledge of what the gospel is

• the ability to share it with someone clearly and naturally when the opportunity arises.

www.matthiasmedia.com/rd.html?sku=2wsub