The Antioch Institute
I feel as though all I’m doing is letting my readers know about all of the things happening at Storehouse McAllen as opposed to me actually writing about confessional theology and mestizo culture. But in reality, that is actually all that I’m doing and part of the reason is that we have crazy busy working on and releasing so many new things. It’s definitely been an exciting time, but I’m ready to write about confessional jazz.
Nevertheless, by letting you know of all that’s going on, I’m able to stay fairly consistent in my blog posts. Well, this month we launched the start of The Antioch Institute which will serve as the equipping arm of our church and the aim of The Antioch Institute is to mature and multiply disciples of Christ in the context of everyday ministry. When the Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesian church, he tells them that the role of the leadership is to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). Personally, I believe that the church serves as the primary hub for discipleship, theological development, and spiritual formation.
Over the last several months, we have seen a growing need to provide a variety of classes, programs, and workshops geared toward educating and challenging the members of our congregation in their theology. The purpose of this is so that they would be equipped for the work of ministry in the context of their everyday life whether that’s at home, the workplace, in the community, or as they are discerning a call toward ministry.
For the Spring semester, we will have started at least four avenues of development and formation. But first, I think it’s important to note how we have broken down The Antioch Institute.
AVENUES OF DISCIPLESHIP
Workshops
Workshops are short classes where we teach how to apply our theology. The Bible never separates theology from practice so neither should we, but often Christians need help in exercising what they believe in the context of parenting, marriage, finances, and many other areas. These workshops or classes serve as practical teaching opportunities to come alongside Christians as they are working through the regular rhythms of life.
Bible Studies
Bible Studies are smaller gatherings of men and women centered around Scripture. It sounds pretty basic, but these smaller gatherings are almost like intensives with teaching and discussion around God’s Word. They’re not too topical and the aim here is to teach Christians how to read their Bibles, study their Bibles, and grow in their walk with the Lord together.
Theological Development
While one could argue that all of these sections are focused on some sort of theological development, in this section we are diving deep into things such as covenant or systematic theology and the courses can be as short as a few weeks or as long as a year. Participants will sometimes have to apply for the classes or programs because some of these courses will consume a great deal of their time and maturity is critical here.
Residencies and Internships
There have been and are individuals who are discerning a call from the Lord into formal vocational ministry. For some, it may be pastoral ministry, church planting, or serving on a staff team at Storehouse McAllen or elsewhere. Our residencies and internships are about 12-24 months long and our goal is to come alongside men and women and equip them in the varying areas of ministry as they discern their call to ministry.
I’m really excited about The Antioch Institute. It’s been something that we have been working on for several months now and interestingly enough, it was birthed after reading the pulse of our church and surrounding culture in the midst of the pandemic so I’m thankful to God for that time. By His grace, it has been off to a fruitful start!
Here’s a video that we put together where I unpack The Antioch Institute a little more. Feel free to share it and as usual, I’d love to hear what you have going on at your church and in your context!
