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Q: Who does The River seek to serve?
A: If you are reading this, you are who we have in mind. Our call is to provide supplemental training and encouragement to interested and hungry-to-grow Christians. Because of limits of staff, time and resources, some congregations cannot offer all the help and tools for growth their people might long for. Any Christian who sees potential for his or her personal growth in what The River offers is the person we hope to serve.
Q: I don’t really have any longing for a leadership role in my local church. Why would I take classes offered by The River?
A: Although you might not feel you are called to be a leader or pastor in your local church, as a follower of Jesus you are on a journey toward maturity. The call Jesus extends to all His followers is to follow Him (Matthew 16:24) and to invite others to become followers (Matthew 28:19-20). If we can be of help in your journey toward that kind of maturity, whether you are a leader or not, we have classes for you.
Q: Why would I take classes at The River rather than through a traditional Bible school or seminary?
A: Many Christians have no need or desire to obtain a degree or work through a traditional Bible school or seminary program—they just want to grow in their understanding of their life with Jesus. Many Bible schools and seminaries address the needs of a particular segment of the body of Christ—those pursuing academic or professional ends. The River is designed to provide the quality of education and training you might find in those settings, but tailored to your needs and interests as someone involved in your local church or settled in your own life context without the resources of time and monies typically needed for more traditional studies. If you are hungry for increased depth and breadth of your grasp of Scripture and your understanding of the Gospel, classes offered by The River might be just what you need.
Q: Can I take one or just a few of the courses? Do I have to sign up for a particular series or course to participate?
A: The River’s offerings are provided on an “as wanted” basis. You can take courses when you have the interest and the opportunity. All of the courses are anchored in Scripture. To help all participants approach Scripture in a similar way, we do encourage everyone to take Reading Scripture, but that is not a prerequisite. You are welcome to attend any class you are interested in regardless of whether you have taken Reading Scripture or not.
Q: How do the classes deal with the doctrinal differences that exist in the body of Christ?
Q: Is The River an outreach or program of a particular local church?
A: Although we hope that many local churches will encourage their members to take classes through The River, the vision behind this venture is to serve the larger body of Christ. To that end, The River does not intend to be an outreach of any particular local church nor is it the intent of the leadership of The River to call on the students taking classes to start a local church. This does not mean The River won’t serve alongside a local church; we have offered specific classes for a local church for their people.
Q: Is there a cost for taking classes through The River?
The River’s vision is to provide training, discipleship and equipping to all who are interested. For that reason, there is no fee required to take classes. Our hope is that those who benefit from the classes might become partners with the ministry, in a desire to have others experience what they have experienced.
Q: How would you summarize the vision of The River?
A: Every Christian should have opportunity for the kind of Bible teaching and training that he or she feels is important for personal growth in grace, for a deepening understanding of Scripture, and for an ever-increasing joy in Jesus.