Archives For Distance Education

The young John Frame teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia

Dr. John M. Frame has distinguished himself as a prolific author and one of America’s foremost theologians and philosophers—significantly shaping the thought of Evangelicalism today. Many of today’s most influential Christian leaders and authors, like Tim Keller and John Piper, readily acknowledge the significant impact John Frame has had on them.

“I should like to think that tomorrow’s Reformed leaders will add John Frame’s name to that list; I believe they should.” – J. I. Packer

Commenting on the continuation of protestant reformation theology since the time of Martin Luther and John Calvin, J. I. Packer writes in his foreword to Frame’s Systematic Theology:

“Three parts of the world have since made major contributions to the Reformed heritage, each engendering its own conflicts and loyalties:

  • England saw the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Puritan development, from William Perkins to John Owen, exploring life in Christ in and through the Holy Spirit;
  • nineteenth-century Holland produced the Kuyperian theology of human and Christian culture within a Reformed frame; 
  • and the twentieth-century witnessed, within the conservative Presbyterian world, the ongoing quest for Reformed methodological authenticity, in which B. B, Warfield, Geerhardus Vos, J. Gresham Machen, and Cornelius Van Til are, by common consent, the leading names.

I should like to think that tomorrow’s Reformed leaders will add John Frame’s name to that list; I believe they should.”

After 49 years of distinguished service as a seminary professor at three seminaries, Dr. John Frame retired in 2017. But his influential writing ministry continues today. Although widely known and deeply respected in church leadership and academic circles for decades, his works are now, finally, becoming well known to the general public.

Framing John Frame: 4 Parts

With the goal of helping introduce Frame and his writings more widely to the general public, Childers wrote this four-part series below called “Framing John Frame,” that was later published as the foreword for the book, John Frame’s Selected Shorter Writings, Volume 1, by P&R Publishing. The goal of this series is to help more people begin mining the rich theological, philosophical, and practical gems that have for too long been mostly in the hands of academics and church leaders.


The Applied Theology Project

Since 2016, John Frame and Steve Childers have been collaboration on the Applied Theology Project. The mission of the Applied Theology Project is to provide accessible, affordable, seminary-level courses to underserved church leaders in their language and adapted to their culture wherever they live and serve.

The vision for the Applied Theology Project is to use the latest advances in educational technology to help bring all the loci of Systematic Theology to the millions of church leaders, especially in the developing world, who have no access or cannot afford high quality traditional seminary education. – John Frame

Childers and Frame have written 9 book manuscripts so far and published their first four online courses called Foundations of Theology, Essentials in Theology, Perspectives in Theology, and Applications in Theology – on the Pathway Learning online library of courses. Books and courses on Justification in Theology, Gospel in Theology, Theology of Faith: Apostles’ Creed, Theology of Hope: Lord’s Prayer, and Theology of Love: Ten Commandments coming soon.


We help under-served church leaders
develop churches that transform lives and communities.






Help Under-Resourced Church Planters in Muslim West Africa

Since 2006, Steve Childers has trained hundreds of indigenous church leaders in West Africa from 15 West African nations, representing more than 20 indigenous church denominations. In June, Steve is returning to West Africa to launch an innovative online and onsite educational platform by Pathway Learning to help bring affordable, accessible seminary-level training to West African church leaders where they live, in their language (French), and adapted to their culture. And Steve is looking for financial partners to help him bring this solution to West Africa beginning next month.

We’re Looking for Partners: The West Africa Project

Kara region, Togo, West Africa

The West Africa project goal is to equip 63 indigenous church “leaders of leaders,” serving in in the Kara region of North Togo, to start and develop churches that transform lives and communities throughout Kara, Togo, and West Africa.

Will you help?

This region was chosen because it represents the most critically needy areas in West Africa, marked by severe poverty and under the influence of Islamic advancements from the North. The West Africa Project is a collaboration between Pathway Learning, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Togo (the largest indigenous, African church denomination in Togo), and New Harvest Missions International, an indigenous, African mission agency based in Togo and founded by Agbeti Adawonu, one of Steve’s West African students many years ago.

History has proven that the health of the church in every generation is directly linked to the health of its leaders. When church leaders flourish, churches flourish. When churches flourish, people and societies flourish.

This is why our progress as a global church can be no faster than our progress in educating church leaders, especially among developing and unreached nations.

To put the education of church leaders first is to put society first.

Few, if any, investments are likely to pay higher returns over time.

Beginning June 2017, we’re launching a church planting course for under-resourced church leaders in Muslim West Africa.

Will you help?

FOR THE SAKE OF THE NATIONS,

P.S. – The generosity of friends like you is key to our mission. We need your help to raise $5,500 by May 31 for the West Africa Project. Thank you.

 

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Ways to Give

ONLINE

Give using your credit card through our secure online form.

MAIL

Global Church Advancement (or “GCA”), P.O. Box 2062, Winter Park, Florida 32790

PHONE

Call us 407-682-6942

Thank you for your support and prayers. Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Visit Our Website:

www.pathwaylearning.org






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During the last fifty years, the global church has focused on the goal of personal conversion to the neglect of discipleship and societal transformation. As a result, the church is losing its transforming impact on the world.

At the same time, the global center of Christianity has shifted away from the West to the developing world. With this shift, the next generation of aspiring church leaders now find themselves with no realistic option for obtaining a high-quality seminary education.

They have a critical need for the essential training and tools to develop strong churches that transform lives and communities. But they can’t afford to leave their families, churches and communities to learn in a new language and culture. That’s the problem Pathway Learning wants to solve.

Thomas Friedman wrote, “Big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately necessary.”[1] We’ve seen what is desperately necessary. What is suddenly possible is a global revolution in learning.

The emergence of open-source educational platforms, through organizations such as Coursera and edX, has enabled near universal access to some of the world’s best teachers and courses in the sciences, arts, and business.

screen-shot-2016-10-21-at-6-35-20-pmPathway Learning is applying this same breakthrough in learning to under-served church leaders around the world. With a platform that enables an innovative blend of online and onsite learning methods, our goal is to provide universal access to a practical, seminary-level education taught by world-class subject matter experts.

In partnership with leading churches, seminaries and organizations, Pathway Learning opens a door never before available to under-served church leaders—the opportunity to receive the strong biblical and practical education they desperately need, while continuing to serve the congregations and communities where they live.

What makes Pathway Learning courses different from most online courses that have been available for church leaders for a long time? Here are some unique benefits:

  • Practical Focus: Our courses focus not only on biblical and theological education but also practical education that equips students for effective ministry and lifelong learning.
  • Proven Methods: Our courses are based on proven teaching methods so students learn better and faster with less passive listening to long lectures and more active learning.
  • Cultural Customization: Our courses are customizable to adapt the curriculum not only to the student’s language, but also to the unique culture where they live and serve.
  • Blended Learning: Our courses blend online and onsite learning in cohort groups, led by certified facilitators, using both formal and non-formal learning methods.
  • Measurable Competencies: Our courses measure not only a student’s knowledge, but also the character and skills needed for success in ministry – verified by certificates.

The church is the only institution on earth that Jesus promised to build and to bless for the sake of the nations. Nations rise and fall. Governments and educational institutions rise and fall. Relief and development organizations rise and fall. But the church of Jesus Christ continues in every generation.

So why are so many churches today having such little impact on lives and society? It’s primarily because of their leaders. History has proven that the health of the church in every generation is directly linked to the health of its leaders. When church leaders flourish, churches flourish. When churches flourish, people and societies flourish.

This is why our progress as a global church can be no faster than our progress in educating church leaders, especially among developing and unreached nations. To put the education of church leaders first is to put society first.

For the first time in history we can successfully provide quality education for church leaders wherever they live and serve.

Using an innovative online platform, Pathway Learning can now bring affordable, practical, seminary-level courses to students where they live, in their language, and adapted to their culture. Working together, we can make the quality education of church leaders worldwide a reality.

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During the last few years, almost 200 students have successfully completed our first 6 pilot courses in English – Evangelism, Discipleship, Church Planting, Church Renewal, Missions, and Church Leadership. This year more than 50 indigenous church leaders in Asia completed our first pilot course in Chinese.

We are now launching pilot courses for under-served church leaders in Asia, North America, and West Africa.

We’re looking for partners to help us bring this solution to more than a million church leaders in the next ten years.

Few, if any, investments are likely to pay higher returns over time.

Beginning June 2017, we’re launching a church planting course

for under-resourced church leaders in Muslim West Africa.

Will you help?

FOR THE SAKE OF THE NATIONS,

P.S. – The generosity of friends like you is key to our mission. We need your help to raise $15,000 by May 15 for the West Africa Project.

 


[1] Friedman, Thomas L. “Come the Revolution.” New York Times, May 15:2012, Op-Ed