The Basics on the Basics (Part 2)

The something more that many folks need has to do with basic Bible and Doctrine (i.e., teachings). From our our quiz results last weekend, that's close to 60% of the people who attend Five Oaks.

As regards the basics, the 101-301 seminars establish people in the basic practices that lead to spiritual growth: worship, fellowship, service/stewardship, Bible reflection, prayer, obedience, influencing others for Christ, compassion, and missions. But these seminars do little to orient people to the Bible or to ground them in the basic teachings of the Bible.

As I said in my message on the basics, I think a good orientation to the basics should include three areas: Bible, Doctrine and Practice.

The REVEAL research strongly indicates that basic doctrine is one one of the most (if not THE most) catalyzing factor in spiritual growth for believers early on in their journey. It's not hard to see why skipping the basics of doctrine and the Bible can sabotage a person's spiritual growth.

A little over 40% of folks who come to Five Oaks are pretty well established in the basics of the Bible and doctrine. They need 101-301 because those seminars orient them to mission and how we accomplish it and how they can join in. Each one is only two hours long, so it's not a big deal for someone to get up to speed on our process, even if they've developed advanced knowledge and skills in those areas.

But we've decided to offer a basic seminar on the Bible and basic doctrine to those who score low on a self-graded Bible & Doctrine Assessment we will offer in the 201 Deepening Seminar. More on that seminar in part three of "The Basics on the Basics."

What are your thoughts?