Teaching for renewal through an inductive Bible study course on Galatians at Allensville Mennonite Church

The following paper seeks to bring about renewal and revitalization in the life of the church I serve by re-focusing the congregation's attention on the truth of the gospel as explicated in the book of Galatians through a series of directed inductive Bible study sessions.;In moving towards this goal the paper firstly deals with the philosophy of ministry which informs the thrust for renewal along with the methodology used in teaching and the cultural realities which shape the context for ministry. The goal of ministry is argued to be the discipling of people into a faith relationship with Christ whereby they understand the centrality of Christ for life and salvation. The teaching process is understood in this light and the directed inductive approach to Bible study is shown to facilitate the desired revitalization of commitment to Christ as the church works together in learning and applying the truth of the gospel to its own life situation.;In order to better facilitate interaction between the text and the context the two basic predominating factors which shape the instructional environment are analyzed. The traditional Amish outlook on life together with the more recent encroaching secularism are both identified as forces which pull church members away from Christ and hinder the vitality of the church.;Having sought to justify the ministry approach and methodology for renewal, the ministry focus paper proceeds to present an outline of a manual that would be used for the directed inductive Bible study sessions. A course description identifies the type of learning site utilized, summarizes the overall theme taught in Galatians, along with the specific learning goals and expectations for the teaching sessions.;Thirteen sessions which cover the whole book of Galatians are then presented each incorporating a directed inductive approach to the learning process. Worksheets designed to guide the participants in observation of the text in preparation for each upcoming session are included in an appendix. Finally the process of determining how effective the series of Bible study sessions has been in facilitating renewal and revitalization in the congregation is outlined in a concluding chapter.