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Purpose and Principles, and Design

 

SUMMARY

The primary purpose of The Kerygma Program is to facilitate the study of the Bible in the church. Six key principles govern program development and the publication of resources.

Responsibility for the program rests with a variety of people including educators, writers, scholars, editors, and administrators. The Program Design encourages leaders to make the adult Bible study an integral part of congregational life.

PURPOSE
The Kerygma Program’s primary purpose is to promote and facilitate responsible, effective study of the Bible in the church.

To achieve its purpose The Kerygma Program does the following:

  • Publishes educational resources for the study of the Bible
  • Recommends structure and design strategies for establishing and sustaining successful study groups
  • Sponsors training events on adult education ministry
  • Provides supplementary resources for administration and promotion

PROGRAM PRINCIPLES
The convictions that inform and govern the development of The Kerygma Program are summarized in six brief statements.

  1. The biblical story provides the essential foundation of adult Christian education.
  2. The interpretation of biblical materials should take place in the context of the whole canon.
  3. The best tools of critical scholarship should be utilized in such interpretation.
  4. Lay people are willing and able to participate in serious study of the Bible.
  5. The best teaching strategies actively involve adults in their own learning.
  6. The purpose of Bible study in the church is to discern God’s word for the contemporary community of faith.

PROGRAM DESIGN:
Scheduling Weekdays and Sunday Morning

Kerygma courses are designed to be offered in a manner similar to courses in public education. The Program Design encourages leaders to make adult Bible study an integral part of congregational life. While resources can be used by existing study groups, their full potential is realized in an overall plan for ongoing adult Bible study. They are best used with a specific schedule, a registration process, and good promotion. In many churches, courses are scheduled throughout the week or on weekends. The primary principle in scheduling is to offer courses at times convenient to the lifestyle of the congregation.

Except for The Bible in Depth, which should be scheduled for two-hour sessions, all other courses can be scheduled for between 1 and 1 ½ hours. Most Kerygma courses can be used in the traditional Sunday school setting. When using Kerygma resources on Sunday mornings the commitment to home preparation should be maintained.

Publications
Resources for Bible Study: Kerygma resources for the study of the Bible are
divided into three distinct categories: full Bible overviews generally lasting one academic year (30-34 sessions), semester studies (10-14 sessions) that deal with a single book of the Bible, and half semester studies (4-8 sessions) that explore shorter books of the Bible or specific themes or subjects.