• Steffen Five-Stage Strategy
• Introduction to Storying
• Primitive Religions - Animism
• Pre-evangelism
• Culture and Language
• Introduction to Chronological Bible Teaching
• Discipleship
• New Testament Church

• The Developing Church
  
• The Maturing Church
  
• Church Planter's Tool Kit
  
• Curriculum Development
  
• Contextualization
  
• External Influences
  
• Oral Communication
  
• Worldviews
  
• Worldview Matrix
  
• Narrative

Based on real-world experience among the Ifugao people in the Philippines, the Steffen Five-Stage Strategy of church planting starts with an exit plan. Backwards mapping is the key to this strategy. From the very beginning of strategic planning, the church planter must factor 'phase out' into each step of the church planting process. The five stages include Pre-entry, Pre-evangelism, Evangelism, Post-evangelism, and Phase-out. This strategy is a comprehensive and holistic methodology that is practical and applicable in any context.

What is the genius of the narrative/story genre? What is symbol-based narrative? How do stories develop worldviews? This module will argue that narrative is an often underutilized educational methodology. Why are stories and relationships inseparable? This module helps explain how Story is a metaphor for life.

This course introduces the primitive and pervasive religion of animism. This worldview forms the main underpinning of most folk religions. The module teaches the basic premises of animism and compares them to Christian Theism. Since animism permeates indigenous cultures, it is imperative that the church planter be aware of it in every stage of missionary work - from the initial contact all the way through the church planting process. Upon completion of this module, the church planter will be able to recognize animism in a variety of contexts, and will be equipped to properly address this worldview.

Pre-evangelism addresses three integrated aspects fundamental to an effective church planting ministry (time, activity and attitude). The Pre-evangelism stage includes the period from earliest contact with the host society to the beginning days of evangelism. This module discusses practical ways in which to develop healthy relationships with the host society, maintain a constant attitude of discipleship, and avoid paternalism.

During pre-evangelism the cross-cultural worker establishes relationships with people in the host community. This can only be accomplished through the acquisition of culture and language. In this seminar the Culture and Language module describes the basics of culture and language acquisition, giving insights into the relationship between culture and language as well as providing helpful resources. The module will outline the progression of culture awareness, adjustment, acquisition, analysis, and application.

This module presents the rationale for teaching the Word of God using the chronological teaching method. Field-tested examples from specific people groups, coupled with solid Bible teaching, provide the illustrative framework for this comprehensive methodology. The narrative format of Chronological Bible Teaching is ideal for communicating God's truth to concrete relational learners. This methodology lays foundational truths from the Old Testament that prepare the way for a clear understanding of the New Testament, in particular, the Gospel of Christ. On that firm foundation the church is in a healthy position to grow and mature.

This course focuses on the missionary church planter and the ability to train believers to function as church planters in their own context. The module stresses the importance of discipleship in the indigenous church, and helps prepare the church planter for applying these principles cross-culturally. These foundational principles are modeled in an atmosphere of respect and trust that promotes formal and informal discipleship.

This module teaches the basic fundamentals for understanding biblical principles used in planting New Testament-patterned churches among indigenous people. This course of study enables one to articulate, from the Scriptures, God's overall principles and purposes for the church. It describes how the principles are related to life, not just to church meetings. The basics of church function introduced in this course will be drawn upon throughout the indigenous church planting experience.

Now that people have come to Christ, what's next? How do you help guide a new church so it will grow and mature, multiplying itself within its cultural context? This module helps equip you in the necessary understandings and skills. It is built on New Testament Church principles, incorporating and implementing a chronological teaching program that is reproducible by indigenous believers. These vital principles will be used throughout the entire church planting process.

The Maturing Church addresses how to bring the indigenous church to maturity, and how church planters may relate to the indigenous church once it is capable of functioning on its own. This course helps one see the importance of the changing roles of a church planter, and gives practical advice on how to relate to the believers and church leaders in the later stages of church planting.

This module teaches methods that will aid the developing church in becoming indigenous so that it may function without the presence of foreign missionaries. The course teaches one how to develop Bible teaching aids to be used by indigenous people. The 'tools' offered in this course will be used over and over in the process of church planting.

Curriculum Development exposes the student to a broad range of curricula for the host society. Curriculum for the indigenous church is both necessary and feasible to produce. In this module, one learns the value of curriculum for an indigenous church and sees how, through curriculum development, church planters lay a practical groundwork for the future nourishment, growth and continuation of the church.

With the form-meaning correlation as the foundation, this module addresses the contextualization of teaching strategies, i.e., how indigenous teaching contexts affect the way one should go about implementing a teaching program. Each people group is unique and has cultural characteristics that influence how one should implement a teaching program. This course helps prepare the church planter to handle these various dynamics in teaching indigenous people. Biblical principles learned in this course will be applied throughout evangelism and the entire church planting ministry.

External Influences analyzes outside influences (religious and/or secular), which may affect the local society in the course of establishing a New Testament church. It is very important that a church planter realize the kinds of influences that may bring tension to an indigenous church planting effort, and how to respond to such influences.

This module teaches how to disciple pre-literate believers to be teachers of the Word of God in the local church. It helps one to understand the role of pre-literate believers in an indigenous church, and how to communicate biblical truth in oral story form. Principles related to orality are important tools for missionaries teaching indigenous people in an oral society.