Seminars & Workshops

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A HISTORY OF CHURCHES

The Survival of New Testament Christianity Against Overwhelming Odds

This seminar traces New Testament Christianity from the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ and the church He established in Jerusalem, Israel to America. It traces the early proliferation of churches, where they were located and the tremendous opposition they faced from the start, first from the Jews and then from the Romans. Attention is given to how the early Christians survived both efforts to eradicate them by the Roman government and efforts to destroy biblical Christianity by professing Christian leaders who corrupted the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles by inserting their own ideas, philosophies and definitions of terms. It shows how true Christians and churches survived, where they were located and the names that were given them. It also shows how the Roman Empire supposedly became “Christian” and developed its own church with was anything but Christian. This seminar shows how that church developed and how doggedly and mercilessly it sought to eradicate all opposition. In spite of overwhelming odds against survival, New Testament did survive. This seminar will show where and how it happened. It clearly establishes the perpetuity of New Testament Christianity continuously through the ages. Today’s New Testament Christians are not Catholics and they are not Protestants. They are members of a continuous doctrinal line that extends back to Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry.

The seminar involves eight sessions

Session 1 (55 minutes) Understanding the Original Church
Session 2 (55 minutes) Christianity in a Pagan World
Session 3 (55 minutes) The Rise of False Doctrine
Session 4 (55 minutes) A Recognized Central Authority
Session 5 (55 minutes) The Rise of the Papacy
Session 6 (55 minutes) The True Unbroken Line
Session 7 (45 minutes) A Boiling Cauldron
Session 8 (55 minutes) First Century Christianity to America

This seminar is accompanied by a student workbook and a full PowerPoint presentation for each session. The student workbook is well documented with many references to scholarly works. For those who want more in-depth information Dr. Hutson’s book is also available.

LEADERSHIP WITHIN A CHURCH SEMINAR

This seminar focuses on churches and particularly the role of leadership in churches. Among churches that are very closely akin in doctrine, location similarities, age of the pastor and approach to worship; some flourish while others wither. What’s the difference? It’s pretty obvious that the problems with withering churches is not in heaven; it’s on earth, probably in the leadership. Or lack thereof!

This 4.5 hour seminar walks through specific earmarks of leaders. It also establishes the point that leadership is largely an acquired skill and is not innate. Anyone who is serious about it can become a better leader. Growing in this area requires diligence and hard work, but it is not rocket science. The heart of the seminar is on (1) character, (2) attitude and (3) competence. It is very specific and practical.

The seminar is church specific; however, the leadership skills set forth will improve a person’s leadership at home, in the workplace, in the community and among peers in most every other environment. The seminar is particularly beneficial to pastors, staffs, deacons, Sunday school and other church leaders.

The seminar involves eight sessions of varying lengths, from 30 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Session 1 (1 hour) The Big Myth (A look at what leadership is and what it is not)
Session 2 (25 minutes) True Variables and Differences that Are not so Obvious
Session 3 (1 hour) Character Counts
Session 4 (1 hour) Attitude Counts
Session 5 (1 hour) Competence Counts

This seminar is accompanied by student handouts and a full Power Point presentation for each session.

BASIC BIBLE TRUTHS TRAINING

This seminar equips people to teach the Basic Bible Truths home Bible studies. It consists of three 1.5-hour sessions. The first session introduces the concept and explains how this unique evangelism tool came into existence. It shows the need for the tool and the effectiveness of these home Bible lessons. This is a very how to session which explains exactly how the approach works: the one-on-one approach with students, the two-by-two approach with those who teach, the development of the chart, how to handle questions and how to avoid a hostile confrontation. This session also presents a plan by which those who would teach these lessons can become equipped to do so.

The final two sessions actually walk through the six one-hour Bible lessons which constitute Basic Bible Truths. The lessons are not actually taught, but they are examined step-by-step with explanatory information all along the way. The Basic Bible Truths teacher’s book is the textbook for the seminar, and it is important that each person in the seminar have a copy. The book provides all of the information needed to actually conduct the studies. The resources are there; the seminar helps people understand the resource and how to use it to the fullest extent.

This seminar is designed for people who are genuinely interested in bringing others to Christ.

Session 1 (1.5 hours) Introducing Basic Bible Truths
Session 2 (1.5 hours) Teaching Lessons 1-3
Session 3 (1.5 hours) Teaching Lessons 4-6

This seminar is accompanied by student handouts, a full Power Point presentation for each session and a copy of the Basic Bible Truths teacher’s manual.

BASIC DISCIPLESHIP TRAINING

This seminar picks up where Basic Bible Truths ends. The two seminars can be back-to-back or offered separately. Basic Discipleship is a course designed to promote and continue the growth of new, young or weak believers. The goal is to bring such ones to the place where they will begin reaching and mentoring others, to keep the cycle of evangelism and discipleship alive. In the Basic Discipleship course there are 42 self-taught exercises. The student completes the exercises on a one-per-week basis; however, under the watchful eye of a mentor or older brother or sister who supplies each week’s new assignment.

The seminar is designed to equip those who would mentor others. The concept and Basic Discipleship materials are fully explained. Each student who goes through the Basic Discipleship course will need a Basic Discipleship Student Workbook. The mentor must be familiar with this workbook and know how to get the student started and how to lead him through it. There is also a Basic Discipleship Teacher’s Manual for those mentors. This manual has explanatory information to help the mentor. It also has all of the correct answers for the student workbook.

The Basic Discipleship training seminar explains all of this and how to actually get students started with the training and how to guide them through the course.

This seminar is designed for people who are genuinely interested in helping others to grow in Christ.

Session 1 (1.5 hours) Introducing Basic Discipleship
Session 2 (1 hour) Introducing the Lessons

This seminar is accompanied by handouts, a full Power Point presentation for each session and a copy of the Basic Discipleship Teacher’s Manual.

CHILDREN WORKERS TRAINING SEMINAR

No area of church life places a church at greater legal risk than children’s ministries. Risks cannot be completely eliminated; they can be minimized. The single, most important move in the right direction any church can make is children’s worker training. Know the dangers and responsibilities that are inherent in all ministries that involve children – from the nursery to the teen department, from Sunday school to youth camp.

This Children Workers Training Seminar is designed to help you know what you need to do and to enable you to take the right steps to protect (1) your children, (2) your children’s workers and (3) your church. The ramifications of failure in this area are enormous: lives can be wrecked and scarred forever, churches can be financially ruined and the reputation of God’s work can be needlessly dragged through the sewer. God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Pastors and churches that neglect to know the law and how to protect against child improprieties are likely at any moment to face the harsh consequences of ignorance and failure to be informed and proactive.

Child predators are very real. Any church is subject to a lawsuit. All it takes is an accusation. The accusation may not be true. Whether it is or not, the church must prove its innocence – in a court of law before a secular jury. Unless a church has taken the right steps to protect its own self, its children and its children’s workers it will have little if any defense. There are many, many steps which a church should and can take to help its cause. This seminar provides that information.

The four-hour, in-depth seminar will equip pastors and churches to take the right steps in fortifying their children’s ministries. The training provided in the seminar is a big first step in the right direction. After the seminar, a pastor and church will know the follow-up steps that should be taken. They will also be informed of available resource materials that provide step-by-step guidance and directions.

HERMENEUTICS SEMINAR

Few tools will help those who would understand the Bible more than a basic understanding of hermeneutics.

This six-hour seminar teaches and equips a student of the Bible in how to analyze any given Scripture and properly interpret it in the following ways:

By a historical – cultural analysis.
By a lexical – syntactical analysis.
By a theological analysis.
By an analysis of special literary tools.
By an analysis of special literary tools.

While this seminar would profit anyone who wishes to accurately interpret the Scriptures, it is especially suited for those who would teach or preach. It is best taught in a classroom setting with desks available for note-taking. It can be taught on a Saturday however it is ideal for a Bible institute.

IMPROVING YOUR HOME SEMINAR

This seminar presents God’s plan for homes. The first session is about dating, about how to properly choose a marriage mate and how to successfully establish a home. Not only is Christ presented as the only true foundation for a home, great emphasis is placed on building the home according to His principles. The seminar is crammed with biblical principles and Bible references. It deals with how to start a home, how to build up the home in a godly and peaceful way, the need for communication by members of the family and how to do so successfully. It also goes deeply into what to do when a home goes bad. This is a very practical, how to seminar. This seminar is especially timely in view of the fact that the biblical definition of marriage and God’s stated concepts about what a home is and how it should be governed are currently under great challenge and assault in America and much of the world.

The seminar involves six one-hour sessions

Session 1 – Approaching Marriage
Session 2 – Rock Solid
Session 3 – A Home on the Rocks
Session 4 – Talk to Me (A session on communicating)
Session 5 – Expectations vs. Reality
Session 6 – Seven Steps to a Clean New Start at Home

This seminar is accompanied by a student workbook and a full Power Point presentation for each session.

FAITH PROMISE MISSIONS CONFERENCE

Since 1967 I have personally practiced Faith Promise Missions Giving. I have also led the churches where I have served as pastor to embrace this great plan of God. The heartbeat of God is missions; Jesus was a missionary. Nothing better gauges the health of a church more than its commitment (or lack thereof) to missions.

Scores of times it has been my privilege to participate in Missions Conferences – every year where I served as pastor and in a long list of sister churches. I can lead a whole conference or participate with other speakers. I especially enjoy showing the concept of Faith Promise Giving in both the Old and New Testaments. I can preach expository sermons on the subject as well as address virtually every aspect of church-sponsored missionary work: training and other preparations, home church, the importance of a game plan, pastor/missionary relationships, accountability, attitudes, deputation, penetrating a new culture, financial issues involving both missionary and church, the missionary’s wife and children, staying in communications with supporters and many others.

THE RELIABILITY OF YOUR BIBLE SEMINAR

This seminar is an in-depth look at three main areas involving the reliability of the Bible: (1) how God got His Word to the human race, (2) how God assured the purity of His Word from generation to generation involving hundreds of years in the copying process and (3) how He managed to preserve it to the current world even through the translation process and in spite of tremendous on-going efforts to corrupt it.

The seminar involves eight sessions of varying lengths, from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Session 1 (1.5 hours) God’s Word to Humanity
- Statement of Purpose
- God’s Task of Getting His Word to Mankind and Keeping it Pure Over the Ages
  - Getting it to mankind
  - Keeping it pure
- Brief Explanation of a Source Text and a Target Text
Session 2 (45 minutes) Old Testament Source Texts
- The Masoretic Texts
- Efforts to Discredit the Masoretic Texts
- The Dead Sea Scrolls
Session 3 (45 minutes) New Testament Source Texts
- Two Basic Families of New Testament Source Texts
  - Byzantine
  - Alexandrian
Session 4 (30 minutes) Early Corruptions
- Gnosticism
- Greek Philosophy
- Observations
Session 5 (1 hour) Two Greek Texts
- Erasmus and Textus Receptus
- The Jesuit Bible
- Westcott and Hort and the Revised Text
Session 6 (1.5 hours) Translating
- Translating Challenges
- Variants
- Two Main Approaches
Session 7 (45 minutes) The King James Bible
- The Need for a Standard English Bible
- The King James Translators
- The Scholarship of the King James Translators
- The Approach of the King James Translators
- The Resources Available to the King James Translators
- The Method of the King James Translators
- The Product of the King James Translators
- The Impact of the King James Bible
- King James Onlyism
Session 8 (1 hour) Summary and Conclusions
- Conclusions
- Cautions
- Complex Business
- Advice
- My Practice
- Questions and Answers

This seminar is an objective look at the facts, especially Source Texts and Translating Issues. It offers truthful information by which you can evaluate your Bible regardless of the translation you have. It clearly establishes the fact that the King James Bible remains the superior translation to date; but it honestly faces the fact that even the King James Bible is a translation, and not a new revelation from God.

This seminar is accompanied by a student workbook and a full PowerPoint presentation for each session. The student workbook is well documented with many references to scholarly works.