Dr. Carl Ellis, Jr. has been teaching principles of contextualized ministry for decades. Now he distills his vast knowledge into a three-day intensive course offered at RTS Jackson on January 22-24, 2014.

I’ve been a fan of Dr. Ellis ever since a) I found out we were in the same denomination and b) I read his paradigm-shifting book, Free at Last?: The Gospel in the African American Experience.

His book and teachings discuss the gospel in African American contexts, but they do more.  They give us a framework and principles for communicating biblical truths across many different cultural contexts.  Whether you’re serving in the inner-city, in a foreign country, on a college campus or anywhere else, Dr. Ellis gives you the tools to read the culture and apply the gospel to make disciples.

What’s Great about this Course:
Intensive Format: Just three days from Jan. 22-24, 2014; 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
RTS Jackson Students Can Get Credit: If you’re a student in the RTS system it can count for your “Christian Life in Secular Culture” or “Sanctification” course.
Students at Other Seminaries Can Get Credit: Contact the RTS Admissions office at admissions@rts.edu
Audit the Course:  If you just want to it and learn from Dr. Ellis, you can audit this course very affordably. Contact Kim Lee, the Registrar, at klee@rts.edu
Anyone Can Participate: This course is appropriate for men and women, young and old, full-time ministers of the gospel or laypersons.  No special qualifications are required.  All you need is a desire to study God’s word and apply it in today’s varied cultural contexts.

One Other Benefit:
This course will be a singular opportunity to network with other believers who have a burden for applying biblical truth in African American, multi-ethnic, and urban contexts.  These three days will allow you to bond with your colleagues in an academic setting, but also forge friendships through casual interactions outside of class.  These are the types of relationships that can encourage you in the very hard work of cross-cultural ministry and serve as resource partners as you continue your work.

I’ll be there, God willing, and I hope to see you there, too.  Read the full course description here.