# Purpose Driven Seminary



## Robin (Feb 9, 2006)

select excerpts:

Seminary offers PD curriculum in online setting
By Manda Gibson 

"Seminary exists to support the mission of the local church. After being introduced to the Purpose Driven paradigm, it became clear to me that reorganizing the seminary curriculum around the purposes of the church would make seminary education more relevant to local church ministry."

Sam Simmons, co-founder of Rockbridge Seminary
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LAKE FOREST, Calif. (PD) "” As more churches are embracing the Purpose DrivenÂ® model and lay people are taking on greater ministry responsibilities, church leaders are looking outside of traditional, on-campus seminaries for ministry training options. Many of these ministers, professional and lay leaders alike, are turning to Rockbridge Seminary "“ an online seminary and the first seminary to use a Purpose Driven design.

After serving for many years in traditional seminaries, Daryl Eldridge and Sam Simmons founded Rockbridge Seminary in 2003. They´d experienced two main challenges with traditional seminary training: making it accessible to everyone who needed it and making it relevant to the work God was calling people to do. To address the issue of accessibility, they designed Rockbridge to exist exclusively online, available anywhere in the world with Internet access. To make seminary relevant and practical, they based Rockbridge on a Purpose Driven model that balances training in worship, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, and ministry.

"œWe want to become the University of Phoenix within theological education, taking seminary to whoever needs it, wherever they are," Simmons said. "œIt´s more than just wanting to have a large number of students. We really believe that God´s Kingdom work is going to require more harvest workers than can be trained just at on-campus seminaries."

Rockbridge isn´t competing with other seminaries, he said. "œWe´re competing with not going to seminary at all. These ministers didn´t have a choice, and we gave them one."

Celeste Cruzat serves on the pastoral staff of Bartley Christian Church in Singapore. Members of her church leadership attended Purpose Driven Church conferences and began adopting the Purpose Driven model. Rockbridge´s Purpose Driven format fits with her church´s ministry philosophy. ........

More at the source:

http://www.purposedriven.com/en-US/...ry_offers_PD_curriculum_in_online_setting.htm

 Robin


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## cultureshock (Feb 9, 2006)

The seminary name sounds so cliched suburban that it is just what I'd expect! Interesting...

Brian


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Feb 12, 2006)

Purpose Driven is so sickening. Its not amazing, but saddening, that America is taking it up in arms.


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## Puritanhead1981 (Feb 12, 2006)

and


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## Robin (Feb 13, 2006)

From a Pentecostal PD church:

The structure provided by the Purpose DrivenÂ® paradigm won´t quench the Holy Spirit, instead it can make a Charismatic/Pentecostal church healthier and more balanced around God´s purposes, said Pentecostal Pastor George Morrison. 

Acknowledging a frequent suspicion of structure in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, Morrison said, "œ[Having a structure] doesn´t mean [the church] can´t be Spirit-led. We still have distinctively Spirit-led ministry in our services and teachings. We´ve always gleaned from our forefathers. What we´ve learned is that his Spirit has been working in people of all denominations. We can learn from one another."

...Morrison said "œFBC has always operated by the belief that God´s people have a purpose, as expressed in the scriptural concept of the Body," he explained. He intuitively recognized the same principles at work in his first contacts with Rick Warren and Saddleback Church.

"œRick was articulating what we were doing," Morrison recalled. "œWhat we believed, he believed, but he was able to articulate those principles and put them into a package that is understandable by everyone." 

.... church leaders recognized the value of "œgetting the entire congregation on the same page." They did this by asking the entire church to read *Henry Blackaby's* book, *Experiencing God*. "œLater on, when we introduced the 40 Days of Purpose campaign, it was easy to flow into it. Doing something like that together as a church was not seen as a dramatic change. It was something familiar." 

Church leaders gradually incorporated more Purpose Driven principles into the life of the congregation and into church operations. These included emphasizing the five purposes during worship services to using different preaching methods and Bible translations. A majority of people adjusted to the changes, with only a small number leaving as a result. 
.... source: 
http://www.purposedriven.com/en-US/AboutUs/PDintheNews/PD_principles_help_Denver_church_grow.htm


r.


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## Semper Fidelis (Feb 13, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Robin_
> select excerpts:
> 
> After serving for many years in traditional seminaries, Daryl Eldridge and Sam Simmons founded Rockbridge Seminary in 2003. They´d experienced two main challenges with traditional seminary training: making it accessible to everyone who needed it and making it relevant to the work God was calling people to do. To address the issue of accessibility, they designed Rockbridge to exist exclusively online, available anywhere in the world with Internet access. To make seminary relevant and practical, they based Rockbridge on a Purpose Driven model that balances training in worship, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, and ministry.


That's good. Wouldn't want it based on a _SCRIPTURAL_ model because that would be completely irrelevant to what they're trying to do.


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## ReformedWretch (Feb 13, 2006)

Hey, new topic idea!

Are purpose driven Christians really saved?


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## Semper Fidelis (Feb 13, 2006)

> _Originally posted by houseparent_
> Hey, new topic idea!
> 
> Are purpose driven Christians really saved?


 Only the Arminian ones.


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## ReformedWretch (Feb 13, 2006)




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## Robin (Feb 16, 2006)

> _Originally posted by houseparent_
> Hey, new topic idea!
> 
> Are purpose driven Christians really saved?





r


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## Bladestunner316 (Feb 17, 2006)




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## panta dokimazete (Feb 17, 2006)

well - I had started to reduce my disillusionment...but such uncharitableness...hard to understand how introspective Christians cannot see that the converse position is unScriptural as well - Psalm 1:1, Romans 12:3, Galatians 6:10, etc... - particularly to the kindred.

[Edited on 2-17-2006 by jdlongmire]


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