Our Unique Approach
The need
Scripture states that God’s people need God’s word if they are to grow strong in faith[1]. Consider the imagery that God uses to convince us of this fact:
The man who meditates on God’s law is promised he will become like a tree planted by water – fruitful and durable – as opposed to chaff that blows in the wind - like the plastic bag you see floating down the street. (Ps. 1)
Equipping believers to handle God’s word with skill and accuracy, therefore, is one of the greatest gifts we can give them — both for their own lives and for ministering it to other people. Unfortunately, many are not receiving this training. Around the Word aims to help.
The Around the Word approach
Three components that set the Around the Word approach apart from other training approaches:
Because the Around the Word workshops are intended for any level of Bible reader, our approach will benefit any participant well beyond the workshop, though our workshops work as a series working through the various biblical genres.
Scripture states that God’s people need God’s word if they are to grow strong in faith[1]. Consider the imagery that God uses to convince us of this fact:
The man who meditates on God’s law is promised he will become like a tree planted by water – fruitful and durable – as opposed to chaff that blows in the wind - like the plastic bag you see floating down the street. (Ps. 1)
Equipping believers to handle God’s word with skill and accuracy, therefore, is one of the greatest gifts we can give them — both for their own lives and for ministering it to other people. Unfortunately, many are not receiving this training. Around the Word aims to help.
The Around the Word approach
Three components that set the Around the Word approach apart from other training approaches:
- WE TRAIN YOU BEFORE: Each workshop attendee is given an assignment to prepare before arriving to immerse them into the Bible reading tools that we will be teaching, using the passage preparation worksheet we send them.[2] The questions are creative and lay a foundation for what will be taught at the workshop. Participants will also get feedback on their prepared work, which has been a major highlight of the workshops. This stands apart from the “just show up” approach of most conferences.
- WE TRAIN YOU DURING: Like most “how to read the Bible” seminars, we strive to give quality instruction on sound Bible reading principles (e.g. the importance of context, repetition, application, etc.). Our approach is to present the material in a memorable and interactive style that is also directly linked to the preparation worksheet. [3] Over the course of the workshop, participants will get to interact with the principles during small group sessions rather than the traditional approach of lecturing straight through material. This is what makes it a workshop as opposed to a conference.
- WE TRAIN YOU AFTER: We don’t want the training to stop once you leave. We desire to see attendees continuing to grow in accurately handling God’s word. One way we do that is to offer a practical reading tool for attendees to take home. It walks the reader into sound Bible reading principles by using creative questions similar to the ones presented during the pre-work and at the workshop. Unlike other approaches, which essentially encourage attendees to memorize a long list of rules of interpretation, this resource does some of that labor for you, until, Lord willing, the right kind of questions become intuitive. It is available as a phone app or in hard copy format and can work in a wide range of contexts— from small groups, one-on-one discipleship or even classroom teaching.
Because the Around the Word workshops are intended for any level of Bible reader, our approach will benefit any participant well beyond the workshop, though our workshops work as a series working through the various biblical genres.
[1] Ps. 1; 1 Pet. 2:1-3; Rom. 15:4; Ps. 19:7-11; Deut. 8:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; 1 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 5:26-27
[2] We learned this model from the Charles Simeon Trust (CST), a ministry we love and have benefited greatly from.
[3] This too we learned from the CST. However, we make less assumptions of our audience in terms of how much understanding they already have in reading/teaching Scripture. CST intentionally aim to gather preachers, but we seek a broader audience— from the new believer to emerging leaders to current leaders. As such, we include additional instructions to level the playing field.
[1] Ps. 1; 1 Pet. 2:1-3; Rom. 15:4; Ps. 19:7-11; Deut. 8:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; 1 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 5:26-27
[2] We learned this model from the Charles Simeon Trust (CST), a ministry we love and have benefited greatly from.
[3] This too we learned from the CST. However, we make less assumptions of our audience in terms of how much understanding they already have in reading/teaching Scripture. CST intentionally aim to gather preachers, but we seek a broader audience— from the new believer to emerging leaders to current leaders. As such, we include additional instructions to level the playing field.