Vision for City Seminary
To equip disciples to know the True Story, live the True Story, and speak the True Story in love within their city, their vocation, and their church. Through this training, we will strengthen our missional communities, DNA groups, and church as a whole.
We believe that as we root disciples in the truths of the gospel and the mission of God, we will further equip our church today and for the future.
We believe we share the same calling as the early church to establish disciples in the truth to cultivate a gospel-centered culture and further gospel saturation in Los Angeles. Much like Paul’s endeavor to train and teach every night at the School of Tyrannus, in Ephesus (Acts 19:9), as it became a church planting HUB in the city, we will pursue the same thing here.
Participants will develop a biblical missiological theology and practical theology through reading the Bible, engaging thoughtful and diverse practitioner, discussions with one another, and personal reflections.
What have past participants experienced?
“My understanding of his mission and how the church gets to partake in it changed—deepening my understanding of the OT and Gods mission throughout those parts of the story was really great.”
“God grew and stretched me by showing me how much I don't know. I've realized that I've only scratched the surfaces of the depths of the contents of the Bible and the implications of theology. This good thing and has resulted in fervency for studying the Scriptures. I'm pumped on the Bible.”
“God challenged my reductionist concept of mission and to live everyday in light of his mission.”
Details: How it Works
City Seminary is designed to be a transformative journey through two modules or courses and an intentional independent reading through the summer.
Participants will do homework each week that will include reading, reflection, videos, and more. Roughly two hours homework each week.
Classes or Sessions will be Thursdays, 7:30pm-9:30pm and are discussion based
Module 1 will be from February 27th - April 23rd
Independent Bible Reading and Reflection from April 17th - September 21st.
Module 2 will be from September 24th -November 12th.
Cost is $40/Module + purchase of The Mission of God by Christopher Wright (Module 1) & In The Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen (Module 2)
Below is an overview of each module. Have more questions? Contact Brad (brad@somaculvercity.com)
Application
The application process is simple and the Deadline is February 24th
1) A two question questionnaire
2) Reading an article (15 pages) and writing a 500 word response to the article
3) 500 word “essay” answering these questions: What is your definition of the gospel? The Mission? The Church?
4) Commitment agreement
Overview of Year 1
Module 1: Biblical missiological hermeneutic
Thursdays at 7:30pm from February 27th - April 23rd
Over the course of eight weeks, participants will grow in their understanding of the Bible and how to interpret the Bible while forming a thoroughly biblical theology rooted in the mission of God.
Independent Reading and Reflection
Between the modules, participants will read or listen to the entire Bible. They will also respond to their reading utilizing these seven interpretive questions in a journal. Journals will be complete before the beginning of Module 2.
Module 2: practical theology
Thursdays at 7:30pm from September 24th -November 12th.
Participants will engage challenging and important questions from a global urban perspective: how do we live our theology? Also, participants will be stretched to conceive the scope of the gospel and the scope of mission within seeming tensions. Lastly, students will, like the first Christians, read New Testament texts as the source for building a practical theology.