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What are Grace Centres of Equipping?
Grace Centres are avenues where people gather into circles of learning -- Centres of Equipping -- for intentional growth in spiritual maturity.
Grace Centres for Urban Mission and Biblical Studies (our full name) is Grace Vancouver Church's unique approach to education and learning. Our aim is to equip you to discover and live out your faith and calling more fully as a child of God in loving Christ and as an ambassador of Christ in loving your neighbour.
Whether your mission is in the marketplace, in the lab, in the classroom, at the hospital, in the neighbourhood, at home, at church or anywhere else, we seek to encourage your growth as Christ's disciple with training that is tailored to your calling and context.
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What is Grace Centres' approach to learning?
From its inception, Grace Vancouver's education and training (now grown into Grace Centres of Equipping) has always been careful in designing courses so that they are:
- Practical, hands-on learning is taught by practitioners of the subject area who are living out mission and ministry in the city;
- Outcomes-based, growing you in demonstratable competency, not just head knowledge. You will grow in knowledge (know), character (be) and skill (do);
- Contextual and connected to community and life in the city. True learning and transformation does not happen best within the confines of a traditional classroom's walls.
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How can Grace Centres equip me?
We believe one of the church's key purposes is to craft followers of their lord, Jesus Christ. Historically, Jesus' followers were called disciples. They were Christ-like people. What does a maturing disciple look like? Grace Centres aim to build disciples in five core competencies of spiritual maturity:
- City Builder: Seeks the complete peace of the city, knows its beauty and brokenness, engages with the city and its people to see God’s renewing power at work in it
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Body Builder: Lives as a team player in a community of worship, uses gifts to complementarily build God’s people in the city, committed to loving others by grace
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Prayer Activist: Lives as a child of God empowered through prayer and relationship with the Father, prays God’s expansive, comprehensive priorities for people and the city
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Discerning Thinker: Believes God’s truth and the Gospel, seeks truth and applies the Gospel to all they do and to building the church and the city
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Word Consumer: Lives by the direction of and transformation by the Word of God, understands God’s story through history and continues to speak this story to today’s time and people
All Grace Centres' key learning tools (see next FAQ) strengthen these core competencies of a maturing disciple.
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What are Grace Centres' key learning tools?
Recognizing that all of life is a classroom, Grace Centres uses several key tools to encourage true learning and transformation:
- Core Courses: Each of the 5 traits of a maturing disciple (see FAQ just previous to this one) have a set of core courses that are designed to strengthen the core competencies. The goal of each of the core courses is for you to apply what you are learning to your unique life context. That is, you will learn to handle Scripture, think theologically, pray with the big picture in mind, build Christ's Body and reach out to the city -- all in ways that are specific to your life.
- Seminars and Workshops: In addition to core courses, we offer special seminars and workshops on special topics that are prepared and led by those who are living and growing in that skill area. We are all given gifts to build up the body of Christ.
- Learning Contracts: Ongoing self-discovery and self-evaluation is key in our growth. With the help of several diagnostic tools, we can help you design your own "learning contract" specifying your learning objectives and desired outcomes -- in core areas of spiritual growth but also goals specific to you and your calling. We will help in suggesting the resources to get you there.
- Life Labs: The arena of your daily life, and all of the ministries we are engaged in at Grace Vancouver Church, (and the ones you will create as you work out your calling), are the practical "Life Labs" in which your learning is demonstrated and solidified.
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