"Re-Discovering the Disciple's Identity and Role in the Mission of God" was the theme of the 3rd Annual ITCM Conference.
The conference was held August 1-4 in St. Petersburg at the Church of Christ on the Neva. The Institute of Theology and Christian Ministry provided an opportunity for learning, sharing experiences and fellowship for brothers and sisters from Voronezh, Gatchina, Moscow, Omsk, Rybinsk, St. Petersburg, Syktyvkar, Kharkov and Chelyabinsk.
Phil Jackson and Jay Jarboe from
Missions Resource Network gave keynote addresses. Specific areas of discussion during their classes included: "The God of Mission and Movement, Forming in the Kingdom Value System and Making Disciple-Makers".
By this we were reminded that
- God is the foundation of everything we do;
- We are called by Jesus to make disciples which make disciples;
- We can make disciples only if we ourselves are disciples;
- The Discovery Bible Study method is one approach for Scripture study;
In addition, Konstantin Erofeev a lawyer and member of the St. Petersburg Bar Association facilitated a seminar on "Religion and the Law," sharing with us news about Russian religious legislation, explaining practical applications of the laws, highlighting specific legal missteps which churches in Russia sometimes make, speaking about the reasons for frequent inspections of Non-Profit organizations.
A special guest at the conference was Dr. Royce Money, ACU Chancellor and president from 1991 to 2010. In his remarks, Dr. Money highlighted the practical applications of Christian Theological education. Evening sessions included Dr. Joy Rousseau, who taught at ITCM a in the past.
Gennady Scherbakov, an elder in the Syktyvkar church of Christ commented: "The conference was very helpful for me in my ministry as evangelist. It helped me to see my mistakes and showed me new ways to approach human hearts. I'm thankful for those who organized it and participated in it, especially brothers Phil and Jay. Praise be to the Lord who provided everything to meet my need with such education and fellowship with Christians from many churches."
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