An Introduction to the Ministry of the…

GRACE INSTITUTE

BIBLICAL STUDIES

(G.I.B.S.)

A Ministry of…

Duluth Bible Church

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.

Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

1 Timothy 4:16

A Special Welcome

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! This informational brochure is designed to give you a brief introduction and explanation regarding the Grace Institute of Biblical Studies (otherwise referred to as G.I.B.S.).

It had been the desire and prayer of the spiritual leadership of Duluth Bible Church for a period of time to see a ministry of this nature started at the Duluth Bible Church. As a result of much prayer and planning, the G.I.B.S. began its inaugural class in January of 1992. Our intent is to provide solid Biblical and practical teaching and training for those who are desirous and gifted for specialized ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 2:1-2 instructs us..."Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

Why the Grace Institute of Biblical Studies?

We believe the need for a specialized training and equipping ministry centered in this local church is evident due to several reasons:

1. Because the majority of Bible colleges and seminaries in our land deny in doctrine or practice the authority and sufficiency of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:15-4:4).

2. Because most institutions of this nature function independent of and apart from the auspices of the local church, which is "the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)

3. Because of the evident need and desire to equip men and women in a specialized and affordable way for particular avenues of ministry that require specific and practical training (Ephesians 4:11-16).

4. Because there is no training institution of this nature with similar grace-oriented, doctrinal convictions in this geographical area.

What Are Our Objectives?

Ultimately, the purpose of the G.I.B.S. is designed to glorify God through equipping believers to be faithful servants / teachers of the Gospel of grace through the faithful exposition of His Word (1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 4:11-13; Timothy 4:2) for the building up of the Body of Christ.

A graduate of G.I.B.S. should be able to...

a. Lead with conviction. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

b. Teach with authority. (Titus 2:15)

c. Serve with effectiveness. (Galatians 5:13)

Our focus in G.I.B.S. will be on…

a. Biblical understanding. (2 Timothy 2: 15)

b. Personal growth. (2 Peter 3: 18)

c. Ministry preparation. (Ephesians 4: 12-16)

Who is the G.I.B.S. For?

The G.I.B.S. is not for everyone. It is for those believers who have a God-given desire to minister for our Lord in specific ministries within or outside of the Duluth Bible Church.

Sensing the need for adequate and further preparation and training for those whom God is leading towards a ministry in the pastorate, missions, youth ministry, teaching, evangelism, etc., G.I.B.S. has been established. We do not believe that the G.I.B.S. can "manufacture" a pastor, teacher, evangelist, etc. However, we do believe that a ministry of this nature within the local church can be used to help equip and provide the necessary tools for those whom God has gifted, matured, and led to be used for His glory.

The G.I.B.S. is not for glamour-seeking people who want to make a name for themselves. Nor is it for those who want to wear it as a badge of their own spirituality to impress others as if they have achieved a certain status. This is not consistent with God’s grace. Instead, it is for the believer whose heart's passion is the communication of God's truth to precious souls for whom Christ died. It is for those who are motivated by God’s love to be willing to sacrifice their lives by investing them in ministry to further the cause and Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What Will the G.I.B.S. Offer?

Beginning in the Fall of 2004, we will be making some important changes to our G.I.B.S. training. Instead of having one track of intense training which goes non-stop for 5-6 years, we will offer our teaching / training in 2 distinct phases.

Phase 1

Our first phase of G.I.B.S. allows the interested student to get first hand exposure to biblical teaching that every believer should be well established in, yet with no determined time to finish this phase. A person may proceed as fast or as slow as he/she is able and desirous of doing.

Unlike our G.I.B.S. classes in the past, we will be mostly utilizing the normal teaching sessions available at D.B.C. G.I.B.S. students in Phase 1 (as well as Phase 2) will take classes / courses via face-to-face teaching during our Sunday morning 9:15 Bible classes, 10:30 church services, and our Wednesday night midweek Bible study. Also, a limited amount of classes may be taken via video or cassette correspondence courses. In each of these scenarios, a G.I.B.S. student will be required to complete outside class assignments and successfully pass occasional written tests.

The following is a partial listing of the classes available during our 9:15 Bible classes or via the tape correspondence courses.

* Required in Phase 1 ^ööRequired to complete G.I.B.S. ^uTape courses only

A minimum of 6 classes must be taken through face-to-face teaching out of the 12 required courses for Phase 1.

Phase 1 should be a time where a believer gets a better grasp on the biblical teachings of grace, experience on-going spiritual growth, as well as be willing to serve in various official and unofficial ministry opportunities in testing and developing his/her spiritual giftedness to teach the Scriptures.

The elders of D.B.C. will require the following for those who are eligible to apply for the Phase 1 training of G.I.B.S.

At least 20 years of age.
A believer in Christ and a regular attendee to D.B.C. for at least 2 years.
A willingness to be a faithful and teachable servant as unto the Lord.
Demonstrating a submission to the will of God and to the spiritual leadership of D.B.C.

If you are interested in applying for G.I.B.S., make this a matter of diligent prayer, fill out the application in the back of this brochure (Appendix 4) and give it to Pastor Dennis Rokser. Upon acceptance from the elders, you may enroll in Phase 1 at any time. Cost is limited to purchasing books for assigned reading.

We are planning to start our Phase 1 classes in September of 2004.

Phase 2

Unlike Phase 1, our G.I.B.S. Phase 2 involves 2.5 years of intense teaching / training. In addition to our normal Bible teaching sessions at D.B.C., our Phase 2 students will meet every other Monday night (with the summers off) from 6-10 p.m. The following is a listing of our Monday night classes in Phase 2.

Year 1

(Semester 1)

· English Grammar

· Basic Greek 1

· Exegesis 1

(Semester 2)

· English Composition

· Basic Greek 2

· Exegesis 2

· Basic Greek 5

· Specific Ministry Preparation

· Local Church 3

While these Monday night classes are going on, the G.I.B.S. 2 student is also required to successfully pass a minimum of 10 other classes/courses during our normal Bible study sessions in order to complete their G.I.B.S. training. See Appendix 6 for the anticipated schedule and listing of 9:15 a.m. Bible Classes.

Cost for Phase 2 is estimated at $150.⁰⁰ a semester to cover the cost of books, materials, and remuneration.

Realizing that spiritual maturity takes time, teaching, trust, and trials, along with the potential destructiveness of fleshly, spiritually immature believers in position of significant service, the elders of D.B.C. will require the following of those who we accept into the G.I.B.S. Phase 2.

1. Have demonstrated personal spiritual growth and a God given desire for ministry.

2. Have evidential spiritual giftedness for specialized ministry.

3. Be faithful and teachable.

4. Be in agreement with the doctrinal statement of the Duluth Bible Church.

5. Have demonstrated a submission to the will of God and to the spiritual leadership of your church.

6. Have completed and successfully passed 12 classes/courses in Phase 1.

7. Have been seriously involved in supervised local church ministries such as Sunday School, “The Stranger” home studies, Jail ministry, Fair Evangelism, etc.

8. Be able to state how they intend (by God’s grace) to use the G.I.B.S. training in local church ministry.

Enrollment will be limited in order to allow for maximized personal interaction and learning. We anticipate starting our Phase 2 classes in January of 2007.

Advantages of Creating Two Phases

We anticipate several important benefits to this change in splitting a person’s G.I.B.S. training into 2 phases.

· This change allows for tremendous flexibility in taking classes and completing Phase 1.

· This change cuts down the length of intense training (Phase 2).

· This change utilizes existing Bible classes and pulpit ministry; Bible conferences; series on tape; etc.

· This change allows for interested students to start at earlier ages.

· This change provides a means for those who may not desire to pursue the pastorate or mission field to gain a further understanding of the Scriptures (Phase 1).

· This change is very cost effective.

APPENDIX 1 (Phase 1)

Here are the 12 required classes for Phase 1 that must be completed and successfully passed before a person may enter Phase 2.

1. Romans 1-5

2. Romans 6-8

3. A, B, C’s for Christian Growth 1

4. A, B, C’s for Christian Growth 2

5. Biblical Distinctions

6. Dispensational Truth 1

7. Bible Study Methods/Rules of Interpretation

8. Teaching Principles & Methods

9. Old Testament Synthesis (correspondence course)

10. Effective Evangelism

11. Galatians (correspondence course and/or pulpit series)

12. 1 additional approved verse-by-verse pulpit series.

A minimum of 6 classes must be taken by face-to-face teaching. The remaining 6 classes may be taken via tape / correspondence.

APPENDIX 2 (Phase 2)

Additional required classes in order to complete G.I.B.S. Phase 2.

Dispensational Truth 2
Clearing Up The Charismatic Confusion
Revelation / Prophecy
Doctrine of Bible / God / Christ
Doctrine of Holy Spirit / Angels
Doctrine of Sin / Salvation
Contemporary Theological Issues
Church History
The Church: God’s Masterpiece (correspondence course and/or pulpit series)

10. New Testament Biblical Synthesis (correspondence course)

* A minimum of 5 classes must be taken by face-to-face teaching. The other 5 classes/courses may be taken via tape/correspondence. Also, other classes will be available for credit, though they will not be required to complete G.I.B.S.

APPENDIX 3

If you are a believer in Christ but geographically are unable to attend Duluth Bible Church, our G.I.B.S. may still be of spiritual assistance to you.

To Those Who Belong to a Participating Sister Church

If you have been saved by the grace of God, are desirous of further equipping for ministry, and attend one of our participating sister churches, please consider the following.

Since we do not want to attract believers away from their local church where they should be serving, we have developed a working agreement with your pastor/board to offer you more specialized training. If the elders of D.B.C. accept and your pastor approves your application for the G.I.B.S., your Phase 1 training will involve…

· Completing Old Testament Synthesis (via interactive manual form)

· Completing the following courses via classroom or taped correspondence courses:

¾ Romans 1-5

¾ Romans 6-8

¾ A, B, C’s for Christian Growth 1

¾ A, B, C’s for Christian Growth 2

¾ Biblical Distinctions

¾ Dispensational Truth 1

¾ Bible Study Methods/Rules of Interpretation

¾ Teaching Principles & Methods

¾ Completing 3 approved classes via your pastors pulpit / teaching ministry

Upon successful completion of Phase 1, you may then apply for Phase 2, though all Monday night classes are offered only at D.B.C. Furthermore, you would need to complete the other required classes via tape correspondence courses. If you are interested in pursuing this, make it a matter of prayer, discuss this with your pastor, and fill out the application at the back of this brochure (Appendix 5).

APPENDIX 4

(D.B.C. Application for Phase 1 of G.I.B.S.)

1. Name: ___________________________________________________

2. Address: _________________________________________________

3. Phone: _________________________ Age: ________

4. How long have you been saved? ________________ (Please attach a short testimony regarding how you came to Christ and how you now know that you have eternal life.)

5. How long have you attended D.B.C.? __________________

6. If you are married, is your spouse in agreement with you pursuing G.I.B.S.? No ¨ Yes ¨

7. To your knowledge, are you in full agreement with the doctrinal statement of D.B.C.? No ¨ Yes ¨
If “no”, could you explain? [Doctrinal statements are available in the tract rack in front of Bookstore.]

8. Are you willing to be submissive to the will of God and to the spiritual leadership of D.B.C.?
No ¨ Yes ¨

9. Explain WHY you want to enter G.I.B.S. and HOW you presently plan to use the biblical truth you will learn.

APPENDIX 5

(Application from a Participating Church for Phase 1 of G.I.B.S.)

1. Name: ___________________________________________________

2. Address: _________________________________________________

3. Phone: _________________________ Age: ________

4. How long have you been saved? ________________ (Please attach a short testimony regarding how you came to Christ and how you now know that you have eternal life.)

5. How long have you attended your church? __________________

6. If you are married, is your spouse in agreement with you pursuing G.I.B.S.? No ¨ Yes ¨

7. To your knowledge, are you in full agreement with the doctrinal statement of D.B.C.? No ¨ Yes ¨
If “no”, could you explain? [Doctrinal statements are available upon request.]

8. Are you willing to be submissive to the will of God and to the spiritual leadership of your church?
No ¨ Yes ¨

9. Explain WHY you want to enter G.I.B.S. and HOW you presently plan to use the biblical truth you will learn.

10. Does your pastor approve of your entrance into G.I.B.S.? No ¨ Yes ¨
[Please ask your pastor to contact Pastor Dennis Rokser in either written or verbal form of his approval.]

Who is the G.I.B.S. For?

Phase 1

Phase 2

Year 1

(Semester 1)

(Semester 2)

Year 2

(Semester 1)

(Semester 2)

Year 3

Advantages of Creating Two Phases

APPENDIX 1 (Phase 1)

APPENDIX 2 (Phase 2)

APPENDIX 3

To Those Who Belong to a Participating Sister Church

APPENDIX 4

APPENDIX 5

1. Name: ___________________________________________________

APPENDIX 6