Harbor, Pepperdine Bible Lectures

Teacher: Ken Cukrowski What is going on in Ephesus? Some women are misbehaving ("Eves"), and other women are ministering in diverse ways. We'll do a deep dive into the Pastoral Epistles and explore the various gifts that women bring to ministry.

Teachers: Marian and Tim Parker Created from longing itself, humans are born with a longing to connect. Children are naturally open to a connection to our Creator. Coupling this curiosity to an exploration of the Word through the many facets of who we have been created to be allows for deeper understanding of our place—our connection. We will consider the idea of taking God’s stories and learning through a rotation of understandings or methods—science, art, games, drama, history, and how we can serve others. Taking a deep dive into the richness of God’s gifts of learning methods, children can begin to discover their place in God’s story. Come explore with us and discover your place in God’s ultimate story.

Teachers: John Mark Hicks, Mac Ice, Jerry Rushford Photographs are windows into our stories. Join us for an interPhotographs are windows into our stories. Join us for an interactive conversation about historic photographs from the Restoration Movement and the stories to which they bear witness. The timeline for the photographs begins in the middle of the 19th century and concludes in the present day.active conversation about historic photographs from the Restoration Movement and the stories to which they bear witness.

Teacher: Candace Nicolds Class 1: The Brookline Church of Christ in Massachusetts is a 100-year-old congregation, but communal life looks different than it ever has before. Church members are located all across the country! The worship services are "fusion": some people attend in the building and some via Zoom, yet it is very much a single community as the two groups interact with one another. In a time when people increasingly find community online, Brookline is tapping into that to create a new type of church. Come hear how this church is reimagining being "all together in one place" and what they have learned so far.

Teachers: Susan Giboney, Mary Alice Reed This class will focus on how to best serve our growing population of senior citizens in our churches.  Wisely using church funds for our elderly will be discussed as well as understanding the needs of this special age group.  The class will also give suggestions on how to help this population to finish life well. Ministers, families, and seniors will benefit from this session.

Teacher: Gregg Marutzky What was the leadership style of Jesus when he was on earth? Many describe Jesus as a Servant Leader or an Upside Down Leader. Jesus has also been described as a Transformational Leader, Inclusive Leader, or Collaborative Leader. Arguments can be made for all these labels. Unfortunately, when we use organizational terms to describe the leadership of Christ, the descriptions fail to capture the leader of leaders fully. Becoming a Jesus leader or Christian leader means transfiguration by the Holy Spirit to become an imitation of Jesus. Jesus' leadership embodies the Cross and becomes the servant of all. Leadership is not exercising authority over others but rather joining with others. Leadership is at the intersection of leaders and followers. Without followers, there are no leaders. Leadership in the 21st century has significant challenges and requires leaders in the church to understand transfiguration. Let's explore together going beyond transactional leadership and transformative leadership to transfigurational leadership.

Teacher: Tiffany Dahlman Class 1: Preachers, have you been frustrated with your elders over matters of theology or mission? Elders, have you felt anxiety or confusion over your pulpit minister's theology? Very often Churches of Christ hire pulpit ministers with advanced degrees in Bible and ministry while the elders do not have any such formal training. Elders may be rich in faith and love for the flock, but the formal training distance between them and the preacher can wreak havoc on a congregation. Some have called this an "upside-down polity" where those without formal training in Bible and ministry are the authority over the ministers who do have such training. As a result, conflict ensues, misunderstandings abound, and church growth stymies. This class will offer several ways for churches to overcome the dark side of the upside down polity system so that ministers and elders can work together and the formal training gap can dissolve without compromising a plurality of leadership or the greater gifts.

Teacher: Dee Dee Mayer Pastor burnout is real. Vocational ministry is challenging, particularly in our current cultural climate. The Barna Group released research that communicates that 42% of pastors have considered leaving ministry in the past year. Some factors impacting this rise in pastors questioning their call to ministry are stress, loneliness, and politics. Please join Dee Dee Mayer as she shares strategies for sustaining wellness and flourishing across a lifespan of ministry. In this class you will leave with tools that will help you assess both your own wellness as well as the wellness of those you lead and serve.

Teachers: Judy and Woody Square We have had an exciting journey these past two years partnering with the City of San Leandro and our immediate neighbors to develop our church into a Resilience Hub for the community. A resilience hub is a neighborhood center that integrates disaster preparedness, community care and belonging, and sustainability to be "ready for anything." We have a steering committee made up of 4 church members and 8 Lewis Avenue neighbors. We meet about every six weeks to plan block parties, work on an emergency communication system, prepare the church building to serve as an evacuation center, and address the neighborhood’s top concerns (crime, traffic calming, etc.) The immediate neighborhood sees us as a valuable resource and asset, and we are building many new connections throughout the city. More and more cities will be starting Resilience Hub initiatives, and they will be reaching out to communities of faith to serve in this capacity. Come and learn how your church can bless your surrounding community in this way.

Teachers: Jacob Parnell, Bryan Schackmann Bryan and Jacob are Church of Christ preachers who also do stand-up comedy on the side. (Think of it as a mid-life crisis people are forced to watch!) In this session, they will share stories about their time in the bars and comedy clubs of Los Angeles and the California Bay Area trying to share the light and hope of Jesus in a pretty dark world. They’ll also each perform some of their original stand-up material! (So laugh good.)