Developing a Thirty-Hour Discipleship and Counseling Course for Strengthening Ministries Training Institute in Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to develop a thirty-hour ACBC approved discipleship and counseling course for an African context that demonstrates a biblical approach to discipleship and counseling for Strengthening Ministries Training Institute at Lynnwood Baptist Church in Pretoria, South Africa. Chapter 1 covers the context of SMTI and addresses the goals of the project. Chapter 2 examines several biblical texts, which give the theological basis showing the role of the church in discipling believers. Chapter 3 explains the importance of understanding the diversity of the African context. The chapter further highlights possible approaches that may hinder the assimilation of biblical counseling principles. Chapter 4 discusses the development of the curriculum for the 30HDC course. The chapter also deals with the importance of contextualizing biblical counseling for the African context. Chapter 5 focuses on the results of the pre-course and post-course survey data. This chapter also considers an evaluation of the project’s purposes. An evaluation of the project’s goals is also addressed and measured by the results of the surveys. Chapter 5 closes with a theological reflection on the project.