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A Page from our Playbook: Brookside Institute Core Values

9/9/2014

 
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At its core, the Brookside Institute is all about building and reinforcing foundations of the Christian faith.  We do this because we believe that something called "catechesis" - even though we don't always call it that - is still important and worthwhile.  (Click here and here for a couple of posts explaining and reinforcing the continuing value of catechesis.)  We love offering classes that help people Dig Deep, Learn Good, and Launch Well.

Everything in this post so far (in my biased opinion) helps paint a picture of WHAT the Institute is all about, and WHY I believe so strongly in this equipping ministry for the local church.  But at least one more important question still needs to be answered: HOW do we go about doing this?

I suppose there's a few angles by which this question could be approached, but one such helpful angle is by the category of "core values."  Very simply, core values describe the behaviors that already exist in any organization that help make the organization what it is and keep it on track.  (For more on this, see Patrick Lencioni's The Advantage.)  While everyone at every layer of an organization may not be able to recite the core values word for word, when any of these people hear the core values, they should say "Oh yeah, that makes sense.  Here's how I've seen those things played out in my area."

So...HOW does the Brookside Institute go about doing what it does?  Here - in very brief form - is a look inside our playbook at 3 core values of the Brookside Institute:

Overwhelmingly Biblical

Not overwhelming in the bad sense (like defeated orsteamrolled), but overwhelming in the good sense - you can't take our classes without looking at the Bible, and digging into the Bible, and learning fresh things from the Bible.  It’s obvious that we’re intentional with pointing people to God’s Word.  If it didn’t sound even weirder than “overwhelmingly biblical” I might’ve said “overtly biblical.”  

Graciously Focused

We are focused on “the majors” of Christianity, and emphasizing biblical engagement, theological formation, and connecting what we learn with Christian character and Christian mission.  As we focus on these things, our attitude is gracious and we see everyone in the class - both teacher as students - as learners.

Evident Enjoyment

There's something inherently contagious about seeing people doing stuff they authentically love doing. We want to show that Institute teachers evidently enjoy teaching.  And students have fun learning.  Just because our content can be serious doesn't mean we can't have fun diving into it.

If you've taken Institute classes, how have you seen one or more of these values play out in practice?  If you've never taken an Institute class, what are some practical ways you'd hope to see these values lived out?
Bruce
9/9/2014 05:20:23 am

I've been in a few classes and I'd have to say that I really enjoyed them. Even though at times I felt that the instructors stayed on safe ground and never promoted discussion on uncomfortablbe topics I was always challenged and at the end of the day felt that I grew more spiritually. And I would very much agree that we not only looked at what the bible said but also made it a point to focus on how we can put what we read and learned into practice.
Breaking up into small groups seemed to facilitate this by allowing us to provide examples and give encouragement to others in the group.
On a side note while I've been attending Brookside for a couple years now it seems there is a bit of shallowness in the folks that attend here. And maybe that's the way it is in most churches. Folks just don't seem to know their bible very well from a historical or contexual standpoint and are content to believe everything that the pastor or instructor says without being able to use any critical thinking on their own. Good evidence for this is that only one or maybe two people have commented anything on all of the great posts you have written. You would think that there would be more discussion going on if folks truely cared about their spiritual
journey or even thought deeply about what they were hearing on Sundays or in these institute classes. Maybe things will get better.

Tim Wiebe
9/9/2014 06:42:35 am

Bruce,

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed classes you've taken, and have noticed our intended emphases on looking closely at Scripture AND connecting what we're learning with our everyday lives.

I hope that your ongoing involvement at Brookside (either in our Institute classes or other ministries) gradually shows you the depth & thoughtfulness that I so often see in Brooksiders. I know I'm often challenged by questions and comments I hear, emails I receive, etc.

To be sure, there are those who don't have a strong history with Christianity - either because they didn't grow up in the church, never paid attention, or whatever. We're (of course!) happy to have those sorts of people considering Christianity a-fresh and wading into Christian community. And I know that's why I believe so firmly in the Brookside Institute and the broader concept of evangelical catechesis/instruction/equipping - in (large) part so we can come alongside those who don't have a robust understanding of the richness of Christianity and help them "build and reinforce foundations of the Christian faith."

Hope to see you in a class again this Fall!


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    Tim Wiebe

    Christian. Husband. Father. Pastor. Learner. Contributor. Reader.


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