The Kern Family Foundation, Inc., in Waukesha, Wisconsin, has awarded a grant of $115,000 to Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS) to fund initiatives in whole-life discipleship.
"The proposal focuses on educating spiritual leaders in understanding and multiplying a vision for whole-life discipleship that integrates a biblical theology of economics and work with participation in the life of the local church and her global mission," said Dr. Charlie Self, associate professor of church history at AGTS.
Dr. Self is the principal investigator for this grant project. Other team members include Dr. Stephen Lim, academic dean, and Dr. Johan Mostert, professor of community psychology.
The team is leading focus groups across the nation with AGTS faculty and national church leaders for the purpose of creating new discipleship curricula at all levels, designing related apps for smart phones and tablets and infusing whole-life discipleship into current courses and syllabi where possible.
As a result of this grant, the team plans to publish the first of several books on whole-life discipleship and seek publishing venues for the best student work on the topic. Through greater partnership with national church ministries devoted to spiritual growth, they expect to provide the Church with new tools that will foster growth and accountability among constituents.
AGTS president Byron D. Klaus said, "This significant grant will help AGTS in its continuing quest for effective theological reflection on the multiple facets of our society."
