Twin Cities Learning Community

Imagine 25 pastors and marketplace leaders engaging together for six months to equip their congregations to become faithful followers of Christ through their everyday work--whether paid or unpaid.

Made to Flourish is a network for Twin Cities pastors who seek to grow in whole-life discipleship and faith and work integration. They are hosting their second Learning Community this spring from March to August 2019. Pastors and marketplace leaders are invited to come together in a collaborative learning environment centered around transforming ideas and best practices. Participants learn from local thought leaders, assess their congregation on various dimensions, and design action steps to more robustly integrate faith, work, and economics, all while receiving coaching along the way. Significant scholarships are available for churches who have need.

Session Dates

March 14-15, 2019 | Session 1: Theological Foundations of Faith, Work, and Economics featuring Dr. Michael Wittmer

May 21-22, 2019 | Session 2: The Church for Vocational Discipleship featuring Pastor Artie Lindsay

August 13-14, 2019 | Session 3: The Church for Vocational Mission featuring Pastor Christopher Brooks

Session Descriptions

Session 1: In this session, we lay a theological foundation for the whole project, exploring the grand biblical narrative (creation, fall, redemption, consummation) and its relevance to our world and our work. We will see how our work is a central aspect of our call to love God and neighbor. In the words of Steven Garber, "Vocation is integral, not incidental, to the missio Dei."

Session 2: Building on the foundation from Session 1, we now explore the ways in which this reframes the ministry of our local churches. If our vocational callings are central to God's mission in the world, in what ways are our churches aiding (or hindering) this goal? How should a commitment to vocational stewardship affect the various aspects of local church life (preaching, liturgical practices, spiritual formation, evaluation criteria, etc.)?

Session 3: The church is called to join God's redemptive mission "far as the curse is found." This includes seeking the flourishing of the communities in which he has placed us. In this session, we focus on the central role of economic exchange and the role of the church in fostering a flourishing economy.

Faculty Bios

Dr. Michael Wittmer is professor of Systematic and Historical Theology and director of the Center for Christian Worldview at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He teaches various courses including Graduate Research Methods, Christian Worldview, Medieval Theology, and Systematic Theology, and he supervises theses for master's-level students in historical and systematic theology. Dr. Wittmer belongs to the Evangelical Theological Society, and he is also a speaker and the author of several books including Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God, Becoming Worldly Saints: Can You Serve Jesus and Still Enjoy Your Life?, and Don't Stop Believing: Why Living Like Jesus Is Not Enough.

Pastor Artie Lindsay serves as teaching pastor at Tabernacle Community Church, a multi-ethnic congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He earned a BA in political science from the University of Michigan before following God's call into pastoral ministry. Pastor Lindsay moved from his hometown of Detroit to Grand Rapids to complete an MTS at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He previously served as the associate pastor at Messiah Baptist Church in Grand Rapids under the leadership of Dr. Clifton Rhodes, Jr. Pastor Lindsay has a burden and passion for community revitalization, and he continues to work extensively in the community to address the very real physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of community members.

Pastor Christopher Brooks is the senior pastor of Evangel Ministries, a thriving 1,600-member church in the heart of Detroit. He also serves as campus dean of Moody Theological Seminary in Plymouth, Michigan. A popular Detroit radio host since 2005, Pastor Brooks is author of Kingdom Dreaming and Urban Apologetics. He graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Finance, completed his MA in Christian Apologetics at Biola University, and graduated from the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.