Core Seminars

Overview of Our Core Seminars

Formerly known to most as "Sunday School," Core Seminars are meant to foster the congregation’s growth in biblical knowledge and application of biblical truths to all of life. This is primarily achieved in the context of communal learning, conversation, and engagement. We offer Core Seminar classes for children (ages 2 to 11), youth (ages 12 to 18), college students, and adults from 10:00 to 10:45 every Sunday morning. Every age group has a class that goes through the whole Bible on a 3-year cycle. Along with the Bible Overview course, we often offer various other courses on specific books of the bible, systematic theology, or practical topics. Teachers are lay members, elders, and pastors at Grace, who regularly meet for training, feedback, and preparation.

Current Core Seminars

The Bible Overview Curriculum

Curriculum: The Bible Overview curriculum follows the cycle and plan of The Gospel Project material from children through adults. This plan is not to serve as law for the teachers but as a guide. Teachers are encouraged to plan their lessons independently, with whatever purpose or focus the text calls for regardless of The Gospel Project material. That said, this material is a helpful guide for teaching the biblical texts they cover and should be consulted or followed. Some benefits to consider related to this curriculum plan are: (1) the repeating cycle will build the resource pool, teaching pool, and continued in-depth study of the various books of the Bible from various perspectives and emphasis; (2) the same cycle for children through adults facilitates family worship as well as communal conversation on the same books; (3) it projects a sense of objective purpose and completeness to the congregation; and (4) the multiplicity of resources allows for a combination of personal instruction and trustworthy theological guardrails. 

Course Outline: Below is an outline of the current 3-year cycle.

• Fall 2024 - Genesis
• Winter 2024-2025 - Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• Spring 2025 - Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel
• Summer 2025 - 1-2 Samuel, 1 Kings
• Fall 2025 - 2 Kings, the Minor Prophets
• Winter 2025-2026 - Daniel, Ezra, Esther, Nehemiah, Malachi
• Spring 2026 - Gospels
• Summer 2026 - Gospels
• Fall 2026 - Gospels
• Winter 2026-2027 - Gospels, Acts
• Spring 2027 - Acts, Pauline Epistles
• Summer 2027 - Pauline Epistles, Pastoral Epistles, Revelation

Other Core Seminars

Children, Youth, and College Classes: We also have age-specific classes on Sunday mornings. To see what we do for children, click here; to see what we do for youth, click here; to see what we do for college students, click here. 

How to Read the Bible: During the fall of 2025, John O'Haver is teaching a class on how to read the Bible. This is a class that will deepen your love for God, build your confidence in his Word, and equip you with practical tools to read, understand, and apply the Bible. To see the notes for this class, click here. 

Church History: Since the summer of 2023, we have had a core seminar on church history from the 1st century through the nineteenth century, taught by multiple members and elders. Here is a link to the seminar notes. We will cover later centuries in future classes. 

Spiritual Formation: In the fall of 2023, we had a core seminar on spiritual formation, taught by one of our lay elders, Blake Thompson, and his wife, Beverly. In this class, we studied spiritual disciplines like silence, meditation, and solitude, using John Mark Comer's "Fight Hustle, End Hurry" podcast as a guide.

World Missions: In the fall of 2024 and spring of 2025, we had a core seminar on world missions (part 1), taught by our Associate Pastor, C.J. Moore. The International Mission Board's resources, Foundations and Explore Missions, were used as a guide for the course.

The Gospel in Everyday Life: In the spring of 2025, Blake and Beverly Thompson taught another core seminar, wherein they explored how every part of our lives—work, family, civic involvement, recreation, etc.—is to be done for God’s glory.

Mere Christianity Book Club: From the fall of 2024 through the spring of 2025, one of our deacons, Ross Barkley, led a book club core seminar on C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity. This is one of our recommended resources, so we thought it worthwhile to spend time reading through and thinking about it together.