Why a ThoughtWorks Curriculum?

I have talked a lot about the ThoughtWorks curriculum resource, but I wanted to give a little general rationale for what it is and why we built it. Certainly we could simply tap into the excellent resources at Vineyard Bible Institute or the Vineyard Leadership Institute and if you have access to either programme we would certainly encourage you to take advantage of it. But ThoughtWorks offers a little something more, in my opinion. Here are a few advantages to implementing ThoughtWorks in you congregations.

1) Made in Canada by Canadian Vineyard leaders

Each member of the ThoughtWorks team is both a leader in a Canadian Vineyard church and a representative for one of our four regions. We have a heart for the Canadian context and, we believe, a good understanding of what is important to developing and equipping Canadian Vineyard leaders. You know us, and you can easily call on us to tweak the material to fit your context.

2) Highlighting our National Successes

Because we are regional representatives we try our best to keep track of what is going on in our regions. More than that we have a mandate to highlight the best of what is going on in our regions in the hope that we can spread the wealth and equip more churches for Kingdom works. Because we keep in touch with each other we can also share what is going well in other regions, and spread the wealth nationally as well as regionally.

3) Developed For and By Leaders with a Passion for Equipping

We are not just folks who like to read - we read so that we can minister better. And what we want to do is pass on the best of what we are studying to you. Of course we love to hear about the things you are reading and finding helpful as well. Think of ThoughtWorks as a theological resource that can help you navigate a veritable mountain of material to find what might work best for you as you serve God in your own context. The courses we have developed represent areas that we have found to be essential to Vineyard ministries in the Canadian context.

4) Evolving and Basic

Lastly, ThoughtWorks curriculum is evolving. We still try to keep material as accessible as possible, but without sacrificing the depth that you will need to walk out your callings in the churches you love. Evolving yet basic is a good way to describe this curriculum. Basic because these are the building blocks for building strong disciples in keeping with our Lord's command: go into all the world and make disciples everywhere!