From where they are. To where God may lead.
CLC Learning Series help people in your congregation grow in faith, discover their calling, and step into God’s work in the Church and the world.
Teaching
Grounded sessions engage Scripture, Church history, and the Christian faith.
Group Formation
Participants learn together through guided conversation and shared reflection.
Daily Spiritual Practices
Simple practices carry learning into the rhythms of everyday life.
Spiritual Friendship
Each participant walks with a spiritual friend connected to their local church.
Preview the Core Learning Series
Three series. One shared foundation.
The three Core Learning Series provide a shared foundation in Scripture, the story of Jesus’ Church, and the core testimony of Christian faith.
Open a series to learn about the featured session. The teaching, session outline, and guide previews are available with the pastor preview password.
01
Core Learning Series One
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
Experience Scripture as a unified story—and discover your place within it.
02
Core Learning Series Two
Remembering Our Family History
Trace how Jesus’ Church has lived across time—and consider what faithfulness means today.
03
Core Learning Series Three
Recounting Our Core Testimony
Explore the central convictions of Christian faith—and how they shape our life in the Church and the world.
Core Learning Series One
Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
Experience Scripture as a unified story—and discover your place within it.
Featured Session
Session 2: Where the Bible Begins
Where the writing of the Bible begins—and how this helps us understand it.
This session begins at Mount Sinai, where God establishes a covenant with Israel. Participants discover that the covenant is more than a collection of laws. It is a story of God’s presence, promise, mission, and relationship with His people.
Continue into the Session Preview
See how the full experience comes together.
Enter the pastor preview password to watch the teaching and look inside the session outline, Host Guide, and Participant Handout.
Watch the Teaching
Session 2: Where the Bible Begins
Experience the complete teaching session with Dr. Wayne Brouwer.
Session Outline
What participants encounter in this session
The outline introduces the setting, readings, and major ideas participants will encounter in the teaching.
Session Focus
Where the Bible begins
The writing of the Bible begins in the context of God’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai. Understanding that setting helps participants read Scripture as the story of God’s relationship with His people.
Suggested Readings
- The Book of Exodus
- Focused passages: Exodus 1–24, 32–34, and 40
- Covenant Documents : Chapter 1
What the Teaching Unpacks
- Why the Bible’s written story begins in the setting of God’s covenant with Israel.
- How ancient covenant forms help us understand the movement and structure of the Exodus story.
- Why the Tabernacle reveals that God’s purpose was not simply to give laws, but to dwell among His people.
Inside the Host Guide
Help the group see why the Bible begins with covenant.
The Host Guide prepares the host to lead this particular session without needing to become the teacher. It explains the central movement of the teaching and provides several ways to help the group explore what they have heard.
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Understand the session before gathering
The guide introduces the Sinai covenant, the ancient covenant structure Wayne explores, and why this setting matters for how participants read the Bible.
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Choose the best conversation path
Discussion options help the host explore the covenant, the plagues, the Tabernacle, and the larger picture of God seeking relationship with His people.
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Prepare and encourage participants
Ready-to-adapt email and text drafts help the host introduce the Exodus readings before the session and encourage reflection, practice, and spiritual friendship afterward.
A complete Host Guide is provided for every session in the series.
Inside the Participant Handout
A handout for listening, responding, and carrying the session forward.
Participants use the handout during the actual session. It helps them follow the teaching, notice what is changing in their understanding, and identify something they can discuss and practice afterward.
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Follow the teaching as it unfolds
Thought prompts invite participants to notice the covenant structure, the meaning of the plagues, and why God’s presence in the Tabernacle matters to the larger biblical story.
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Choose a practice connected to the session
Participants choose from several weekly practices, such as returning to a key Exodus passage, noticing God’s presence and promises, or responding to one invitation from the teaching.
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Talk it through with a spiritual friend
Guided prompts help participants share how this session affected their understanding of Scripture, name one response they want to make, and invite encouragement and accountability.
A Participant Handout is provided for every session in the series.
Core Learning Series Two
Our Family Story: Charting Again the History of Jesus’ Church
Trace the story of Jesus’ Church across time—and consider how its faithfulness, failures, conflicts, and renewal movements continue to shape the Church today.
Featured Session
Session 4: Church & State & Islam
When faith, power, and conflict reshape the Church.
As political structures weakened, the Church stepped into positions of authority that shaped culture, governance, and identity. At the same time, the rise of Islam introduced a new and powerful religious movement, leading to deep interaction, political struggle, and lasting conflict.
Continue into the Session Preview
See how the full experience comes together.
Enter the pastor preview password to watch the teaching and look inside the session outline, Host Guide, and Participant Handout.
Watch the Teaching
Session 4: Church & State & Islam
Experience the complete teaching session with Dr. Wayne Brouwer.
Session Outline
What participants encounter in this session
The outline introduces the historical setting, readings, and major movements participants will encounter in the teaching.
Session Focus
Faith, power, and conflict
The Church’s influence expanded as western political structures weakened. That influence brought opportunities to serve society, but it also created lasting tensions between the way of Jesus and the pursuit of earthly power.
Suggested Readings
- Church History in Plain Language : Chapters 16–19
- Read Urban II: “Sermon at Clermont”
What the Teaching Unpacks
- How the weakening of western political structures drew the Church into new forms of civic and political authority.
- How church leaders and political rulers competed to define power, leadership, and Christian identity.
- How the rise of Islam and the Crusades reshaped relationships, conflict, and the Church’s witness for centuries.
Inside the Host Guide
Help the group face a complicated chapter in the Church’s story.
The Host Guide prepares the host to lead this session with humility and care. It explains the major historical movements and provides several ways to help participants examine faith, political power, conflict, and Christian witness.
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Understand the historical movement
The guide introduces the Church’s growing political authority, the struggle between church and state, the rise of Islam, and the events that led toward the Crusades.
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Choose the best conversation path
Discussion options help the group consider how faith becomes connected to political and cultural identity, what happens when the Church pursues power, and how intentions can differ from outcomes.
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Prepare the group to engage carefully
Ready-to-adapt email and text drafts help the host frame the session before the gathering and encourage continued reflection, humility, and faithful response afterward.
A complete Host Guide is provided for every session in the series.
Inside the Participant Handout
A handout for listening carefully to a difficult history.
Participants use the handout during the session to follow the historical movement, notice where faith and power become entangled, and consider what this part of the Church’s story may reveal about faithful Christian witness today.
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Follow the major shifts in the story
Thought prompts help participants notice the Church’s movement into political authority, the rise of Islam, the motivations behind the Crusades, and the consequences that followed.
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Choose a practice connected to the session
Participants choose from practices that invite humility, peacemaking, and greater attention to the ways power and cultural identity can shape Christian faith and witness.
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Talk it through with a spiritual friend
Guided prompts help participants name what unsettled or challenged them, consider what faithful witness may require today, and identify one response they want to make with encouragement from a trusted friend.
A Participant Handout is provided for every session in the series.
Core Learning Series Three
Recounting Our Core Testimony
Explore the central convictions of Christian faith—and discover how they shape identity, relationships, witness, and everyday life.
Featured Session
Session 5: Witness & Mission
The Church That Makes God’s Care Visible.
The mission of the Church begins with the mission of God. This session explores how Christian witness becomes visible through our words and lives—and how the Church participates in God’s work by seeking the flourishing of others, resisting what destroys life, and offering signs of God’s coming Kingdom.
Continue into the Session Preview
See how the full experience comes together.
Enter the pastor preview password to watch the teaching and look inside the session outline, Host Guide, and Participant Handout.
Watch the Teaching
Session 5: Witness & Mission
Experience the complete teaching session with Dr. Wayne Brouwer.
Session Outline
What participants encounter in this session
The outline introduces the biblical movement, readings, and central practices participants will encounter in the teaching.
Session Focus
Making God’s care visible
God has been working throughout the biblical story to restore creation and draw His children home. The Church participates in that mission by bearing witness to Jesus and seeking the flourishing of its neighbors without coercion.
Suggested Readings
- Martyr’s Manual : Chapters 19–20 and Epilogue
- Key biblical passages: Isaiah 2:1–5; Matthew 5:13–16; Matthew 28:18–20; John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17–20
What the Teaching Unpacks
- How the mission of the Church begins with God’s work of restoring creation and drawing humanity back into life with Him.
- The difference between personal witness and the Church’s shared mission—and what it means to seek human flourishing without coercion.
- Four practices that shape Christian mission: restoring creational goodness, resisting evil, learning the heart of Jesus, and leaning into God’s promised future.
Inside the Host Guide
Help the group explore how the Church makes God’s care visible.
The Host Guide prepares the host to lead a thoughtful conversation about witness, mission, culture, justice, and care without needing to solve every social problem. It keeps the conversation centered on Jesus and the Church’s calling to participate faithfully in God’s mission.
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Understand the movement of the session
The guide traces God’s mission through the biblical story and helps the host understand the relationship between care, witness, mission, and the four practices Wayne identifies.
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Guide an honest, Jesus-centered conversation
Discussion questions help participants explore human flourishing without coercion, the difference between witness and mission, and how Christians can serve their communities without trying to control them.
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Carry the session into everyday life
Ready-to-adapt emails, prayers, and weekly practices help the host encourage participants to notice who may feel unseen, listen before acting, practice their testimony, and connect with a spiritual friend.
A complete Host Guide is provided for every session in the series.
Inside the Participant Handout
A handout for noticing where God’s care can become visible.
Participants use the handout to follow the teaching, reflect on the difference between witness and mission, and identify a practical way to seek the good of their neighbors during the week ahead.
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Follow the central ideas of the teaching
Reflection prompts help participants consider human flourishing without coercion, the four practices of God’s people, and the stories that reveal what genuine Christian care can look like.
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Choose a practice connected to the session
Participants can reach out to one person who may feel unseen, walk their neighborhood with greater attention, or put their own witness into simple and honest words.
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Talk it through with a spiritual friend
Guided prompts help participants share what stood out, name the practice they chose, and pray that the care of Jesus would become visible through their lives.
A Participant Handout is provided for every session in the series.
From Preview to Practice
Who is one person in your church who is ready for more?
The pastor’s role is intentionally light: identify one person in your church community and invite them to join a Learning Series hosted by CLC.
CLC provides the teaching, support, and resources. From there, formation begins to multiply.
Help One Person BeginStep One
Your Part
You Identify One Person
Think of someone who is curious, faithful, and open to growth. Invite them to join a CLC-hosted Learning Series.
Step Two
CLC’s Part
CLC Hosts Their Experience
They participate in a CLC-hosted Learning Series with teaching, conversation, spiritual practices, and personal support.
Step Three
Back in Your Church
They Bring It Home
After completing the series, they are prepared to gather and host a group in their church or community. CLC continues to provide guidance, resources, and coaching.
Step Four
What Begins to Grow
It Grows from There
Formation begins to multiply as new participants discover gifts, deepen their faith, step into ministry, and pursue mission together.
One invitation can become a group. One group can become a beginning.
Beyond the Core
Formation does not end with the foundation.
The Core Learning Series establish a shared foundation in Scripture, the Church’s story, and Christian faith.
From there, additional Learning Series help people develop the understanding, practices, and confidence needed to serve faithfully in particular areas of congregational and neighborhood life.
Where could deeper formation strengthen your church next?
Explore What Comes Next01
Learning SeriesMusic Ministry
Form worship leaders and musicians who serve with theological depth, pastoral care, and a commitment to the whole Church.
02
Learning SeriesChildren’s Ministry
Help children encounter the story of Jesus, know they belong, and grow as active participants in the life of the Church.
03
Learning SeriesNeighborhood Ministry
Learn to listen to your neighborhood, build trusted relationships, and join where God is already at work close to home.
Oh—and one more thing.
The Core Learning Series can also lead toward seminary credit.
For those in your church who want deeper training, a bit more reading, study, and writing can open that door.
Who comes to mind?
Ask About Seminary CreditStart a Conversation
Who are you thinking about?
Maybe one person came to mind. Maybe you are beginning to imagine what this could look like in your church.
Tell us a little about what you are considering. CLC will come alongside you, answer your questions, and help make the next step simple.
You do not need to have a plan worked out. A name, a question, or a beginning idea is enough.
Connect with CLC
Let’s begin with a conversation.
Share what is on your mind, and someone from CLC will follow up.