Focus Program
The Focus Program was created by Harambee to help train its leaders and as a resource for personal enrichment to anyone interested. For more information contact Pastor Mike Gunn.Harambee Church
Focus and Mentoring Program
Objective: The objective of this program is to help those that are interested in leadership and church planting to accelerate their learning at their own speed, while they are working in their ministries.
Method: Each person chooses 28 of the recommended books, and meets with their mentor as they complete each book to hash through the material (candidates should meet at least once a month). Other assignments may be suggested or assigned at this time to enhance the issues of their particular ministry needs.
Upon completion, the student will have read through and critiqued (1000 word review) 28 books, including two “electives” (books that can be chosen out of any of the categories), read through and written a paper on Genesis, Ecclesiastes, John and Romans, watched and critiqued 5 media events/movies that communicate or relate to the gospel/theology/culture, and finally written a thesis in their area of interest (theology, leadership, counseling, worship, etc.). The student will also meet with their mentor at least once a month.
Those on the church-planting track would need to draw up a philosophy of ministry, which includes an ecclesiology, and by laws.
Theology
(Choose 3 books. No two books can be from the same time period)
(Books with an * by them are mandatory)
Note: Approved Substitutes can be made in any of the categories.
Ancient
1. On the Incarnation, Athanasius
2. Philokalia, 3 Volumes
3. Philosophies of Life, Peter Kreeft
4. City of God, Augustine
5. Heresies, Harold Braun
Middle Ages
1. Summa of the Summa:The Essential Philosphical Passages of St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica Edited and Explained for Beginners, Peter Kreeft
2. Angels In The Architecture, Douglas Jones
The Early Modern World
1. Christianity For Modern Pagans, Peter Kreeft on The Pensees (Pascal)
2. The Pensees, Blaise Pascal
3. Romans, Martin Luther
4. Lectures On Galatians, Martin Luther
5. The Institutes, John Calvin
6. The Existence And Attributes of God, Stephen Charnock
18th Century
1. Religious Affections, Jonathan Edwards
2. The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, John Owen
3. Freedom of the Will, Jonathan Edwards
4. Systematic Theology, A.H. Strong
5. Edifying Discourses, Soren Kierkegaard
6. The Mortification of Sin, John Owen
19th Century
1. Experiencing the Holy Spirit, Andrew Murray
2. Systematic Theology, Louis Berkhof
3. Lectures To My Students, Charles Spurgeon
4. Prayer and Spiritual Warfare, Charles Spurgeon
5. Holy Spirit, Charles Spurgeon
6. All of Grace, Charles Spurgeon
7.
20th Century
1. 20th Century Theology, Stanley Grenz
2. Knowing God, J.I. Packer
3. Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
4. Christian Theology and Introduction, Alister McGrath
5. Easy Chairs, Hard Words, Douglas Wilson
6. Biblical Theology, Gerhardus Vos
7. The Righteousness of Christ, John Piper
8. The Cross of Christ, John Piper
9. Desiring God, John Piper
10. The Drama of Doctrine, Kevin J. Vanhoozer
11. First Theology, Kevin J. Vanhoozer
12. Globalizing Theology, ed. Ott and Netland
13. Mangoes or Bananas? The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology, Hwa Yung
14. The Holy Spirit (Contours of Christian Theology), by Sinclair B. Ferguson
15. Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright
16. NT and the People of God, N.T. Wright
17. Jesus and the Victory of God, N.T. Wright
18. The Resurrection and the Son of God, N.T. Wright
19. The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is, N.T. Wright
20. The Trinity in a Pluralistic Age, Kevin Vanhoozer, ed.
Church History
(Choose 1)
1. The Story of Christianity: 2 Volumes, Justos Gonzalez
2. How The Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill
3. Desire of the Everlasting Hills : The World Before and After Jesus, Thomas Cahill
4. Church History in Plain Language, Bruce Shelby
5. The History of Christian Thought; Alister McGrath
6. History of Christian Doctrines, Louis Berkhoff
7. Christians as the Romans Saw Them, Robert L. Wilken
Postmodernism
(Choose 1)
1. A Primer On Postmodernism, Stanley Grenz
2. Resident Aliens, Stanley Hauerwas, Wil Willomon
3. Postmodernity and its Discontents, Zygmaunt Baumann
4. Interpreting God and the Postmodern Self, Bruce Thiselton
5. Postmodern Times, Gene Veith
6. Is there Meaning in the Text?, Kevin Vanhoozer
Missiology/Church Planting
(Choose 2)
1. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Leslie Newbigin
2. The Church Between Gospel and Culture, George Hunsberger
3. The Christian Mission and Modern Culture, 6 Authors
4. The Missional Church, Darrell Guder
5. The Celtic Way of Evangelism; George Hunter
6. Let the Nations Be Glad; John Piper
7. Planting Growing Churches, Aubrey Malphurs
8. A New Way To Be Human, Charlie Peacock
9. Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out, Mark Driscoll
10. Jesus in the Margins, Rick McKinley
11. A Peculiar People, Rodney Clapp
12. Transforming Mission, Donald Bosch
13. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer
14. Total Church, Tim Chester and Steve Timmis
15. 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever
16. The Shaping of Things to Come, Frost/Hirsch
17. Forgotten Ways, Ed Hirsch
18. Whose Religion is Christianity: The Gospel Beyond the West, Lamin Sanneh
19. Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture, Lamin Sanneh
20. Transformation: How Glocal Churches Transform Lives and the World, Bob Roberts Jr
21. Glocalization: How Followers of Jesus Engage a Flat World, Bob Roberts Jr.
22. Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns For Theology and Mission, Dean Flemming
23. Reinventing Christianity: African Theology Today, John Parray
24. Jesus and the Gospel in Africa, Kwame Bediako
Hermeneutics
(Choose 1)
1. God Centered Biblical Interpretation, Vern Poythress
2. Reading the Bible With Heart and Mind, Tremper Longman
3. Shaped By The Word, Robert Mullholland (!st half only)
4. Getting The Message, Daniel Doriani
5. Is There Meaning In The Text?, Kevin Vanhoozer
6. New Testament Exegesis, Gordon Fee
Spiritual Disciplines
(Choose 1)
1. Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster
2. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Don Whitney
3. The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard
4. Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard
5. Hearing God. Dallas Willard
6. Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola
Prayer
(Choose 1)
1. Prayer, Hans Urs Von Balthasar
2. The God Who Hears, W. Bingham Hunter
3. The Way of A Pilgrim, Author Unknown
4. The Power of Christ’s Prayer Life, Charles Spurgeon
5. The Essentials of Prayer, E.M. Bounds
6. Power Through Prayer, E.M. Bounds
7. Power Prayer Unlimited, J. Oswald Sanders
8. A Simple Way to Pray, Martin Luther
9. The Ministry of Intercessory Prayer, Andrew Murray
10. The Lord And His Prayer, N.T. Wight
11. Transforming Power of Prayer, James Houston
Preaching
(Choose 1)
1. Christ Centered Preaching, Bryan Chapell
2. The Homiletical Plot, Lowry
3. Preparing Bible Messages, James Braga
4. Preaching Jesus, Charles L. Campbell
5. Preaching to Strangers, Willimon and Hauerwas
6. Biblical Preaching, Haddon Robinson
7. The Supremacy of Christ in Preaching; John Piper
Apologetics
(Choose 2)
1. Apologetics to the Glory of God, John Frame *
2. Proper Confidence, Leslie Newbigin
3. The God Who Is There, Francis Schaeffer
4. Jesus Under Fire, J.P. Moreland, Editor
5. Scaling The Secular City, J.P. Moreland
6. Classical Apologetics, Sproul, Gerstner, Lindsley
7. Christian Apologetics, Norman Geisler
8. The Reason For God, Timothy J. Keller
9. The Defense of the Faith, Cornelius Van Til
10. No Other Gods Before Me?: Evangelicals And The Challenge of World Religions, John G. Stackhouse
11. Christianity at the Religious Roundtable, Timothy C. Tennent
12. What’s so Great About Christianity?, Dinesh D’Souza
13. Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
14. God In the Docks, C.S. Lewis
15. The Problem With Pain, C.S. Lewis
16. The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis
17. Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton
18. The Everlasting Man, G.K Chesterton
19. Heretics, G.K. Chesterton
20. Simply Christian, N.T. Wright
21. Evil, Justice and God, N.T. Wright
22. The World of Gurus, Vishal Mangalwadi
23. The Islamic Invasion, Robert Morey
24. Understanding Islam, Thomas Lippman
25. Answering Islam, Norman Geisler/Abdul Saleeb
Devotional
(Choose 2)
1. Bread In The Wilderness, Thomas Merton
2. Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer
3. The Knowledge Of The Holy, A.W. Tozer
4. Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges
5. Holiness of God, R.C. Sproule
6. The Imitation of Christ, Thomas A’Kempis
7. Practicing the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence
8. In the House of Memory: Ancient Celtic Wisdom for Everyday, Steven Rabey
9. The Interior Castle, St. Theresa of Avila
10. The Dark Night of the Soul, St. John of the Cross
11. No Wonder They Call Him the Savior, Max Lucado
12. The Desert Fathers, Thomas Merton
13. Three Philosophies of Life; Peter Kreeft
Cross Cultural
(Choose 1)
1. Breaking Down The Walls, Kehrein and Washington
2. Sharing Christ in a Tibetan Buddhist World, Tsering Markhu
3. Let Justice Roll Down, John Perkins
4. Planting Churches Cross-Culturally, David J. Hesselgrave
5. Urban Ministry, Harvey Conn + Manuel Ortiz
6. Mangoes or Bananas? The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology; Hwa Yung
7. A Theology as Big As The City, Ray Bakke
8. Seek the Peace of the City: Reflections on Urban Ministry, Eldin Villafane
9. Urban Ministry, David Claerbaut
Leadership
(Choose 1)
1. Making of a Leader, Bobby Clinton
2. Spiritual Leadership, J.O. Sanders
3. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell
4. Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, Kent + Barbara Hughes
5. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni
6. Crossing the Bridge: Church Leadership in a Time of Change; Alan Roxburgh
7. The Heart of a Servant Leader, John C.Miller
Biography
(Choose 1)
Note: After studying historical theology and the history of the church, there may be some historical figures that you want to study further. Below are some suggestions.
1. Praying Hyde
2. A Life of John Calvin, Alister McGrath
3. George Whitfield
4. The Gates of Splendor, Elisabeth Elliot
5. The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom
6. Amy Carmichael
7. Luther’s Theology of the Cross; Alister McGrath
8. The Legacy of Sovereign Joy; John Piper
9. Tortured For His Faith, Haralan Popov
10. Tortured For Christ, Richard Wurmbrand
11. The Life of St. Patrick And His Place In History, John Bury
12. Revival and Revivalism, Ian Murray
13. Spurgeon v.s. Hyper-Calvinism, Ian Murray
14. The Forgotten Spurgeon, Ian Murray
15. To the Mountain Top: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Sacred Mission, Stewart Burns
Christian Life
(Choose 3)
1. Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton
2. The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
3. Confessions, Augustine
4. Pilgrims Progress, John Bunyan
5. The Flight From God, Max Picard
6. Desiring God, John Piper
7. The Gospel According to Jesus, John McArthur
8. Passion and Purity, Elisabeth Elliot
9. The Pleasures of God, John Piper
10. Mere Christianity; C.S. Lewis
11. A Long Obedience In The Same Direction, Eugene Peterson
12. Recovering Biblical Womanhood and Manhood, Wayne Grudem and John Piper
13. Finding God, Larry Crabb
14. Ordering Your Private World, Gordon McDonald
15. Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, Thomas Brooks
16. Spiritual Armor, William Gurnall
17. Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller
18. Searching For God Knows What, Donald Miller
19. Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper
20. When the Darkness Will Not Lift; John Piper
21. The Mortification of Sin; John Owen
Pastoral Care
(Choose 2)
1. The Reformed Pastor, John Owen
2. Competent to Counsel, Jay Adams
3. Biblical Eldership, Alex Strauch
4. The Contemplative Pastor, Eugene Peterson
5. Five Smooth Stones For Pastoral Work, Eugene Peterson
6. Working The Angles, Eugene Peterson
7. Pastoral Ministry, John MacArthur
8. Pastoral Care, Gregory The Great
9. Connecting, Larry Crabb
10. Pastoral Counseling, John MacArthur
11. How People Change, Paul Tripp/Tim Lane
12. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Paul Tripp
13. Soul Talk, Larry Crabb
14. The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen
15. Blame it On the Brain, Ed Welch
16. Depression: A Stubborn Darkness, Ed Welch
Worship
(Choose 1)
1. Worship, Community and The Triune God of Grace, James B. Torrance
2. Beholding the Glory Edited by Jeremy Begbie
3. God's Passion for His Glory, John Piper
4. Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, Marva J. Dawn
5. Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts,Harold M. Best
Marriage and Family
(Choose 2)
1. Shepherding A Child’s Heart, Ted Tripp *
2. Fidelity, Douglas Jones (Men)
3. Intimate Issues, Linda Dillow (Women)
4. The Federal Husband, Douglas Wilson (Men)
5. Parenting Isn’t For Cowards, James Dobson
6. Life Together, Dennis and Barbara Rainey
7. Point Man, Steve Farrar
8. Fruit of Her Hands, (Women)
9. Families at the Crossroads, Rodney Clapp
Social Justice
(Choose One)
1. God of the Oppressed, James Cone (Note: Highly controversial)
2. Transforming Society, Melba Maggay
3. Justice for All, John Perkins
4. Justice, Mercy and Humility: Integral Mission and the Poor; edited by Tim Chester
5. Awakening to a World of Need: The Recovery of Evangelical Social Action; Tim Chester
6. Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger; Ron Sider
7. Restoring At Risk Communities, John Perkins
Book Reviews
1. The papers should be no longer than 1000 words, and should be double spaced (Aprox. 3 pages long).
2. Explain the title and subtitle (There are some books, particularly theology books where this may not apply). Relate the title and subtitle to the book’s theme and purpose.
3. Set out the basic structure of the book drawing on the table of contents or other outline. (30-40% of paper)
4. Evaluate how you think the book achieved its goals. (20-30% of paper)
5. What two things did you like about the book? (Mandatory)
6. What two things did you dislike about the book? (Mandatory)
Media Reviews
Evaluate the movie, music, play, etc. as it relates to the gospel, and its impact on culture. What are the issues the writer, producer, director is trying to portray? How can this film, etc. be used in the contextualization of the gospel? What are some of the images, motifs, or metaphors that the producer/director used to communicate his theme? What is the theme he/she is trying to communicate? Did the picture communicate clearly? What are the ramifications of the film in relation to the gospel and/or culture?
Bible Reviews
Each book needs to include its major theme, key words and verses, and an outline clearly communicating the book’s intent. How did the author intend to convey God’s story of redemption from the content of this book? Did you see any use of culture involved in the book? How is the gospel presented in each book? Is Christ seen in the book? How?