Spring Learning

This course invites you to understand ministry as living out and telling God’s story in the world. Whether you’re speaking from the pulpit, sharing in a small group, or engaging in everyday conversations, you’ll learn how to communicate the gospel as a narrative that resonates with people’s lives. The power of storytelling transforms not only how we teach the Bible but how we see ourselves as characters in God’s unfolding story.

Course Title:
Missional Living
Joining God in His Work

Program: Ember Discipleship College - Spring Experience

Format: Saturday Immersive Learning Experience

Instructor: Shannon Kapp, M.A.
Degree: Master of Arts in Theological Studies
Institution: Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Course Overview:

At Ember Discipleship College, we believe that the world is not just a place where you live—it’s your mission field. You weren’t made to just watch the story of God’s work in the world—you were made to live it, to join it. Welcome to Missional Living: Joining God in His Work, where you will discover that every footstep you take, every conversation you have, every ordinary moment is an opportunity to participate in the grand Missio Dei—the mission of God.

Here at Ember Discipleship College, we don’t believe in dividing life into sacred and secular spaces. The whole world is sacred ground. You’ll learn that ministry isn’t confined to a Sunday morning pulpit but pulses through the very heartbeat of your daily life. As you step into this immersive experience, you’ll see how every coffee shop, every sidewalk, and every dinner table is a mission field where God is already at work, and you’re invited to join.

This is not a class about how to do mission, but how to become missional, where the story of your life and the story of God’s work in the world collide and intertwine. We will teach you to create missional communities—spaces where justice, relationships, and service come together—where the gospel is lived out in full color. Let’s go on a journey where missional living becomes second nature, as natural as breathing.


Course Schedule:

Saturday Immersive Learning Experience:
(9:00 AM – 5:00 PM)

  1. Session 1: The Missio Dei—God’s Redemptive Story (9:00 AM – 10:30 AM)

    • Unpack the Missio Dei and how God’s story of redemption stretches from eternity into our daily lives.

    • Learn how your life intersects with God’s mission.

  2. Session 2: Seeing the Sacred in the Ordinary (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

    • See with new eyes how every space in your life—workplaces, homes, coffee shops—are sacred spaces for mission.

    • Stories of everyday mission from around the world.

  3. Session 3: Missional Communities—Spaces Where Gospel and Life Meet (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM)

    • Explore how to create communities where justice, discipleship, and service intertwine, shaping a new kind of gospel culture.

    • Group activity: Design your own missional community for your context.

  4. Lunch Break (1:30 PM – 2:30 PM)

  5. Session 4: Missional Experiments—Living the Gospel (2:30 PM – 3:30 PM)

    • Prepare for your own missional experiment—whether planting a small group in a secular space, launching an outreach, or starting a new ministry.

    • Group brainstorming session to plan your experiment.

  6. Session 5: Learning from the Saints (3:30 PM – 4:30 PM)

    • Explore case studies of historical and contemporary missional pioneers who radically transformed their communities by joining God’s work.

    • What can we learn from them, and how can we carry their legacy forward?

  7. Session 6: The Missional Journey Begins (4:30 PM – 5:00 PM)

    • Integrate what you’ve learned into a personal action plan.

    • Time for reflection, prayer, and setting your course for joining God’s mission in your own world.

Grading Breakdown:

  • Reflection Paper: 25%

  • Missional Experiment Project: 30%

  • Missional Community Plan: 25%

  • Class Participation: 20%

Course Objectives:

By the end of this experience, you will:

  1. Join the Missio Dei: Discover that God is already at work in the world, and He’s inviting you to step into His redemptive story every day.

  2. See the Sacred in the Ordinary: Learn to view the world through a different lens, seeing every space and every encounter as an opportunity for mission.

  3. Craft Missional Communities: Learn how to weave together discipleship, justice, and service into spaces where the gospel takes root and flourishes.

  4. Embody Everyday Evangelism: Develop practices for naturally sharing the good news of Jesus, not through programs but through the rhythms of life.

  5. Draw Inspiration from Missional Pioneers: Stand on the shoulders of saints and pioneers—past and present—who lived missionally and changed the world.

Key Concepts:

  • Missio Dei: God’s mission is not a program—it’s an unfolding story in which you are invited to participate. Learn to see where God is already moving and join Him.

  • Everyday Evangelism: Evangelism isn’t something you do—it's who you are. Learn to share Jesus as naturally as you share your own story, bringing the gospel into the sacred ordinary.

  • Missional Communities: Communities aren’t just gatherings—they are the soil where the gospel grows. Learn how to cultivate missional environments where relationships, justice, and service flow together.

  • Missional Movements: Walk in the footsteps of those who came before you—those who lived missionally in the early church and in modern movements—and be inspired to continue their legacy.

Practical Components:

  • Missional Experiments: It’s time to take what you’ve learned and put it into practice. Whether planting a small group in a secular space or starting an outreach initiative, you’ll design your own missional experiment and bring it to life.

  • Local Service Projects: Get your hands dirty serving your local community. Mission is not just a concept—it’s action, and you’ll experience it firsthand.

  • Crafting Missional Communities: In groups, you’ll plan and design a missional community that blends discipleship, justice, and service into the fabric of everyday life.

  • Learning from the Saints: Explore case studies of those who embodied missional living—from the early church to today—and apply their wisdom to your own journey.

Assignments:

  1. Reflection Paper (due 2 weeks after the course):
    Write a 2-3 page reflection on how you will join God’s mission through your daily life.

  2. Missional Experiment Project:
    Design and carry out a missional experiment, such as planting a small group or launching a community outreach, and present your experience in a report or video.

  3. Missional Community Plan:
    Create a plan for building a missional community that integrates discipleship, justice, and service.

  4. Class Participation and Engagement:
    Active participation in storytelling, service projects, and group activities during the immersive experience.

Required Reading:

  • Primary Text: Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who’s Already There by Len Sweet

  • Additional readings will be provided in advance from professor. Reading subject to change.

Instructor Information:

  • Instructor: Shannon Kapp 

  • Contact Information: shannon@ifyoudontquityouwin.com

At Ember Discipleship College, we don’t just provide education—we create spaces for transformation. Missional Living isn’t just a course, and this isn’t just a classroom. It’s a call to join Jesus in His mission and live it every day.