Winter 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:
Narrative Theology
Living and Telling the Story

Program:Ember Discipleship College - Winter Experience

Format: Saturday Immersive Learning Experience

Instructor: Dr. Andrew Fox, Ph.D.
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies
Specializations: Multidisciplinary Theology, History, Liturgy, and Culture
Institution: Assemblies of God Theological Seminary 

Course Overview:

At Ember Discipleship College, we believe that the greatest story ever told isn’t just ink on a page—it’s alive in each one of us. In Narrative Theology: Living and Telling the Story, you’ll discover how to live inside the unfolding drama of God’s redemptive work and learn to help others find their place in that story. The Bible isn’t a disconnected collection of teachings—it’s a grand, sweeping narrative where God’s story meets your story.

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.

Through interactive workshops, you’ll learn how to craft and share stories that connect with the heart. You’ll explore how your own life weaves into God’s grand narrative and how to help others discover and tell their part in that story. Ministry is more than conveying information—it’s telling the living, breathing story of God’s work in the world.

Course Schedule:

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

  1. Session 1: The Grand Narrative of Scripture (9:00 AM – 10:30 AM)

    • Explore the Bible as a cohesive, unfolding narrative of God’s work in the world.

    • Learn how your own life is part of this larger story.

  2. Session 2: Storytelling in Ministry (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

    • Discover the art of storytelling in ministry and how to make biblical truths and personal testimonies come alive in the hearts of others.

    • Group discussion on the role of stories in transforming people’s understanding of the gospel.

  3. Session 3: Finding Your Place in God’s Story (12:00 PM – 1:30 PM)

    • Learn to help others see their lives as part of God’s ongoing story, discovering their purpose and role in His work.

    • Group activity: Explore how to guide others in finding and telling their own stories.

  4. Lunch Break (1:30 PM – 2:30 PM)

  5. Session 4: Crafting and Telling Your Story (2:30 PM – 3:30 PM)

    • Workshop on how to craft your personal narrative and tell it in a way that invites others into God’s story.

    • Hands-on practice in sharing your story with authenticity and impact.

  6. Session 5: Engaging in Shared Storytelling Spaces (3:30 PM – 4:30 PM)

    • Learn how to lead and participate in communal storytelling, whether in small groups, sermons, or outreach settings.

    • Practice fostering environments where storytelling strengthens faith and deepens connection.

  7. Session 6: Living and Telling God’s Story (4:30 PM – 5:00 PM)

    • Reflect on how to live out and tell God’s story in your daily life and ministry.

    • Develop a personal action plan to continue sharing God’s story wherever you go.

Grading Breakdown:

  • Reflection Paper: 25%

  • Storytelling Project: 30%

  • Ministry Integration Plan: 25%

  • Class Participation: 20%

Course Objectives:

By the end of this immersive experience, you will:

  1. Understand Scripture as a Grand Narrative: See the Bible as an interconnected story of God’s redemptive work and recognize how your life fits within that story.

  2. Embrace the Power of Storytelling in Ministry: Learn how to use personal testimony, biblical truths, and the Church’s story to resonate deeply with others.

  3. Help Others Find Their Place in God’s Story: Equip people to see their lives as part of God’s unfolding narrative and empower them to tell their own stories with purpose and clarity.

  4. Practice Shared Storytelling in Ministry Spaces: Engage in workshops that train you to lead others in storytelling spaces like small groups, outreach, and sermons.

Key Concepts:

  • Scripture as a Grand Narrative: Explore how the Bible tells a single, unified story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, and how this story continues through our lives today.

  • The Power of Storytelling in Ministry: Learn how storytelling shapes hearts and minds, how it connects deeply with the human soul, and how to harness its power for ministry.

  • Finding Your Place in God’s Story: Discover how to help others see their lives as part of God’s ongoing story and empower them to live and tell that story with authenticity and impact.

  • Engaging in Shared Storytelling Spaces: Learn to foster environments where storytelling is a communal act that builds faith and deepens relationships—whether in small groups, outreach, or the pulpit.

Practical Components:

  • Storytelling Workshops: Engage in hands-on exercises to craft and tell stories that connect people to God’s larger narrative and inspire transformation.

  • Personal Narrative Exploration: Dive into your own life story and explore how it intersects with God’s work, learning to tell it in a way that brings others closer to the heart of the gospel.

  • Shared Storytelling Spaces: Practice leading storytelling sessions in small groups, outreach environments, or through sermons, helping others discover and articulate their part in God’s story.

Assignments:

  1. Reflection Paper (due 2 weeks after the course):
    Write a 2-3 page reflection on how understanding Scripture as a grand narrative has shaped your view of ministry and storytelling.

  2. Storytelling Project:
    Craft and share a personal testimony or biblical story, either in a small group or outreach setting, and present your experience to the class in a short report or video.

  3. Ministry Integration Plan:
    Develop a plan for how you will incorporate storytelling and narrative theology into your current or future ministry.

  4. Class Participation and Engagement:
    Active participation in storytelling workshops, discussions, and group exercises during the immersive learning experience.

Required Reading:

  • Primary Text: The Well Played Life - Leonard Sweet 

  • So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and the Church- Leonard Sweet

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

Instructor Information:

  • Instructor: Dr Andrew Fox 

  • Contact Information: andrew@drandrewfox.com

At Ember Discipleship College, ministry is more than just instruction—it’s about inviting people into the living, breathing story of God’s redemption and helping them find their place within it. Here, it’s more than a classroom—it’s a journey into God’s story.