Students encouraged to step into Jesus’ lifestyle
New discipleship school seeks students who hunger for more
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ROCK LAKE, MB—A new discipleship program in Southern Manitoba is hoping to equip students to live out a supernatural lifestyle of power and love.
School of the Kingdom’s campus is located along the shores of Rock Lake, Manitoba, two and a half hours southwest of Winnipeg.
“We’re the Navy Seals of Christian schools,” says director Tyler Franz. “We’re not going to have hours of teaching on hearing God’s voice and not try it ourselves.”
Right now, Franz says many Christians are afraid to pray with strangers, to learn to hear God’s voice and act on it. Overcoming that fear starts with knowing who you are in Christ, he says.
“We don’t want to see Christians bound up in fear,” Franz says. “That’s why we have an intense teaching phase. If you are not willing to be stretched, or challenged, this isn’t a school for you.”
Those points fulfill the school’s motto of “Becoming love, moving in power,” because as Franz explains, “Belief in God matters when you do what you’ve learned.” He says he fully expects and looks forward to healing, miracles and people coming to Christ during the school’s outreach times.
Along with an emphasis on miracles and a genuine love for people, the school’s outreach focuses on North America rather than overseas. Franz says the goal is to teach students to live out their faith in the midst of people they live and work with everyday.
“Going to India for a short-term mission won’t prepare you to live the rest of your life in Southern Manitoba,” he says.
So far, there are eight students signed up for the school’s first year. The school offers a six month long semester, beginning September 12, 2015 and running until March 4, 2016.
Phase one is focused on lectures, spending time learning to follow Jesus’ example of living a Kingdom lifestyle. The lecture phase is three months long, and each week a different speaker leads students through a new topic. The days also include regular worship times, solo study as well as living in community and street outreach.
Once a week, students are encouraged to engage in their interests to connect with others and bring Jesus to that part of society, whether it’s through photography, snowboarding, youth ministry, worship or other activities.
Franz says it’s about harnessing natural gifts and passions.
“If you love skateboarding, you will naturally do it when you leave,” Franz says. “We want to teach [students] how to be Jesus in that passion… in the spheres they naturally gravitate towards.”
After the first three months, students begin a two-month outreach phase, travelling across North America speaking to people about God’s love for them.
The final month is a time of debriefing, preparing students to incorporate what they’ve learned into their regular life after graduation.
“Some schools have a few days of debrief, we have a month,” Franz says, adding it’s a crucial time to prepare to reenter society.
“It’s about setting up students to be able to do all they’ve learned on their own,” as they go back into their churches, families and communities, says school leader Janessa Klassen.
In the end, Franz hopes the School of the Kingdom is more than just a six-month experience, but that students continue to build their relationship with Christ upon leaving the school.
“It’s a school for people who are hungry, who want more,” he says. “It’s a step into the lifestyle of Jesus.”
Learn more about the School of the Kingdom at the Becoming Love conference, or by visiting kingdomschool.ca.
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