Good Soil E&D is for Bible Colleges & Seminaries
as well as many other kinds of ministries.
Many years of training men and women in seminaries and Bible colleges, missionary and missionary-training experience, church planting, and pastoral experience came together to make Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship the unique ministry it is.
Theology-based: Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship is built on theological principles that emerge from the ministry of Jesus and the early church.
Biblical-theology focused: Good Soil trains and resources Christ-followers to share the gospel beginning with "God" in Genesis 1:1 and continuing to unfold God's redemptive story through Revelation.
Time and gospel-recipient flexible: Good Soil trains believers to discover how much gospel-content—and Biblical context for that content—an unbeliever needs in order to make a "good soil" faith response AND to adapt the gospel presentation accordingly. Good Soil does not espouse "one size fits all" gospel presentations.
Worldview-relevant: Good Soil equips followers of Jesus to share God's story of hope in a world of competing faiths and cultures.
Ministry-training oriented: Good Soil is strategically focused on training committed Christians for ministry—missionaries on mission fields and national believers around the world, pastors and other church leaders in North American churches, or just as ordinary people anywhere who want to share their faith with friends, family, and neighbors.
We all want to share our faith effectively…but how do we do it?
Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship Training
The Good Soil Basic Seminar equips you to share God's story of redemption chronologically, so that people will clearly understand, sincerely embrace, and firmly hold on to the gospel. The seminar extends over two days and is followed by a one-day Good Soil Trainer Certification Workshop.
Good Soil Basic Seminar - May & October
Engaging, Interactive, and FUN Learning!
- Day One: Understanding the Good Soil Theology of Evangelism and Discipleship
- Day Two: Preparing to Use The Story of Hope, The Way to Joy, and Other Good Soil Resources
The Good Soil E&D seminar workbook can be used as a basic text for evangelism classes in your Bible institute, Bible college, or seminary. Teach the concepts and make assignments for students to put into practice, out of class, what they are learning throughout the course!
Good Soil Trainer Certification Workshop - May & October
As a certified Good Soil Trainer, you can teach Good Soil content as a class in your ministry.
A day of training to equip (and certify) you to teach the Good Soil Basic Seminar in your classes. Some review of the basic seminar concepts, but primarily a day of learning instructional tips and techniques that will be of great value to you as you teach in your classes what you have learned in the Good Soil seminar.
Pre-requisite: Must have attended a FULL Good Soil Basic Seminar at ABWE or a FULL Good Soil seminar led by an approved Good Soil trainer.
Good Soil Trainer Workshop participants receive certification that qualifies them to purchase copies of the good Soil Basic Seminar workbook, as well as grants them access to the other (FREE) instructional resources needed for teaching the seminar in their ministries.
“This Hispanic congregation will be using The Story of Hope in Spanish with 100 adults and in English with 30 Hispanic teens. These dear people are absolutely elated about using the Good Soil material and are training their people to share God's plan of redemption with their non-believer contacts. The pastors of the English congregation have caught wind of the enthusiasm in the Hispanic congregation and are interested as well in using the Good Soil material in their English Bible Institute training at the church. Thanks for all your years of work on this project. I have never been involved in a Bible study training so effective and so much fun!”
—Carl, missionary to Spanish speakers in North America
“In our Bible college missions class this evening, we introduced the Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship workbook and the two basic resources, The Story of Hope and The Way to Joy. Our students went ballistic. They were delighted with the prospects of using these resources. How soon? How much? Where can we sign up? Let's pray that this ground swell will spread. Our enthusiasm quickly spread to the students. We hope it'll grow even more.”
—Dick & Mavis, missionaries to Brazil
“Greetings from Bangalore, India! A missionary couple just recently taught Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship in our Bible college and seminary. Our students and staff were blessed abundantly, learning how to skillfully present the gospel to the unreached. We are very much encouraged to use the material which was taught and given to us. We had 49 students and 2 pastors whom we support. These students and pastors represent 18 language groups and three countries, India, Myanmar, and Thailand.”
—National Christian leader in India
“We attended a Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship seminar at the headquarters of ABWE in Harrisburg, PA. After college and seminary education, we thought we had all the bells and whistles of evangelism and discipleship. However, this seminar uniquely sets itself apart from other methods. It teaches how to share the Gospel with the unsaved, see them respond to the faith in Christ because of a deep understanding of the gospel, and to assure that the new believer can maintain a consistent walk with Christ. The common phrase mentioned throughout the seminar was, “I get it, I embrace it, and I keep it.” They also have tremendous free resources available for the advancement of the gospel.”
—Honore & Kim, pre-field missionaries to east Africa
Personal Evangelism FREE Curriculum Guide
For Teaching the Good Soil Seminar Contents in 30 Class Sessions
- Establish a Biblical theology of evangelism and discipleship (E&D) as the foundation for the methodologies and resources presented in this class.
- Teach students to understand and practice E&D in ways that are worldview-relevant, training them to share God’s story of hope in a world of competing faiths and cultures.
- Equip students for ministry in international missions, as well as in multi-faith North American communities.
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Introduce students to resources that have been broadly tested internationally with people of various worldview contexts and that are available in numerous languages.
Great for use in Bible Institute or Bible College evangelism classes.
Moving Beyond Lecture Workshop
Two Days in October, Following Good Soil Seminar & Trainer Certification Workshop
Move Beyond Lecture - in your teaching, by adding other instructional tools to your teaching toolbox.
This workshop will enhance your ability to teach the Bible creatively, with increased student interest and participation, beyond what you can probably imagine. You will…
- Learn a seven-step process for developing lessons for teaching and training.
- Enlarge your teaching toolbox with lots of creative techniques and tips for teaching.
- Become more sensitive to classroom factors that can enhance your teaching-learning environment.
- Engage your students more actively and make learning FUN for them.
- Become much more confident in your teaching.
The Story of Hope Bible Class
31 Class Sessions — FREE Facilitator’s Guide
- Students are constantly engaged in active learning, as they study the Bible from Genesis through Revelation in 31 class sessions (or more or less).
- Underlying the teaching of the Bible's BIG Story in this study, students are also being equipped to use The Story of Hope to lead others through the study. The final lesson is called "It's Your Turn" and students are challenged to teach to others what they have been taught in this study.
- The 120-page professionally designed Class Facilitator's Guide is available as a FREE download.
- A professionally designed PowerPoint with 400+ slides is also available for class facilitators.
- FREE access to an online Instructor's Resource Center for teaching The Story of Hope Class.
Message from missionaries to donors: Just a note to thank you again for your very thoughtful gift to purchase The Story of Hope books for our students. The students were very excited to receive them. The Pentateuch class had already been studying it (but did not have their own copies) and is teaching it on Friday afternoons in five public schools (using pictures they color to go with the stories). The Missions class has been learning about it for chronological Bible teaching and some of them are also teaching it on Friday afternoons. The Leviticus class studied missions last year and also appreciate now the colored pictures of the tabernacle and sacrifices, etc. Several of them are teaching that in their weekend responsibilities in churches. We had a prayer of dedication for the books that the Lord would really use them to change lives. The first year students (over 45 of them) will receive the books in the next week or so, when we can give them some more training on their use.
—Phil & Barb, Bible college teachers in the Philippines
The Roots of Faith Bible Courses
The Roots of Faith - Old Testament
The Roots of Faith - New Testament
Teaching the Bible chronologically, in a way that equips students for effective ministry in a world of competing faiths and cultures.
All I can say after opening the package containing The Roots of Faith workbooks and browsing through the pages is "WOW!" This is a lot more than a personal Bible study plan. It's a lot more than I got in Bible college and they gave me a degree for it. Your work has legs for a number of applications. The work you put into this is almost staggering. I especially like the way you have separated it from the devotional approach. I'll stop here before I become suspect with all this flattery. Thanks for the hard work.
—Dave, former Bible college New Testament and Greek professor
The Roots of Faith courses are three courses in one:
- Chronological Bible survey courses—Students master the overall chronological framework and core content of the Bible.
- Biblical theology courses—The Bible’s basic theological concepts are presented as they were progressively revealed, from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22.
- Worldview apologetics courses—Common non Christian worldview (“worldview noise”) issues are addressed throughout the courses in order to equip Christ-followers to live and minister in a world of competing faiths and cultures.
The courses also include:
- Downloadable Bible commentary for each course, to provide expert help for all of the Bible passages included in the lessons.
- Instructors Guide for each course.
- Access to online instructional resources for each course.
Additional supplemental resources are available, such as printed and PowerPoint teaching visuals and chronological Bible cards and more.
Bible courses you can become certified to teach in your school.
On day four of The Roots of Faith - Old Testament course in Brazil, one of the participants said this: “I’m upset!” “What’s the matter?” “I’ve learned more this week than I learned in 5 years of seminary!”
—Brazilian pastor from southern Brazil
Hooks for Hanging the Bible’s Storyline
Teach students to be able to think their way through the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation—in just a few hours.
Every movie or novel has a central storyline, a plot. The BIG storyline of the Bible hangs on 25 “Hooks”—major eras of the Bible. And the activities are FUN for students of all ages, even the teachers. Great activity to use in Bible classes or chapel programs.
The 12 "Hooks" for Hanging the Old Testament Storyline
The 1 + 12 "Hooks" for Hanging the New Testament Storyline
My latest Hooks for Hanging the Bible’s Storyline workshop was last Saturday in a Bible study in the home of the owner of Sam Ash Music Stores in Bayonne, NJ. Several very diverse cultures were represented in the group (Filipino, Russian, German, American, African, Hispanic, Arab, and Jewish). They were amazed and enjoyed it - and everyone understood. Some said, “I finally got it!” “I’ll read my Bible again.”
—Ariel, Filipino visiting in New Jersey
FREE Book for Bible College or Seminary Professors
Gaining Ground with Good Soil is an evangelism and discipleship training narrative—a scaled-down version of the Good Soil Evangelism and Discipleship seminar in a narrative format. The principles gained from this book are applicable for anyone wishing to serve God through Biblical evangelism and discipleship, but is especially instructive and helpful for college and seminary professors, missionaries, pastors, and other ministry leaders.
The realistic, but fictional narrative, around which the book is developed, tells the story of a couple of missionaries who were frustrated and discouraged—to the point of almost giving up—because of their lack of success in evangelism and discipleship on their field. But, the "Good Soil" principles they learned from Bible study revolutionized their ministries. It will help you think through a theology of evangelism and discipleship and help you to present the gospel so that people will clearly understand it, sincerely embrace it, and firmly hold on to it.
Free instructional resources for individual and group study are also available for download. www.GoodSoil.com/FREE
If you are a Bible professor or evangelism professor, with a USA shipping address, and will commit to reading this book, we will send you a FREE (and postage-free) copy of Gaining Ground with Good Soil.
More Good Soil Resources for Evangelism and Discipleship
For a complete overview of our Good Soil resources:
More Good Soil E&D Stories from Bible Colleges and Seminaries
THREE DAYS CHANGED MY LIFE AND MINISTRY! When I took Good Soil's three days of Evangelism & Discipleship Training in Harrisburg, PA, it changed my life and ministry forever. My only regret is I had not learned this earlier in my ministry. I learned more from Good Soil than I did in Bible college. Good Soil's Evangelism & Discipleship Training and their Roots of Faith courses should be a pre-requisite for any Bible college. The Good Soil's "The Story of Hope" evangelism method of sharing the Bible's Big Story, starting in Genesis and going through Revelation, is by far the best evangelism method I have learned in my 40 years of ministry.
—Steve, independent missionary in Asia
Good Soil Stories from Bible Colleges & Seminaries
12 Essentials for a TRULY Evangelistic Church
Lay-Evangelism Leadership: 2nd Essential for a TRULY Evangelistic Church
Lay leadership buy-in is important – no, it’s essential. This is the pastor’s first and possibly most challenging task. Peer leadership, or should I call it pew leadership, adds credibility to pastoral leadership in essential Christian tasks such as personal evangelism.
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Stories
Ukrainians Take Good Soil Training to Armenia
Vladimir Nikolaev is the director of the Church Ministries Institute (CMI) based in Ukraine. The CMI was founded by ABWE missionaries in 1994 and is dedicated to preparing men and women for quality ministry in the local church, equipping them with discipleship and evangelism training, and enabling them to build growing churches throughout Eurasia. The few evangelical Baptist churches in Armenia have been partnering with the CMI to start a Bible school in Armenia under the leadership of Haik Khachaturian. This past fall, Vladimir, Haik and others had the opportunity to hold the first Good Soil Evangelism & Discipleship seminar in Armenia with some incredible results.
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Stories
Good Soil Seminar Challenges "Christian" University Students in India to Become True Believers
Ken Cole, an ABWE Global Access Partners missionary, partners with Satish and Helen Divakar who run Beacon Baptist Theological University and Seminary in Hosur, Tamilnadu, India (until 2013 located in Bangalore). Having been exposed to some elements of Good Soil Evangelism & Discipleship before, the Divakars asked Ken to come and teach the Good Soil seminar at their school.
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Repent and/or Believe? Two Steps or Two Sides?
Is repentance a separate step to salvation that precedes genuine belief in Christ? Or, are repentance and faith simultaneous responses to God—flip sides of the same heart-action?
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