The Gospel must be heard for sinners to be saved; and yet how can they hear without a preacher (Romans 10:14)?  And, how can one learn to preach unless he is taught? The work of a preacher involves training other preachers (2 Timothy 2:2), and a primary part of the Bible Passages ministry will involve our laboring with various schools of preaching throughout the brotherhood who are preparing souls for evangelistic, instructional, and preaching ministries (Titus 2.) Like never before, the church needs workers for the vineyard, and for preachers to fill the pulpit. There are an estimated 12,000 churches of Christ throughout the world with an estimated membership of 2,000,000. We therefore desperately need to support Bible schools whose primary objective is to train men for a lifetime of work in ministry, and who are likewise preparing men women to be teachers and missionaries.  To achieve this goal our objectives are as follows:

• As a formal means of preparing men and women for ministry, we labor with Bear Valley Bible Institute International (BVBII) in Denver, Colorado, a work of the Bear Valley church of Christ. In 2017, we will live in Denver for three months, and I will teach full-time during the 3rd quarter of classes. We will also arrange to be in Denver for three other courses to be taught in 2017 as a part of the Short-Course program.  In 2018, I will teach full-time for two of the academic quarters (and every year thereafter,) and likewise continue my teaching of the short-courses taught at various intervals throughout the year. (Please see the accompanying brochure for further information about Bear Valley Bible Institute and its international program of ministry.)

• To further train and educate students and alumni of BVBII in Bible Geography, Archaeology, and History. This objective will be achieved by conducting a two-week onsite Bible course and studies program in Israel every other year.

• Carla will also participate in the work at BVBII by not only assisting me with proofing, secretarial work, and administrative tasks, but she will also be conducting classes as a part of the student wives program.

• In our Gospel Meeting work with congregations around the globe, and through our continuing education courses taught through Bible Land Passages, we will be recruiting and encouraging men and women to prepare themselves for ministry by enrolling in a school of Bible Studies.

• I will continue my work at the Southwest School of Bible Studies in Austin, Texas, becoming a part of the adjunct faculty, teaching full-length classes and seminars as the opportunity arises.

God has charged evangelists, shepherds, and teachers with the responsibility of equipping the saints for the work of ministry for the building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-12). Building and equipping is what congregations must learn to do well; the growth and strength of the church is dependent upon it. The key to growth is to engage more people in the work of ministry. This is done by doing four things: (1) Investing deeply in the lives of people through discipling and mentoring; (2) developing leaders; (3) feeding members with the word of God; and (4) equipping them with the tools they need for Bible study and for personal growth and development. Bible Passages is dedicated to all four of these components, but special attention will be given to items 3 and 4 listed above. To achieve these goals our objectives will be as follows:

• We will work closely with World Video Bible School in continuing to develop teaching tools and materials for use in brotherhood Bible class settings and preacher training schools. Some of our future video classes include a study of Acts (and other textual courses), Shepherding Hearts and Counseling Souls: A Seminar for Elders and Leaders; and Bible Geography.

• To strengthen marriages, we will continue to conduct marriage seminars as requested.

• To edify the church, I plan to continue my work of conducting gospel meetings and counseling seminars. I am currently conducting a minimum of 7 gospel meetings per year, and will now be able to add a few more to that list as time permits.

• We plan to be actively engaged in writing articles and books for use in brotherhood bookstores and publications.

• We will organize and direct a yearly Bible Land Passage ministry and program of study for those who wish to travel to the Bible Lands.     

The Bible story and its message of salvation are rooted in a historic and geographic setting – a real time and a real place in history. Its reliability and credibility is therefore dependent upon evidence that corroborates its claims.  New Testament scholar C.H. Dodd said “Some religions can be indifferent to historical fact, and move entirely upon the plane of timeless truth. Christianity cannot,” (History and the Gospel).  Bible Passages is dedicated to showcasing those historical facts through the Bible Land Passage Video Series, and the Bible Land Passages website. 

Bible Land Passages is designed help others better understand and appreciate the Bible, and thereby deepen their faith in both God and the sacred text.  We want everyone to know that when they read about places like Beersheba, Jericho, Jerusalem, Caesarea, and cities surrounding the Sea of Galilee, that those places exist just as the Bible describes. 

Bible Land Passages, however, does more than just defend Christianity and its historical roots. We are also dedicated to examining and showcasing the lands of the Bible and its environs which can provide for us a window into the ancient past. By sifting through the archaeological data, by traveling down the pathways of the Bible lands and by traversing through the passages of its ancient cities, trade routes, and caves we come to not only better understand and appreciate the challenges of life faced by our religious forbearers, but we also come to see how God used the historical and geographic setting of the Bible lands to refine and develop their faith.   Those same real places and same real settings - when examined in our modern era - can likewise become a passage for us in developing greater faith and devotion for God. Bible Land Passages is therefore all about helping connect people to God and encouraging others in their own personal walk of faith. Our objectives will be the following:

• In cooperation with World Video Bible School, produce volumes 2-4 of the Bible Land Passages video project.

• Continue to direct the project to produce, label, and archive professional video footage and photographs for a repository of knowledge for use in the classroom, instructional materials and for other World Video Bible School projects.

• Continue to develop, implement, and direct a continuing education course in Bible Archaeology, Geography, and History associated with the Bible Land Passage ministry for those traveling to Israel.

• Write and produce materials for study and devotion which emphasize the reliability and validity of the Bible.

• Acquire video and photographs of the Bible Lands for research and teaching purposes through a two month stay in Israel during the months of July and August of 2017.    

• Expand our current Biblelandpassages.com site to include a central hub for articles, photographs, and repository of information for use in defending the faith and edifying the church