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Seminars | Cohorts | What is TCI?

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Seminars

The Cities Institute Seminars exist to form the men and women of our church in a deep, joyful understanding of Christian doctrine.

Track I

Up next

Our next Theological Foundations seminar is scheduled for Friday, April 10 from 6:00-8:15pm and will cover the topic of God’s Work in the Sanctification and Perseverance of Believers.

Brand new Cities Institute Binders are now available for purchase during registration so that you can collect the printed materials from each seminar and continue to add to your binder each semester!

Registration closed.

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FAQs

  • 6:00pm | Arrival and Refreshments

    6:15-7:00pm | Session One: Sanctification

    7:00-7:20pm | Breakout Group Conversation

    7:20-8:00pm | Session Two: Perseverance

    8:00-8:15pm | Q & A and Dismissal

  • The seminars will be led by Pastor Mike Schumann and others from the pastoral team.

  • The Seminars take place on Friday evenings. We plan to have a seminar every few months.

Track II

Cohorts

These cohorts are small, high-commitment groups that meet together six times over a 12 week period. Every cohort aims to deepen our maturity as disciples of Jesus through topically-focused reading, discussion, and teaching.

Women’s Cohort: Christian Leadership

Our next Women’s Cohort is scheduled for March 14 - May 23 on Christian Leadership. Together we will dig deeper into the character and callings of Christian leaders: whether elders, deacons and deaconesses, or faithful church members, as we seek to cultivate these qualities in our own lives.

Registration closed.

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Men’s Cohort: Puritan Spirituality

Our next Men’s Cohort is scheduled for March 14 - May 23 on Puritan Spirituality. There are few today whose pleasure in God and passion for holiness can rival that of the Puritans. They are, as J.I. Packer said, the Great Redwoods of our Christian heritage, and from them we have much to learn.

Together we will glean from their insights on fighting sin, finding joy, and progressing onward to our goal of life with God in Heaven.

Registration closed.

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FAQs

  • Following the patten of our Life Group structure, the cohorts will be small and gender-specific, with the men cohorts taught by men and the women cohorts taught by women.

    Gatherings include discussion and teaching.

  • Cohorts are open to all members and regular attenders of Cities Church.

    Common reading and in-person discussion provide the greatest value to our cohorts, so we ask that participants commit to attending all six sessions, if at all possible. Members who know they will miss more than two sessions are encouraged to wait for another cohort that allows them to attend more regularly.

  • Cohorts follow a regular three-topic cycle, with one topic offered each semester in the following order:

    1. Ecclesiology: What is the Church?

    2. Christian Formation: Becoming More Like Jesus from the Heart

    3. Christian Leadership: On Elders, Deacons, and Women’s Ministry

    4. We are now adding fourth semester electives, offering a variety of topics.

  • Saturday mornings are the best time for the largest amount of people. With the class times being the first half of Saturday, we still leave most of the day for family time and recreation.

    Men’s cohorts will meet from 7:30-9:00am.

    • Spring semester dates: 3/14, 3/28, 4/11, 4/25, 5/9, 5/23

    Women’s cohorts will meet from 9:00–10:30am.

    • Spring semester dates: 3/14, 3/28, 4/11, 4/25, 5/9, 5/23

  • The Women’s Cohorts will be led by Andrea Hoglund, our Women’s Discipleship Coordinator.

    The Men’s Cohorts will be led by Pastor Mike Schumann and others from the pastoral team.

  • Participants are responsible to purchase the required books for each course on their own. Sometimes we’ll have free PDF versions available. And any Cities Church resources are available either online or at Cities Church, at no cost.

  • Every cohort provides a syllabus to guide your prep. The scheduled reading for each session should be finished before meeting for that session. Some cohorts also include discussion and response questions related to the reading.

The Cities Institute exists to provide the theological foundations for a life of discipleship and gospel advance.

Divided into three tracks, TCI offers learning pathways for the entire church, developing leaders, and specialized residencies.

Track I

Seminars

Goal

To educate our members in theological foundations in accordance with our Leadership Affirmation

Structure

  • Large, churchwide gatherings

  • 4 courses

  • 2 years

Track II

Cohorts

Goal

To equip men and women for formal and informal leadership at Cities Church or one of our church plants

Structure

  • Gender-specific cohorts

  • 3-4 courses

  • 18-24 months

Track III

Residency

Goal

To prepare men and women for the vocation of church planting and global missions

Structure

  • One-on-one training with leadership

  • 12-18 month residency program

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