Education Opportunities
At Pearl we encourage deep thought, honest questions, and a posture of humility. We believe that a willingness to grow, rethink, and enter more deeply into mystery and complexity is central to our ongoing transformation. Our educational events provide a forum for exploring faith, culture, and ideas with a focus beyond what we can provide on Sunday mornings.
Reconstructing Christian Faith
Many people who find themselves at Pearl have either begun or are in the process of deconstructing harmful, Christian faith. Yet, what is good Christian faith? Throughout 2019 and 2020 we built out curriculum for a course that can help to answer this important question. The aim of this class is to establish a foundation for Christian faith that can honestly and reasonably be called “good.” Over the course of each year we make this six-session offering available in various formats—weeknights during the fall, on Sunday afternoons, and as an annual weekend retreat. To ensure space for dialogue, this class has space for 8 to 12 participants. Interested or have questions? Contact Pastor Mike.
Session One, Gospel as Good News
Session Two, Part I: Formation, Accommodation and Inspiration
Session Three, Bible, Part II: Books, Sections, and Trajectory
Session Four, Salvation and Atonement
Session Five, The Afterlife
Session Six, Being Christian
Catechesis Class
Catechesis is an old word that refers to an ancient idea: being shaped by religious instruction. Our hope for this class is to provide non-violent and non-dominion Christian instruction that’s accessible for both teenagers and adults. Furthermore, our hope for this class is to encourage a Christianity that’s capable of grounding us, inspiring us, and leading us more deeply into lives that flourish. Each class will cover relevant content and engaging practices that help to give Christian shape to our lives. We offer this class annual on evenings during Lent, and as an annual weekend retreat. Interested or have questions? Contact Pastor Ben.
Living the Bible, Inspiration
Living the Incarnation, Union
Living the Atonement, Repair
Living the Resurrection, Wholeness
Living the Trinity, Community
Living the Way, Practices
Educational Evenings
During the school year we offer quarterly Educational Evenings. These events are opportunities to discuss practical, theological, and biblical topics. Each 90-minute seminar is followed by time to gather and share in conversation. As it becomes available, more information on upcoming Educational Evenings can be found in Events or by signing up for our weekly newsletter.
Past seminars have explored: Contemplative Prayer; Trauma-Informed Care; Perspectives on Hell and Universalism; Modern Christian Marriage and Relationships; Accommodation & Trajectory in the Bible, and more.
Book Groups
One Sunday every couple months, following the service, Pastor Mike leads a book discussion. A book is selected in advance and participants gather to discuss how to understand and be shaped by what book selection has to offer. More information on upcoming book discussions can be found in Events or by signing up for our weekly newsletter.
