Brochure: The NEW Great Commission School

[steve]

The NEW Great Commission School (2010-11)

History

The original “Great Commission School” (GCS) was founded in Bandon, Oregon, in 1983, and later relocated to McMinnville, Oregon, in 1989. It was an intensive, live-in, immersion course in the whole Bible—entailing the verse-by-verse study of the entire Old and New Testaments over a period of nine months. The program continued for 16 years under the direction of myself (Steve Gregg). I was also its founder, along with a team of seven families. This program was discontinued in 1999 (for reasons mentioned below).

Similar nine-month programs later operated under the names “Berean School of the Bible” (in McMinnville) and “Great Commission School” (in Thunder Bay, Ontario), as well as trimmed-down, three-month, New Testament versions of the same, which were conducted in Honduras and Israel. All of these courses, after the 1999 close of the original program, were founded and operated by graduates of the original school.

Though the original program utilized the gifts of as many as a dozen teachers each year, I regularly taught at least 50% of the lectures myself. All of the verse-by-verse lectures (and most of the topical lectures) at http://www.thenarrowpath.com were recorded during this period. In the programs conducted after 1999, I usually did very little of the teaching (with the exception of the Berean School, 2003-4), because I had relocated with my family away from of McMinnville, and thus was not available to carry a large teaching load in those programs run by alumni. I did conduct a 6-week school, in Kamiah, Idaho, in the summer of 2000, which consisted only of topical teaching, the audio of which can be downloaded from http://www.digitalministries.us. Since then, there have been no schools conducted under my supervision.

Distinctives of the Great Commission School

The Great Commission School was a non-accredited Bible-and-discipleship school, stressing the development of a relationship with God and spiritual maturity.

Graduates from traditional Bible colleges, who wish to go into ministry, often bemoan the fact that they feel they did not learn enough of the Bible during their four years in college. Unlike most Bible colleges (for better or for worse), Great Commission School had no curriculum other than the Bible itself. GCS was also a very condensed course, covering the whole Bible in much greater depth, in nine months, than one would expect to do in a much longer undergraduate program.

The educational philosophy was also different from that of many other schools, as there was no denominational affiliation, and no pressure to toe the line with any narrow theological viewpoint. Unlike most Bible colleges, GCS did not promote a dispensational paradigm, nor a Calvinist bias. While this means that the teaching was often done by persons (like myself) who were neither dispensational nor Calvinist, every effort was made to present students with the viewpoints and arguments for these perspectives for their consideration, when treating relevant texts. In fact, an effort was always made to examine all sides of controversial issues objectively.

The approach to the scriptures is inductive, though not following the inductive "methods" of any specific teachers or programs (e.g., we did not require the making of "charts" as is done in YWAM's School of Biblical Studies—another inductive, nine-month Bible course). Our students were required to read each book of the Bible, making and recording inductive observations prior to the beginning of classroom treatment of the material. The simple fact is that GCS's goal was not to train up a group of theological clones, but to breed a variety of Christians which are in much shorter supply—namely, Christians who think independently and honestly about Scripture.


Why no school for the past decade?

In the decade since the closing of the original Great Commission School, I have often been asked if I would ever run such a program again. My answer has consistently been negative. I believe that the course had merit, but it required too much of my direct attention (not only in lecturing, but also in management of staff) and was difficult to maintain alongside my other commitments (e.g., my daily radio broadcasts, the writing of Revelation: Four Views, my travels for YWAM, raising a family, etc.). This is the reason I finally closed the school in 1999.

There are considerations that have led me, in recent years, to consider the need to conduct a school again. One of these is that the recordings at the website, which were recorded at the original GCS, are all now between 10 and 20 years old. This presents issues related both to the content (e.g., time-sensitive comments and those which no longer reflect my current attitudes or opinions) and to the technical quality of the recordings (the originals were recoded on cassette tape, prior to convenient digital recording options).

I have realized that it would be desirable to update the entire catalogue, but, without a condensed, intensive teaching program, it would take many years (decades) to re-teach over 900 lectures. To conduct at least one more school (and possibly only one more) began to commend itself as an unavoidable imperative, but there seemed to be insurmountable challenges to my being able to do so.

One of these was the lack of facilities. GCS previously owned (without a mortgage) its own campuses, in Bandon and in McMinnville, respectively. Both were sold long ago, and it is not a simple matter to acquire (especially without money!) facilities adequate for the feeding and housing of any number of students and staff for significant portions of the year.

A second challenge is that, since we charge the students no tuition (only room-and-board costs), all staff must be, like myself, unpaid volunteers. It is not easy to find qualified, mature Christians who are free to occupy staff positions without needing to be compensated. We had such individuals at the original GCS, but it was a long-term situation, where the same staff would often reside on campus for, perhaps, five years, being provided with food and housing on campus free of charge. Without owning such a campus, and without offering long-term positions, it seemed difficult to imagine recruiting qualified people to fill the necessary positions.

Third, if the purpose of conducting another school was to replace the recordings of all of my existing lectures, then, obviously, I would have to do all the teaching myself. This would be very difficult for me to do for three-to-four hours a day, over a period of nine consecutive months, without a break. Such an endeavor would not only tend to wear me out, but it would also leave me too little time between segments in which to do adequate lecture preparation. It would also interfere with my other travel commitments.

For these reasons, I have not made any move toward re-launching a Great Commission School program…until now.


What has changed?

One thing that has freed me to reconsider the matter of another school has been the fact that my four youngest children, whom I was left to raise alone after 2001, have now grown and become independent (well, sort of independent). This marks a significant change in my availability to take on new commitments.

Second, various friends of mine have come to me in the past year saying, “If you ever have another school, I would be willing to volunteer as staff in any capacity that is needed.” This got me thinking…

A third development has been the awareness on my part of the availability of suitable facilities, which have probably been available all along, but which I had never considered. It occurred to me a year ago that many of the YWAM bases, where I am frequently a guest lecturer, and which exist in every nation on earth, only keep students on their campuses during certain months of the year, meaning that there are seasons during which their housing, feeding and training facilities might be available to be rented by outsiders for other purposes. Having explored this possibility, I found that my longstanding association with YWAM does indeed render this a genuine option. In fact, more than one YWAM base has actively solicited my use of their facilities for this purpose.

Where YWAM bases are indeed available, they are usually only available for blocks of three months at a time before they bring in a new batch of their own students for their own programs. Three months is also generally the maximum time permitted for foreign students to visit America (and many other countries) on a “Visitor’s Visa”—meaning that a three-month course would also render it possible for international students to attend without having to qualify for the more difficult “Student Visa.”

Obviously, three months would not be sufficient to teach through the whole Bible—which formerly, in GCS, required nine months—and even at that, seemed uncomfortably rushed. However, I considered that a series of three-month modules (in different locations—perhaps even in different countries) might well accomplish this goal. If there was sufficient time-off scheduled between individual modules, I would be less likely to be overwhelmed, as such intervals would allow me time for personal refreshment, preparation for the next segment, and for fulfillment of other teaching commitments elsewhere. Having given this option prayerful consideration, along with counsel from other trusted men, I have decided to proceed with such a plan.

I am aware that there would be few students who would be sufficiently free (and financially solvent) to attend five 10-week modules, stretched over a two-year period, and conducted in a variety of international locations, but this is no grave concern. It would not be necessary for anyone to go to all the modules, but only to any that were convenient for them to attend. Students could attend whatever modules their time and finances would allow (perhaps only one), and, if they wished, could obtain the rest of the course on digital audio and/or video recording, to be posted at the website. It now seems, additionally, that a live feed of all the lectures may be streamed to the Internet for the benefit of those who cannot attend modules in person.


So why would anyone attend the courses on-site?

I would hope that the course’s availability on-line would render it unnecessary for anyone to attend the lectures on-site. I am not hoping for a large enrollment, and plan to limit the number of admissions for each module to a small and easily manageable student body.

The advantages of actually attending any module of the course would be as follows:

1. The students will be studying together with others of similar disposition, immersed in an environment conferring similar benefits to those of a spiritual retreat or a Bible conference.

2. Students would be removed, for ten weeks, from their normal routines at home, and would have nothing to distract them from their studies.

3. Housing and three meals a day would be provided at a cost below the cost of living almost anywhere else in the Western World (approx. $20 per day!).

4. Since I will be living among them on site, students will also have the opportunity to ask questions and confer with me about their studies on a daily basis.


Module contents and schedules:

Those who attend any of the New Great Commission School modules must be prepared to rise on weekdays no later than 6:00 AM (retiring no later than midnight), and to attend lectures three-to-four hours each day. It should be understood that this is a college-level course (some have said that it is actually graduate-level), so that the same personal discipline of study should be adopted as if attending a high-level college program (though the course is not merely academic, at the cost of devotional and practical application). Most of our graduates have said that their nine months at GCS were the best nine months of their Christian lives. I was sometimes told, by those who had already graduated from Bible colleges before attending GCS, that they learned more of the Bible in their first few weeks at GCS than they learned in their entire Bible College experience (possibly a hyperbole, but reported sincerely).

The course contents of the various “modules,” and their probable dates of operation, are as follows:

Module 1: Summer, 2010— Seattle Area (June 13th through August 21st)
Contents: Genesis—Deuteronomy, Job, Gospel of Mark

Module 2: Fall, 2010 — location to be announced (October 3rd through December 11th)
Contents: Old Testament Historical Books, Ecclesiastes, Song of Sol, Gospel of John

Module 3: Winter/Spring, 2011—location to be announced (January 23rd through April 2nd)
Contents: Old Testament Prophets, Gospel of Matthew

Module 4: Summer, 2011—location to be announced (June 12th through August 20th)
Contents: Luke/Acts, General Epistles, Revelation, Proverbs

Module 5: Fall, 2011—location to be announced (October 2nd through December 10th)
Contents: Paul’s Epistles, Psalms

As one can see from this schedule, none of these modules interferes with the students’ Christmas commitments, though other holidays may be preempted during some of the modules, as it is impossible to get through the material and still to take time off for holidays.

Since I am placing severe limits upon the number of students admitted, the enrollment of any given student will necessarily exclude a number of other potential students, who might also desire to have been included in the program. I will, therefore, expect those who apply and are admitted to be willing to attend all lectures and to participate fully in the program.

The course is too intensive to allow participating students to be simultaneously occupied in jobs or outside commitments (other than on weekends). While the program is primarily lecture-based, in addition to attendance of the lectures, there will be outside study assigned, and a minimal amount of written assignments required of students. Students are also expected to participate in various scheduled prayer and worship times.


Cost and other minor details

The cost of the first module (through the generosity of YWAM, Seattle, who are not interested in making money off of us) has been set at only $20 per day. For the ten weeks, then, the cost per student is $1,400. GSC will charge the students nothing for the lectures. I, and other staff, will not be compensated, though personal donations will obviously be welcome.

The whole $1,400 will be paid to YWAM, who will then provide the housing and the prepared meals (alongside a small number of international students who will be in one of their smaller programs on the same facilities). Students should be prepared for dormitory housing conditions, with the exception of married couples, who will, of course, have their own private rooms.

Since we will be studying the Bible verse-by-verse, it is important that every student have his/her own copy of the translation used in the lectures. Regardless what other translation may be the student's version-of-choice, each student should bring a personal copy of the New King James Version. Additional translations are welcome, but it is desirable, when commenting verse-by-verse, that everyone present be examining the same text.


Applying

I am not placing a deadline on applications, because I would expect the school to fill up early, making any deadline moot. Those who wish to apply should fill-out and email to me the following information:

1. Your Name
2. Address
3. Best phone number to reach you
4. Email
5. Gender
6. Age
7. Marital status
8. Vocation
9. Previous formal education
10. How long following Jesus? (brief testimony)
11. Denominational affiliation, if any
12. Reason(s) for wishing to attend
13. Ministry experience and/or ministry goals, if any
14. A pastor, or anyone else I might contact as a character reference for you (and his/her phone number)

Applications and questions may be sent to Steve, at s_gregg7225@yahoo.com

[steve]

I have just spent the past week teaching for YWAM at the location where we will be conducting our school in the summer, and I am very encouraged! It is a beautiful, brand new facility that they have been building for nine years and have just opened and dedicated two months ago. It is in a rural area surrounded by the evergreen trees that are so characteristic of the Pacific Northwest, and sits near the foot of the snow-capped Cascades. The base is about 5.5 miles from town, and that town is actually Monroe, Washington.

I had been to Monroe once in the seventies, when the music group I was in played at the maximum-security prison here. Interestingly, while here this week, the new chaplain of that prison came by to see the new YWAM facilities, and we spent about an hour talking. He said that while I am here in the summer, he would be glad to have me come into the prison to minister, which I have always enjoyed doing. He said that the prisoners would receive me well.

The YWAM base here is called Pneuma Springs Mission Center, and its address is 10211 Bollenbaugh Hill Rd, Monroe, WA 98272 (for those who may be driving here). This is a Korean YWAM base. There are so many Koreans in the mission field and in YWAM, that they run Korean-language bases in many places in North America. I have personally taught in Korean-language YWAM schools (with translation, of course, which I find awkward) in Toronto and in Monroe on numerous occasions. I have also taught in Korean-language schools in New York City, in Kona, Hawaii, and I was invited to teach in one in Los Angeles, but could not accept because of a scheduling conflict. In September, I will be speaking at a large Korean-American conference in Dallas, TX (but the conference will be in English, so I won't need a translator). I am thinking I should start giving serious thought to learning to speak Korean. Koreans seem to be the future of world missions, and I am speaking now more often for Korean-language schools than for English-language schools (our school, of course, will be strictly in English). While here for ten weeks this summer, I plan to receive some tutoring in Korean language from some of the staff here.

One reason I was planning to keep the enrollment very low was that YWAM was planning to be running one of their schools here simultaneously with ours, and there were expected to be limited living facilities available to us. However, during this past week of my teaching, the leaders of this base decided to cancel their school that they were planning, and to have their staff sit in on our classes. As I mentioned in my post above, I have been thinking of doing each of my modules in a different location, and possibly in different countries. That remains to be seen, and the leaders here would like for me to hold as many modules in this location as possible (I hope that winter modules will be held in more tropical climates, however). It does seem that we may be able to expand out enrollment a bit, since there will not be another school here at the same time as ours. We currently have about ten applicants—near the amount that was my previously-intended limit. At least now we can be a little more flexible.

I also found out that the price they are charging us for room and board ($20 per day, per student) is approximately half of the amount they normally would charge other groups. The leaders here have a lot of enthusiasm about my ministry and want to invest something into our school. Hence the low price.

It looks like students will be living two to a room. Meals will be communal, and often will feature ethnic foods, which I have found to be in every case delicious. They have excellent chefs here. Our students will help out some in the kitchen, in clean-up and in grounds keeping. However, work duties such as these will be minimal, since the course involves a great deal of time devoted to study. Work duties will probably sometimes be a welcome relief from studies.

I am even more excited about the school, having spent this week here. I think our students will have a fantastic experience. Feel free to post below any questions you might have about the school. Now that I have seen the situation here, I am more in a position to answer about some details than was the case before.

Another interesting development came up while I was here. One of the leaders, while out at a restaurant with me, mentioned that a wealthy donor to YWAM, who now lives in New York, has a large house in Portland, Oregon, for sale. It sits on two acres in an attractive area, and has seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. It is the kind of place that YWAM (or the Great Commission School) has sometimes housed schools. He told me that this lady bought the place some time ago for a million dollars, and owes about half of that. She doesn't want to get any money for herself out of it, and would sell it to the ministry for what she owes the bank. The location, size, and price of this house are very attractive, but apparently YWAM is not interested or is not in a position to buy it. I believe this brother was telling me about this on the assumption that I might want to buy it for a permanent school location. He said that he thought that the amount owed to the bank was about $500,000, but he thought the bank would accept a cash offer for considerably less. This is interesting information, but, right now, that is all that it is, since all of our donation income is currently needed to pay radio stations. Nonetheless, I am thinking I will get the contact information and try to have a look at the place. If half a dozen of you many multimillionaires out there are wanting to tithe to this project, I will not be too small-minded to consider the opportunity.

[steve]

As of today, our enrollment is complete. We expanded beyond the original number we intended, and accepted 16 students. I accepted more than twelve because some additional space openned up at the YWAM base for us, and I also heard from a friend in South Africa who is willing to come and help with staff responsibilities. I don't think we could accommodate any more students in this module. If you are interested in attending the second module (currently planned to be conducted October 3rd through December 11th—probably in California), you may begin applying at any time.

[Suzana]

I am happy to say that I am one of the sixteen students, and am looking forward to it very much.
Any other forum members attending by any chance?

[RICHinCHRIST]

Any other forum members attending by any chance?

I am enrolled as well, and Lord willing, I will have a subletter to my apartment for the summer.

Hey Steve, where in California do you think the second module will be? I might be visiting and staying with a friend in the near future, and I'm wondering which YWAM base you're considering.

Also, any idea of what we may do on the weekends? I'm thinking about maybe taking a online Greek course as well, which I'd like to participate in on the weekends. Do you think I'll be overloading myself too much?

-Rich

[steve]

Rich,

If the second module turns out to be in California, I think it will be here in Santa Cruz. There is not a YWAM base here, but there is a facility that was once offered to me to use for a school, years ago. I intend to check on it, to see if it would work out and if it is still available.

Weekends are essentially free, and I assume that many students will do things together on them. As for the Greek class, it would be a great benefit to learn Greek. I don't know if that would overload your brain or not. If you are like me, your brain doesn't really want to take days off...since there are few things as pleasant and invigorating as is learning something of value. It would just depend upon your academic and mental stamina.

[darinhouston]

something tells me you can handle it

[paulespino]

I just would like to ask if someone here knows if Steve's New lectures has been posted yet online.

Thanks,
Paul

[Suzana]

Hi Paul,

No, the new school doesn't start till June 13.

I don't know how soon after the teaching sessions they will be posted; I think there was some talk of live streaming the lectures, not sure if that's happening or not.

[paulespino]

Thanks, Suzana.