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\"If a church doesn't have bishops, sooner or later they have to invent them.\"

This is what bishop, author, and teacher, Kirk Smith says about the crucial role overseers, or bishops, play in the furthering of Christ's mission in the world. In this inspiring and practical course, Smith offers four video presentations entitled:

Origins
Theology and Public Life
Daily Duties
Why Bishops Matter

This course is ideal for those who are curious about bishops and it is a welcome refresher for those who have known about bishops for a while.

For Groups
This course is designed for group study. We've formatted the material so that you can begin at the next step and then pause at the end of each video lecture and talk about what you've learned. Pick and choose the videos you want or proceed in the sequence we've designed - your call.

At the bottom of the Introduction page under the Downloads tab are two manuals you may find helpful: a Facilitator's Guide and a Participant's Guide. Both contain helpful material for your learning, including suggested discussion questions for each lecture. You may want to print these up and make copies before you proceed. You will notice that each video features a brief introduction, which the leader or someone else might want to read before each lecture.

Here's a video preview:

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take me to complete this course?
It will take an average group about 45 minutes to complete this course. You can pause at any time and come back. You can even re-take lessons. Each course features 3-6 video lectures that are from 5-7 minutes in length. Also included are downloadable Facilitator's and a Participant's Guides.

Who’s teaching this course?
Our instructors come from a variety of traditions, mostly mainline Christianity - Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian. They meet two criteria: 1) they are well-studied, even experts, in their fields, 2) they offer a moderate viewpoint.

Is this course downloadable?
Parts of the course are - the Facilitator's Guide and a Participant's Guide. However, the video lectures, introductions, and other texts are only accessible online.

Can I cancel my subscription anytime?
You bet. It's easy, click here for instructions as well as answers to more Frequently Asked Questions.

Also, a technical note:
This platform works best on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, which are both free downloads. Internet Explorer 9 and above also works well. However different computers have different anti-virus and spam filters installed that can inhibit the downloading of lots of different materials, so if one browser is not working for you then try another.

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24/7 access to all video presentations, downloads, and course content.
Video presentations with Kirk Smith.
Downloadable Facilitator's Guides designed so anyone can lead.
Downloadable Participant Guides.

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