The Austin Stone Institute is excited to announce the release of our newest written resource!
Doctrines & Disciplines is a new 227-page workbook written for The Austin Stone Development Program (ASDP). For those unfamiliar with the program, ASDP is designed for people who are serious about growing in their knowledge, love, and obedience to Jesus Christ. As a member of a learning cohort, students pursue intimacy with and conformity to Christ through the practice of spiritual disciplines and the study of systematic theology over the span of eight months. From the program’s conception in 2008, over 2,000 students have completed The Austin Stone Development Program!
In 2015, Jake Riddle and Rex Hamilton began the process of codifying the program curriculum into a printed resource. The 2015 version was comprised of four workbooks and designed for a centrally-administered program.
In 2017, The Austin Stone Development Program adopted a new administrative structure and began offering the program at each congregation of The Austin Stone, rather than one central location. New teams were assembled to lead the program at each location. And with all of the changes, it was then decided to revisit the curriculum, too.
ASDP, in all of its iterations, has long been a seminal catalytic experience for countless people within the body of The Austin Stone. Students—many for the first time—learn doctrine, practice spiritual disciplines, and learn directly from people like Kevin Peck and Matt Carter. Along with the central elders of The Austin Stone, the ASI team understood that the new administrative structure and program scope necessitated a new set of program materials. In the spring of 2019, the ASI team began the process of formally revising the curriculum to be released by the commencement of the program in the fall of 2019.
We set out to create a single workbook that would draw from and reinforce some of the most effective activities developed within the program over the past 10+ years. We wanted to make a simple, effective, and scalable resource that would enhance each student’s learning experience, while also making the program more manageable to carry out.
Doctrines & Disciplines consists of 18 individual chapters and corresponding resources for each of the doctrines associated with The Austin Stone Development Program syllabus. Each chapter represents a specific topic of study. Students generally spend time reading, completing activities, attending a lecture, and discussing the chapter’s content with their cohort.
The chapters are:
Every chapter has been designed with similar recurrent components. For instance, each chapter begins with a checklist of reading assignments and activities for each session.
Each chapter also includes a Scripture Study with the intention that students will be given ample opportunity to investigate different passages of Scripture by using Bible Study Techniques taught in Chapter 3.
After the associated Scripture Study, each chapter then includes a variety of different activities and case studies aimed at directing users to practice applying doctrinal truths to a variety of unique situations.
Finally, each chapter concludes with key terms and questions associated with the topic at hand, along with ample space for users to write down notes from the reading and lecture.
It takes a lot of people and a lot of time to create a resource of this length.
Doctrines & Disciplines was:
While this resource is optimally intended to be used within the context of The Austin Stone Development Program, the ASI team has made this resource available for purchase to anyone interested in owning their own copy.
Copies of Doctrines & Disciplines can be purchased here.
