Instructional Methodology: Watch ... Discuss ... Do!

The "Watch ... Discuss ... Do!" methodology used by TransformingTheChurch.org's on-line education and training material is both simple and powerful.

Since our church transformation curricula is intended to be used by busy members of real-world congregations, including both clergy and laity, our "Watch ... Discuss ... Do!" method is designed to be both efficient and effective as well as provide even the smallest (as well as largest) congregation with affordable access to the best practices and instructors/leaders/consultants in the field of church transformation.

Watch

Our courses begin with a series of high-quality high-definition video available for you to watch on-line and on-demand. Each video is an original production that has been produced for this purpose. Each is from 30- to 45-minutes in length and conducted by leaders in the field of church transformation. The videos are often supported by a published book on the subject which may be used as a course textbook.

Watch these videos on-demand at any time from your home or office. If desired, go back and watch any video or parts of any video again.

All videos are produced initially as 1080p high-definition source material using professional digital video cameras shooting in a three-camera configuration, high-quality production values (lighting, sound and sets) and an all-digital workflow. Our finished masters are multi-pass encoded into H.264-based MPEG-4 video files for high-quality streamed using state-of-the-art dynamic stream switching technology that will automatically upscale or down-scale the quality of the stream as necessary in order to serve the highest quality video stream that your broadband connection will allow. If you have sufficient bandwidth, you will view high-definition video streams; if not, the video will automatically scale back as needed.

Discuss

Watching the videos is only the first part of the process. After watching each session of the videos, go on-line into the course's interactive features to discuss each video with your classmates and with the course's instructor(s). As good as our videos are, you will learn and understand more when you can engage in fully-interactive discussions about the video you just watched, particularly when your instructor is there to engage with you. Questions can be answered, or the video material can be placed into your unique personal context.

There are several feature-rich ways to engage in discussion using our state-of-the-art on-line system:

• Class Conference Call - Each session of the course will have a scheduled one-hour conference call chaired by the course's instructor so you can ask questions and discuss related topics. All of your classmates will be encouraged to attend the telephone sessions so that lively discussion can develop. These conference calls provide the opportunity for you to have direct personal access to your instructor.
• Class Forum - Each class will have a dedicated on-line Class Forum that can be accessed any time during the term of the course. You can start any number of new topics for discussion among your classmates or comment on the topics posted by others. Your course instructor will regularly monitor the Class Forum as well. Class Forums are available 24/7 and can be used to continue any interesting discussions started in the Class Conference Calls.
• Class Video Gallery - Each class will have a dedicated online Video Gallery where any class member can post a five-minute video comment or testimony using a webcam on their personal computers.

Also, discussions in some courses will be augmented by live real-time streaming events supported with live chat. The live-broadcast events are great for exploring new developments in the field of church transformation.

Class members are encouraged to participate in all of the discussion methods, not just anyone, in order to benefit from the synergies that result.

Do

Our courses are designed to be put into action! "Doing" is not just education for the sake of information, but education designed to be action oriented and put into practice in your church immediately!

Our courses and their supporting materials will provide the knowledge you need to begin doing without delay!

We make a group rate available so that you can get a group of people from your church to take the course together. When taken together, our courses focus the group on beginning the transformation process in your church, where all can start from a common base.

To support "doing" we have several optional features you can implement:

• A Private Meeting Room - for a small monthly fee, we can set up a private on-line meeting room for just your church. All of the members of your church group taking the course together can access your private room where you can securely discuss the issues and challenges faced by your church in privacy. The room will be available to you 24/7 and allows your group to work on-line together, each from their homes or offices. Your Private Room can be used for just the duration of the course or, preferably, used as an on-going virtual meeting place for continuous coaching and follow-up. Private rooms are provided on a month-to-month basis, and you can close your room at any time.
• Private Consulting - for the ight "power assistance," you can engage the course's instructor to give you private one-on-one consulting within your private room. Discussions and consulting can be tailored to your particular needs and issues. You pay only for the hours of consulting/coaching you consume and, since your consultant and your group meet virtually within the privacy of your on-line Meeting Room, you don't have to pay for travel time or travel expenses. You can engage with your consultant/coach for as little or as often as you need or desire. Private Consulting is a very attractive way for a church to get the outside help that they may need while containing costs, making high-quality consultancy/coaching affordable for even small congregations.