Thank you for your interest in the Antioch Discipleship School! Please read through the following information before applying. We want you to clearly understand what the school entails and some of the expectations we'll have of you during enrollment before you commit to the school year. All applicants will undergo an interview where you'll have the chance to talk with us about how some of these expectations might apply to your specific situation and circumstances. Sometime after this interview, you will receive a final admission decision.

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Dates: September 1st, 2023 through early May, 2024 (8 months)
Meeting Times: Sunday, Monday, or Wednesday evenings (TBD) + one Saturday morning or afternoon per month
Cost: $1,500 per student (payment plans available but $500 is due by the first day of school)
    INCLUDES:
        - Books
        - School supplies
        - Guest speakers
        - Two separate weekend-long off-site retreats
        - One domestic US mission trip

    DOES NOT COVER:
        - One international mission trip (raised separately during the program)
        - Staff pay (most staff are volunteers and are not being paid by your tuition)

Eligible Age Groups: 18 or older
Application Due Date: Submit by July 31st, 2023
Interview Dates: On an ongoing, rolling basis
Admission Decision Dates: On an ongoing, rolling basis, up until August 31st, 2023
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First and foremost, we want to make sure that you have waited, prayed, and sought the Lord about doing this Discipleship School. The school itself can be surprisingly challenging and cause you to wrestle through your faith in a healthy way. We encourage you to really think and pray through what you're hoping to get out of the year and hear from the Lord what He wants you to be doing. You will get a lot out of going through this program if you're committed and willing to give yourself fully to it but you'll miss out on some rich opportunities if you end up "coasting" through the year.

Below are some of the specific expectations we have of students in the Discipleship School:

1. BE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS - While there is plenty of space in our community for those still figuring out who Jesus is and what importance He has in their lives, the Discipleship School is a place for already-committed Christians and followers of Jesus. The school's purpose is to train believers how to be disciples and disciple-makers of Jesus.

2. PERSONAL TIME WITH JESUS - We ask that everyone schedules and spends at least 30 minutes daily of devotional, focused, quiet time with Jesus. We believe the devotional life is critical to the faith and will be absolutely necessary for this year and beyond.

3. ATTENDANCE - We expect all students to be in attendance at least 90% of the time. This equates to missing no more than 5 scheduled class times throughout the entire year (including trips, retreats, or other special events). We understand that illness, family emergencies, etc. can happen at unexpected times and that is what your 4 "miss-able" class times are for. Don't use them up just because you don't feel like coming that day. Along with attendance, we expect everyone to be on time. Our time together is valuable and coming together at all in the first place, for some, takes a lot of effort, cost, and schedule-arranging. We honor those sacrifices by being on time. Students with children will need to secure childcare during the weekly and monthly regular class times.

4. REQUIRED READINGS - Throughout the school year all students will be assigned Bible readings and book readings that need to be completed outside of class time. These are critical and form the basis for a lot of what is talked about during class time, so they need to have been completed before you come to class.

5. MEMORY VERSES - In addition to readings, students will also be assigned Bible verses that need to be memorized and recited to a staff member.

6. INVOLVEMENT WITH OUR LOCAL ANTIOCH CHURCH - A huge component of the Discipleship School is becoming personally known, vulnerable, and open with other students and believers who can then help you take steps forward in your walk with the Lord. This is best done when you have maximized your time around and service to the brothers and sisters in one community and is diminished when you are "split" between multiple communities. Specifically, this involvement with our church looks like:

      A. ATTENDING A LIFEGROUP - This is a group of people that will relationally connect with you and help you feel known, loved, and on mission together. It is not only a great place to receive these things but also a great place to invest and pour into others as well. We encourage you to use your Lifegroup as a place to "do family" and invite others into it. We have Lifegroups that meet weekly on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings for you to chose from.

      B. ATTENDING CORPORATE GATHERINGS - Our corporate gatherings on Sunday mornings @ 10:30am is where the larger church can come together to the same space and worship Jesus together. It's also the only regular weekly time where you can fellowship with other people in the church not in your normal circles.

      C. SERVE THE CHURCH - We ask that you would intentionally find ways to help serve the Antioch community. This can look like being a volunteer with the kids ministry, being a greeter on Sunday mornings, playing in the worship band, serving administratively, or anything else where the church is built up.

      D. PARTICIPATE IN YOUR DISCIPLESHIP GROUP - All students will be sorted into smaller "discipleship groups" made of 3-4 students, led by a staff member or volunteer from the church. These groups are where the nuts & bolts of obeying Jesus and applying what you're learning in school are worked through. Your presence and your openness are key to these groups being impactful.

7. FALL OUTREACH & RETREATS - We will take at least 3 trips to domestic locations throughout the school year: two retreats and an outreach. While some of these might take place over a weekend, some will happen during the week. We will announce these dates well in advance so students can arrange to be off of work and free to attend. While these might feel like "extra" class times, they are very important events that are huge for both building class comradery and experiencing the mission of God.

The first retreat will be a kick-off retreat scheduled for the evening of September 1st through September 3rd, 2023, so make sure you can attend!

8. SPRING OVERSEAS MISSION TRIP - In the spring, the entire class will embark on a week-long trip overseas to work alongside an Antioch church, or missionaries, doing evangelistic work in a foreign country. All students will need valid passports, to take off the time to attend, and will be support raising the funds to pay for this trip (under our guidance and direction) throughout the school year. Students with children will be able to bring their kids.

Balancing accessibility to the Discipleship School while maintaining foundational requirements is key to a successful program. If you see anything on the application or in the student expectations that may be a hurdle for you, please apply anyway and we can talk together about it during the interview.