Equipping the Saints exists to provide systematic teaching for the entire church body on the essentials of being and making disciples.

The core courses below are set in an environment of mutual edification, exhortation, and spiritual growth that will benefit every follower of Jesus, and draw the body at RBC together in unity.

A disciple is a follower of Jesus who is growing in his or her knowledge, love, and joyful service to God and others.

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13,15)

Christ commands us to “go and make disciples.” This is the “ work of ministry” referred to by the Apostle Paul. This Kingdom assignment is for the whole body of Christ and all its members. In order to be a local church that is obedient to Christ’s command, we must be about the work, in the power of the Spirit, of equipping ourselves for this mission.

CORE COURSESThe following core classes are strongly encouraged for everyone at RBC, no matter your age, level of spiritual maturity, or time in fellowship at RBC. Core courses may be taken in any order.

CORE 1 - All Things New: Living As a Child of God

This four-week class is perfect for those new to RBC, new believers, as well as those who have been walking with Jesus for a while but need their soul refreshed. In it, we will study 4 essential aspects in building a solid foundation as followers of Jesus Christ. This course will help us discover God’s desire that we gather, grow, give, and go all for the glory of our great God. We invite all to join us as we learn what it means to be children of the living God.

UPCOMING COURSE
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CORE 2 - One Body, Many Parts: Where Do I Fit?

This core class in four sessions covers a broad orientation to the "church" and to RBC's history, beliefs, and ministries. We will cover what it means to be a part of the body of Christ at RBC, and help you answer questions like, “Who am I?" "How has God fitted me for His service?" "Where do I go from here?” We will explore things like personality, spiritual gifts, and passions to help you understand how God has uniquely created you for growth and fruitfulness in His kingdom.

UPCOMING COURSE
March 2, 2025 | Sundays at 10:45 am | Room 240
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CORE 3 - Firm Foundations: Essential Christian Beliefs

This core class in eight sessions is offered twice per year and helps you understand our core Christian beliefs regarding the nature of God, the nature of sin and the gospel, Christ’s work in making us holy (spiritually whole and set apart for God), the eternal security of the believer, the inerrancy of Scripture, and the Church, and more. You will develop your ability to explain these to others.

UPCOMING COURSE
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CORE 4 - Engaging the Living Word

This core class in four sessions is offered twice per year. It covers the importance and power of the Word of God in the life of the believer, an overview of the Bible (structure, literary styles, history, big picture storyline), basic tools and techniques for Bible reading, interpretation, and Scripture engagement, and plans for Bible reading.

UPCOMING COURSE
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CORE 5 - Living On Mission 101

Living On Mission 101 is the core course at Reston Bible Church that can help you move past your fears, remove the guilt, and give you the means to share your faith with confidence. This course is designed to address the many factors that keep us from sharing our faith and then give you the tools and the experience to tell others the greatest news they have never heard!

UPCOMING COURSE
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CORE 6 - On Becoming a Disciple Maker

This core class in four sessions is offered once per year. Have you grown up? Have you moved from being a spiritual infant, to a spiritual young person, to a spiritual adult, but stopped there? This essential course will give you the means and methods for becoming a spiritual parent and a replicating Jesus-follower, and it will give you a clear understanding of the importance and nature of discipleship in the life of every Jesus follower.

UPCOMING COURSE
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DIGGING DEEPERDigging Deeper courses are a new EtS course offering that provides participants with an environment to dive deeper into the scriptures than a typical Sunday sermon allows. These classes are designed for students of Scripture at all levels, for any who desire to gain a greater appreciation for and understanding of God’s Word. The content of Digging Deeper classes will most often involve in-depth studies on books of the Bible, Christian theology, or a particular theme of the Biblical narrative.

Digging Deeper: Parables

The Good Samaritan. The Prodigal Son. The parables of Jesus are some of the most widely known stories in all history. But do we understand what these stories mean? Like Christ’s own disciples, many of us are confused why Jesus chose to teach in parables, how to rightly interpret them, and how they are relevant to our contemporary lives. The goal of this class is that we would learn to have “ears to hear” what God’s Spirit is trying to teach us through the truths and themes of the parables of Jesus and the implications of their proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

UPCOMING COURSE
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Digging Deeper: Resurrection

Have you ever wanted to share your faith with someone but were afraid they would ask you a question you did not know how to answer? One of the most fundamental questions to our Christian faith is, “Was Jesus really raised from the dead?” “For if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14). This four-week class taught by Scott Tomlinson seeks to equip participants with a foundation for intelligibly defending the single greatest event in the history of the world, by evaluating arguments for and against the resurrection in relation to the historical data. This class is available to participants of all ages.

UPCOMING COURSE
Sept. 3 to 24 | Sundays at 9:00 am | Room 250
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Digging Deeper - Philippians

This Digging Deeper class is a four-week in-depth study of Paul’s letter to the Philippian church. This study will give participants greater understanding of the cultural and historical context of Philippians as well as a focus on its core theological emphases. Together, we will read through the book of Philippians verse by verse and see how this powerful epistle is exceedingly relevant to our lives today.

UPCOMING COURSE
Oct. 8 to 29 | Sundays at 9:00 am | Room 238
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OTHER COURSES

Engagement Project

The Engagement Project Class is an essential training course for everyone at RBC to know how God is leading us to make Him known in our world today. This core course will help us understand the singular calling we each have from God; to love our neighbors and as we do, to introduce them to Jesus. If you are new to RBC, never had the opportunity to take this course, or want a refresher – this is your opportunity!

UPCOMING COURSE
March 2 to May 11, 2025 | Sundays at 9:00 am | Room 250B
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Engagement Project 201

Do you have a burden to love your neighbors but you are struggling to move forward? This follow-up class to the Engagement Project will help you take action and bear much fruit. We will examine five core aspects involved in loving our neighbors and then discern the personal steps of action that God is calling us to live out.

UPCOMING COURSE
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How to Share Your Faith

Do you want to share the gospel with others but just don’t know how or where to start? The How To Share Your Faith class will give you the tools, means, and experience you need to begin to share the gospel with confidence. We address the things try to keep our mouths shut and discourage us from sharing the gospel. We give you several ways to share the gospel that go from using just one verse, to a simple acrostic, to a complete outline to share it fully. We will work with you in writing your testimony in a way that is geared for those who don’t yet know Jesus. We will cover some of the challenges that you face when you share your faith and give you biblical wisdom on how to respond.

UPCOMING COURSE
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Witness in the Workplace

This course looks at "His Kingdom come" in your place of work - practical ways to be salt and light in your profession. This four-session class will explore the biblical basis for work as a blessing from God, not part of the curse, deconstruct the false “sacred-secular” divide, look at barriers, challenges, ethics, and opportunities for the Christ follower in the marketplace, and explore the heart motives behind workplace witness. You will discuss means and methods of witness in the workplace, real life examples, pitfalls, cautions, and be exhorted to put this knowledge into action, with instructors who are actively living out their witness in the marketplace here in Northern Virginia.

UPCOMING COURSE
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The Art of Neighboring

This course looks at "His Kingdom come" in your neighborhood - practical ways to be salt and light close to home. This 4-session class will include a biblical basis for neighborhood ministry, and will cover the means, methods, and resources available. We’ll discuss topics like meeting felt needs in Jesus’ name, the impact of everyday kindness, youth coaching and other community involvement, and the power of hospitality, among others. You’ll hear from other RBC brothers and sisters and learn from their victories as well as their failures.

UPCOMING COURSE
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Gospel-Based Parenting

Children are a gift and a blessing from the Lord but in raising them, you quickly realize this incredible privilege can also be very challenging and humbling responsibility. Gospel-Based Parenting will use the book, Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul Tripp. Outlining fourteen foundational principles centered on the gospel, he shows that we need more than the latest parenting strategy or list of techniques. Rather, we need the rescuing grace of God―grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents. This is a great resource for those raising children from elementary ages and up into the high school years.

UPCOMING COURSE
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Parenting Teens

Raising children of all ages can feel overwhelming for many parents. At every stage of growth, parents face new opportunities, challenges, and dangers as they seek to raise their sons and daughters for the Lord.
These principles will help you help you see past the immediate crises, challenges, and frustrations you are facing and recognize how you can be used by God as a tool in His hand to help your teens own their own faith and walk with Jesus.

UPCOMING COURSE
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Dads on Mission

Our children are in the process of owning their faith and they are watching their parents in their walk with God. This class will help dads remove obstacles that are keeping them from sharing and giving them the tools and practical ways for you be able to share the gospel with those around you

UPCOMING COURSE
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The Art of Parenting: Aiming Your Child's Heart Toward God

Help parents make faith the core of their parenting with intentional, biblical teaching, and Christ-centered plans. By the end of this eight-week course, parents should gain renewed confidence, fresh insights on raising children at different ages, and a parenting plan unique to each child’s personality and gifting.

UPCOMING COURSE
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Biblical Fatherhood

Calling all fathers to this four-week class on the essentials of biblical fatherhood, taught by RBC Elder and father of eight, Eric Smith. This class will help you understand what God has designed you to be and called you to do as a father and will equip you to carry out your preeminent task of making Christ the center of your home. We are confident that this class will be a blessing to you and your family, as you endeavor to “bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

UPCOMING COURSE
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Experiencing the Abundant Life

Dr. John Brewer will be leading this 8-week ETS Class. This course will take participants through the experiences of Biblical figures and contemporary people of faith who transcended the allures of a driven, exhausting existence, to experience the green pastures and still waters of an abundant life in Christ. This class will equip people with the tools to lay the foundation for experiencing the abundant life.

UPCOMING COURSE
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World Missions Survey

This two-week class teaches the biblical basis for world missions, including the current state, trends, and challenges of worldwide missions. Additionally, this class provides a detailed account of RBC’s missions program, and how we can further engage with missions from home. This class is recommended for everyone at RBC who has a heart for reaching the world with the good news of Jesus.

UPCOMING COURSE
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Believer's Baptism

This single-session course is regularly held to teach the biblical basis, purpose, and meaning of baptism. It also covers how to prepare for baptism at RBC. This class is ideal for those who have recently come to faith in Jesus and would like to be baptized, those who are older in their faith but have not been baptized yet, as well as those just interested in learning about what RBC believes regarding baptism.

UPCOMING COURSE
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Financial Peace

This nine-session class is held twice per year on Sunday evenings. Participants will learn how to beat debt, build wealth, find bargains, invest for the future, give like never before, and much more! This class is recommended for everyone at RBC whether you struggle financially or consider yourself financially stable. It is also highly recommended for the newly married, and recent high school or college graduates looking to start off life on the right financial foot.

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Solid Ground

Have you every wanted to place all the competing claims for truth in the ring and see which one is left standing? Have you had questions about Christianity’s claims that your church could or would not answer? Have you wanted to hear real dialogue between atheists, Jewish religious thinkers, Christians, and secularists? Have you wanted to hear the best reasons to believe in the foundations of your faith? If so, Solid Ground is for you.

SUNDAYS AT 9:00 A.M. | ROOM 250A
This is an ongoing class, and no registration is required.

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Answering Hard Questions (Apologetics Today)

If you are looking for answers to tough questions skeptics ask about the Christian faith, and your own tough questions about the major social and philosophical issues of our day, then this four-week class is a good place to begin equipping yourself the battle of ideas that is raging around you all the time. Learn to walk through the process of developing your own answers from Scripture.

UPCOMING COURSE
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WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF DISCIPLESHIP?

WHO SHOULD ATTEND ETS COURSES?

EtS is for everyone interested in growing in their knowledge and love of Christ. Growing together as disciples of Christ is a top priority, if you consider Reston Bible Church to be your spiritual family, the Pastors and Elder Council of RBC strongly encourage you to take part.

“I’ve been a believer for a long time, so I’m not sure this is for me.”
To our faithful long-timers, EtS IS for you because, 1) We all still have more to learn, 2) Learning in community helps develop unity in the body, and 3) This is a great opportunity to rub shoulders with younger believers who you may be able to impact positively for the Kingdom.

“I’m too busy with other activities already.”
All EtS courses are modular (between four and six weeks long) to allow for you to take time away from other activities, if necessary, to invest in your walk with Jesus. It is a great tool to use with your Shepherd Group, accountability group, or with someone you are already discipling.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)