Class 201: Introduction To Spiritual Maturity. All Christians eventually ask the same questions: How can I get closer to God? How can I live more and more like Jesus? How can I grow in my faith? Where do I start? Class 201  is designed to answer these and many other questions. During Class 201, you will learn four habits that will energize or renew your spiritual life. First, through Class 201, you will learn practical steps to making time with God a powerful part of every day through Bible reading and study. You will also receive helpful tips on overcoming the largest obstacles you'll face as you get started. Second, every growing Christian needs to talk with God. This is called prayer. For some, talking to God is intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. In Class 201, you'll discover that God desires conversation with you and He's much more interested in you authentically talking with him than He is in critiquing your prayers. So, to get you started, you'll learn a pattern for prayer taken right out of the life of Jesus. A third area that is covered is financial giving. Admittedly, this is a sensitive subject because few things give a more piercing look into our spiritual lives than how we choose to handle our financial resources. This section will help you take a healthy look at priorities and what really matters in life. Finally, you'll clearly see the value of Christian relationships.  At Blue Ridge, there are many opportunities to gather with other Christians. First, there's the larger group worship experience at the weekend services. Second, there are smaller groups, where you can connect with other believers in a deeper, more personal way. As part of Class 201 you will learn how lots of people at Blue Ridge have grown by becoming part of a spiritual family called a Small Group.

Class 301: Discovering My Shape For Ministry.  When you became a Christian, God gave you salvation and the hope of eternity in heaven. He also gave you purpose and significance in your life now. He has given each of us the opportunity to serve others and make a real difference in someone's life. When you serve others in Jesus' name, that's called ministry. God didn't design ministry for just a few with seminary degrees. At Blue Ridge, we believe that every member of our church is a minister. This is what Class 301 is all about. During this class, you will learn how God can use your Spiritual Gifts, your Heart (passions), your Abilities, Personality and Experiences to minister to others in need. This is discovering your SHAPE for ministry. First, God gave you a special ability when you started following Him. We call this a Spiritual gift. God gave this gift to build up your church family and reach out to the world with Christ's love. God also gave you unique passions and heart for particular activities, subjects and circumstances. God uses the things we feel deeply about to show us where we can serve. This is how people learn to serve with joy and not get burned out. Third, in Class 301, you'll be given time to assess your Abilities which have been with you even before you became a Christian and you'll see how these will help you in your ministry. God also gives us a Personality to share our SHAPE through. Everyone's personality is not the same, which makes the expression of our SHAPE that much more special. Finally, you'll be able to reflect on the multitude of experiences in your life which have been used by God to mold you for ministry. The experiences of life help us know how to heal hurts of people in our church and in our community. All this combined, will let you discover your SHAPE for ministry.