With post-graduate training in Systematic Theology, Church History, New Testament Studies and Mathematics, Barry specializes on various topics including: the biblical theology of singleness, marriage and spiritual family; cultural and global demographic trends in marriage and singleness; history of marriage and singleness; marriage and singleness in the Roman Imperial era; biblical exegesis of 1 Corinthians 7; theology of identity and sexuality; ministry and outreach to single adults; and discipleship, spiritual growth and leadership development.

He is a noted bible and theology teacher ordained with the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada.

Melanie is an information technology and policy governance professional with designations in organizational change management and governance. She loves to combine her professional experience with ministry leadership skills. She has a passion for the church and desires to encourage and challenge fellow brothers and sisters in Christ—with a special heart for spurring on emerging leaders in kingdom advancement. She speaks on various topics including: community, spiritual care, singles topics, and spiritual family.

Melanie serves Centre Street Church (Calgary, Canada) as the Chair of the Board of Governors. She also served at Centre Street Church as pastor of single adults where she developed leaders, shepherded congregants, and provided spiritual care. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada (EMCC) and on the Advisory Team for SEE Globally, a project of the Great Commission Foundation. She also serves the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) by representing North America to the Women’s Commission.

Melanie holds an undergraduate degree in Science from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia and a Master of Christian Ministry from the Canadian Baptist Theological Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. She is credentialed with the EMCC.

Full Day Workshop or Seminar

Singleness and Marriage in God’s Redemptive Story

Includes four or five 60-75 minute sessions with discussion and interaction

This seminar/workshop aims to equip both church leaders and lay-people with a robust biblical paradigm of marriage & singleness that gives a vision of the distinct value and contribution of all members of the Body of Christ regardless of marital status. The seminar version includes presentations with opportunity for Q&A. The workshop version includes presentations with short Q&A followed by breakout discussion groups.

We begin by assessing the massive demographic shifts in marriage and singleness and their causes in the twenty-first century. We then explore biblical texts illustrating the theological importance of offspring and how marriage and singleness were viewed in the Old Testament and ancient Israel relative to offspring. We continue with a study of how things changed with coming of the prophets and in the New Testament era of the church in light of Christ and the new covenant. We proceed next with reflecting on singleness, sexuality and identity in the context of contrasting world views. We wrap up with an examination of the Apostle Paul’s teaching on marriage and singleness in 1 Corinthains 7 reflecting on the key takeaways and application for the modern church.

Sessions

1. Global Trends in Marriage & Singleness: Why It Matters
2. Singleness & Marriage in the Old Testament: The Centrality of Offspring
3. Singleness & Marriage in the New Testament: The Radical New Family
4. Singleness, Sexuality & Identity: Navigating Well in Today’s World
5. Marriage and Singleness in 1 Corinthians 7: Application for Today’s Church

Half Day Workshop or Seminar

Singleness and Marriage in God’s Redemptive Story

Includes two 60-75 minute sessions with discussion and interaction

The half-day workshop aims to equip church leaders and lay-people with a biblical overview of marriage & singleness that helps value and affirm of all members of the Body of Christ regardless of marital status. The seminar version includes presentations with opportunity for Q&A. The workshop version includes presentations with short Q&A followed by breakout discussion groups.

We begin with a brief overview of the demographic shifts in marriage and singleness and their causes in the twenty-first century. We then explore biblical texts illustrating the theological importance of offspring and how marriage and singleness were viewed in the Old Testament and ancient Israel. We then proceed with taking a look at how things changed with the coming of Christ and the New Covenant in the New Testament, wrapping up with reflections on
application for the modern church.

Sessions

1. Global Trends in Marriage – Why it Matters; Singleness& Marriage in the Old
   Covenant
2. Singleness & Marriage in the New Covenant; Application for Today’s Church

Seminar Topics

1. Singleness & Marriage in God’s Redemptive Story
   How marriage and singleness were viewed so differently in the Old Testament and New Testament worlds, and what it means for us today. This webinar is our foundation webinar and provides a synopsis of the theology in Redeeming Singleness and Singleness in God’s Redemptive Story. We strongly encourage those who are new to our ministry to begin with this seminar.
2. The Biblical Perspective on Singleness
   An encapsulation of the biblical teaching on singleness through Scripture from the Old Testament through the teaching of Jesus and Paul.
3. The Biblical Perspective on Marriage
   An encapsulation of the biblical teaching on marriage through Scripture with a special emphasis on how marriage relates to God’s redemptive plan.
4. The Biblical Perspective on Family
   An encapsulation of the biblical teaching on family through Scripture with a special emphasis on our adoptive spiritual family in Christ.
5. The Biblical Perspective on Sexuality & Identity
   An encapsulation of the biblical teaching on sexuality and identity with emphasis on the
   underlying worldviews and how sexuality relates to our relationship with Christ.
6. The Biblical Perspective on Same-Sex Relationships
   An encapsulation of the biblical teaching on same-sex relationships with emphasis on pastoral care for those who struggle with same-sex attraction.
7. The Biblical Perspective on Gender and Identity
   An encapsulation of the biblical teaching on how God designed us as human beings and the interrelationships between identity, gender and sexuality.
8. Global Trends in Marriage and Singleness and How We Should Respond
   A look at the global trends in singleness and marriage, what is behind them, and how we can best respond in a biblically informed matter.
9. Singleness, Sex & Relationships: What Messages Are You Hearing? (for youth)
   What are the distinct messages you are hearing from the world and the church when it comes to relationships, singleness, sex and identity? What the Bible has to say on these topics helps us in how to best respond.
10. Sexuality in Service to God: Debunking the Modern Myths around Sexuality
    A look at some of the modern myths around our sexuality, separating fact from fiction, so that we can understand God’s design and purpose for how we are made to serve him.
11. Three Distinctives of a Christian Single Life Lived Well
    Exploring the keys that make the difference between just getting through life and living a flourishing life as a single man or woman of God.
12. Jesus’ Teaching on Marriage and Singleness in the Gospels
    A deeper dive into Jesus’ surprisingly radical teaching on singleness in the Gospels reflecting on the key takeaways and application for the modern church.
13. Paul’s Teaching on Marriage and Singleness in 1 Corinthians 7
    A deeper dive into Paul’s teaching on singleness and marriage in 1 Corinthians 7 reflecting on the key takeaways and application for the modern church.
14. The Gift of Singleness Versus the Calling of Singleness: What is the Difference?
    A careful examination of the gift versus calling of singleness in the combined teaching of Jesus and Paul and what it means for us today.
15. How to Become a Singles-Friendly Church
    A practical guide to what it takes to be a friendly environment for reaching single adults outside the church and drawing them into your church community.
16. How to Minister Effectively to Singles in Your Church
    A guide for better understanding singles in your church to integrate them into community, effectively minister to them, and spur them to greater kingdom engagement.
17. Navigating the Struggle of Sexuality as a Single Man or Woman
    A biblical overview of the Scripture teaching on purity and sexual temptation with special emphasis on how singles can practically live out lives that honour God.
18. Why Marriage & Singleness are Core Gospel Issues
    How singleness and marriage each testify to the gospel in important but different ways and why both lived well in Christian community are vital for a balanced message of the gospel.
19. Understanding the Sexual Revolution and How to Respond
    A brief overview of the history of the sexual revolution and its major voices with reflection on how to develop strategies for a constructive biblically grounded response.
20. Barry’s Story
    Barry’s personal testimony of God’s faithfulness in his journey as a never-married celibate Christian man, how he sees his singleness and the lessons that he has learned.