- 2012 .. in works! November 14, 2011Keep praying for Johnny and the team at the Academy as they finalize the 2012 course curriculum. We still need a lot of prayer and wisdom, so that the Lord may continue to bless the work of the Academy in Italy. There has been much progress this year and the impact of this work in [...] […]
- EXPOSITORY PREACHING 2 November 14, 2011After a very blessed Focus Conference in Perugia in October, we just completed the last class for this academic year, Expository Preaching 2. Johnny Gravino did not miss a beat, after very strong preaching sessions at Focus, he completed the year teaching Bibliology and Hermeneutics to a group of 8 students. Again, the Lord really [...] […]
- LEADERSHIP TRAINING – JUNE 13 June 28, 2011This was a fantastic class! Pastor Shane Koheler, from Faith Community Church in Woodstock, GA was our teacher for this Leadership Training class on peacemaking. “How to bring peace in our churches when conflicts happen… and they will”. When faced with conflicts how do we react? do we ‘run’, or do we ‘attack’ or better…do [...] […]
Mission & Purpose
Training for the Work of Perfection” Eph 4:12
Ephesians 4:12 states, “for the equipping (perfection) of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…” This verse follows verse 11 where Paul states that… “He (Christ) gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.” God’s plan for His church is founded on the giving of gifted men who prepare the church conforming it to the likeness of Christ. The word perfection means maturity. In NT times this was a medical term. The word was applied to the healing of a broken bone in the body. The sense was a “placing back together again”. When applied to the church, “perfection” is envisioned as a process or work of growth and maturity that the church undergoes when its gifted leaders lead and prepare others who then in turn prepare others also. Soon the church is growing spiritually, being strengthened to Christ-likeness. As verse 13 continues, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
That is exactly ITA’s purpose for the Italian church. We strive (work) to mature (perfect) the church and thereby render it more effective in its testimony for Christ in Italy. The local church is our heart and training its gifted men is where our work of perfection begins.
Our Mission
We believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and sufficient in all matters of faith and practice; therefore the teaching of God’s Word must be done in a way that does not violate its integrity and purity.
Our Purpose
The purpose of the Italian Theological Academy (a ministry of Aurora Mission, Inc.) is to equip Italian pastors, elders, and lay leaders for ministry by developing a commitment to Biblical inerrancy and authority with an emphasis on expository preaching.
Our Objectives
• To teach the Biblical basis for and benefits of Expository Preaching.
• To teach practical principles of Expository Preaching.
• To teach methods of Bible Study.
• To give students tools for sound interpretation of Scripture.
