We ran The Adopted Course at KingsGate Church twice a year for a number of years and consistently saw people’s lives changed as they encountered Father, Son and Holy Spirit in new and more intimate ways.

As a result we filmed the course at the end of 2013 to see whether the material and style of the course would work in other contexts and without live teaching. The course has now been run in a number of places in the UK and in other parts of the world, both in regular small groups (home groups, connect groups) and as a specific course that people attend.

The feedback has again been incredibly positive as people have discovered a new depth of intimacy in relationship with God.

In 2017, God provided the skill set and the funds to film a revised version of the course for a wider audience. The materials and format are largely the same, with only minor enhancements, and we trust it blesses all who participate in the course.

The main components of each session are:

• Feedback from the previous week on what God is doing in course participant’s lives.
• Teaching designed to highlight the difference between how we think and what the bible says.
• Time  for participants to sit and reflect and allow Holy Spirit to speak to them.

The 7 session videos are available to watch for free on Vimeo.

Alternatively you can pay to download the set, to have your own set stored locally and not be dependent on the vagaries of the internet.

For those who don’t have internet capability to download large files (+-5GB per session) you can purchase the DVD box set and we will ship it to you.

We usually lay the space out in a relaxed fashion with space between people and lighting low. As people will be allowing God into places in their hearts that may have been closed or sources of pain for a long time, we’ve found people appreciate the space and privacy. It helps people to feel safe.

In small group settings this is less of an issue as the setting is more intimate anyway and usually people know each other well already.

The course manual can be downloaded and printed for participants.

We spiral bind the manuals using 10mm plastic combs, a 200 gsm black card on the back and a clear cellophane front cover.

You are free to print it as you please but our experience is that participants tend to record a lot of what God is speaking to them about during the course, so we have found it best to create something a bit more sturdy and secure than just the sheets of paper. Also as the manual is 34 pages, most staplers won’t hold this together.

As the purpose of the course is to improve people’s relationship with God, we try not to intervene in the reflection times. It’s amazing how people learn to hear from God for themselves when given the space to do so.

However, sometimes people do get stuck or something that they cannot deal with by themselves comes up. It is best to have some people available who are trained in prayer ministry to help in these situations.

We use the Sozo Prayer tool (http://www.bethelsozo.org.uk) from Bethel Church in California (https://www.bethel.com) and much of the material in the course is based on these tools. However, any other prayer tool that leads people into personal freedom is fine.

It is best to avoid getting into major counselling sessions after every talk. The purpose of the course is to point people towards Jesus. Things brought to the surface in the course may require counselling in the long term, but during the course try to keep people focussed on forgiving people that caused wounds and repent of believing lies.

Additionally, Dr Caroline Leaf’s (https://drleaf.com) “21 Day Brain Detox plan” which is summarised in the manual is useful in helping to keep the focus on renewing the mind.

For some participants, The Adopted Course will be the beginning of a journey to freedom. The Holy Spirit will lead them in the journey but sometimes help is useful.

A prayer ministry time may be needed or some specialist help, depending on what comes to the surface.

It is important to remember that God has reconciled us to himself and to each other. Consequently we need to work out our journey to freedom in community.