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Contenders Discipleship Initiative

Equipping Christians for Ministry Within the Local Church

Tuition-Free Bible Education

The Contenders Discipleship Initiative (CDI) is a two-year program offered by Village Missions to equip Christians for ministry within their local church and to prepare those who are called for full-time ministry as missionary pastors.

The CDI program is tuition-free and involves two components:

  1. Biblical Education
  2. Mentoring for Ministry

The Biblical component is a rigorous but compact curriculum delivered in six courses. The mentoring component is provided by a pastor/ministry mentor. Successful completion of the Contenders Discipleship Initiative program satisfies the educational requirements of Village Missions for missionary applicants.

CDI: Developing Spiritually Mature Believers for the Church
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Where Do I Start?

Bible Students

Students

Welcome to an adventure in discovering God’s Word! If you are part of a CDI classroom or an individual self-study student, this is where you start. Once you register you will be able to access all of our CDI courses for free.

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Bible Teachers

Course Mentors

Welcome to equipping the saints for ministry! If you are a pastor or Bible study teacher leading a CDI class, you’ll start here! Once you have registered as a course mentor, you will be able to access all of our course materials for free.

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Get Started Today!

You can take all of these courses for free!  Start with “Bibliology and How to Study the Bible,” then progress through the courses in order. Each course is built from the knowledge gained from previous courses. Click the “Learn More” button to get started!

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marie fissori

"Attending Contenders forced me to learn how to articulate my beliefs in a systematic and organized way. I was challenged to come up with a doctrinal statement that reflected what I believed personally and I was given the tools to study the word of God in-depth. The courses were a feast of spiritual knowledge and insight and the Holy Spirit used them to draw me into a closer relationship with Jesus as well as with other Christians."

Marie Fissori

CDI student

Our Online Instructors

Our CDI online instructors were selected to provide you with a solid foundation in your Christian education. Each has decades of ministry experience as pastors and teachers. All have a heart for God’s people and a love for God’s Word.

instructor ron sallee

Ron Sallee

Founder of Contenders Discipleship Initiative. Has been teaching Bibliology & How to Study the Bible since 1977.
instructor ken ainsworth

Ken Ainsworth

Retired Village Missionary, formerly served as Pastor of Canyon Community Church and instructor for the Christian Doctrine and Systematic Theology course.
instructor vernal wilkinson

Vernal Wilkinson

Retired District Representative. Dr. Wilkinson is the CDI instructor for the New Testament Survey course.
instructor cliff horr

Cliff Horr

Retired Village Missionary, formerly served as Pastor of San De Fuca Community Chapel and instructor for the Old Testament Survey course.
instructor russell richardson

Russell Richardson

Retired Village Missionary and formerly served as Pastor of Sauvie Island Community Church and instructor for the Church History course.
instructor robert dore

Robert Dore

Retired Village Missionary, formerly served as pastor of Pleasant View Community Church, CDI instructor for the Evangelism, Teaching and Preaching course.
Contenders Discipleship Initiative Class Cotopaxi

Help Us Provide a Tuition-Free Education

The Lord has used the CDI program to equip believers, train ministry leaders, and strengthen churches all over the world! The faithfulness and generosity of so many partners in ministry have helped make that possible. In order to keep the CDI available and accessible we need your help! Would you please consider how the Lord might use you to support the work of CDI?

U.S. Donations
Canadian Donations