So you’re considering an online program for professional development or to earn a degree? That’s great! There are many excellent online opportunities available but there are also some cautions to consider before moving forward. Let’s answer a few common questions associated with online learning to assist in your journey. Online learning is an umbrella term referring to structured educational experiences that are delivered via the Internet to students who are geographically separated from the instructor. This latest iteration of distance education is unique because the online environment enables students and instructors to build rich learning communities which simply weren’t possible in the era of corresponding courses and satellite campuses.

David Platt admits that his own congregation is “wrestling” with the way they look at what the Gospel demands of them. “We certainly have a long way to go, but this is a journey worth taking for the sake of God’s people accomplishing God’s purpose for God’s glory,” Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, AL, says. He shares his hopes and misgivings for ministry in Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (Multnomah Books/Random House, 2010). Church Executive asked him a few questions and he responded with some provocative answers: