More than 2,400 people from 26 countries are registered for The Big Class with Michael Curry as we enter Day 3 of our week-long quest to become ‘Crazy Christians.’ We have enjoyed a steady stream of comments, tweets, Facebook posts etc., most of them very positive about their experience, “The Bishop’s passion and his ‘real person’ speech is not so Anglican as to be boring,’ commented one participant.

In this free, 45 minute, pre-recorded class, students are taking a deeper journey into discipleship. In a post-class questionnaire, 79% of the students indicated the class had had a moderate or major impact on their faith journey. 92% surveyed said they were satisfied or more than satisfied with their experience.

Key learnings for us include better organized moderating. We made some changes after day one that have helped, including parking the moderator in one discussion area for the evening.  Others felt overwhelmed with the vast number of people and comments. But most people have enjoyed the experience and learned something new about their faith, “I liked the format that combined the video and the chance to answer questions from what we saw/read. I also enjoyed being able to read the responses of others,” was a common comment.

We are thrilled that so many people are drawing closer to God through this vehicle. We are also incredibly appreciative of our sponsors who made this all possible. And we are mulling over what this all means – how is God using this new way of being together as a way to form us into better disciples and send us out into the world with strength and courage to love and serve others?

If you, or anyone you know, would like to take The Big Class, it is open and free through Feb 3. You can sign up here.