2026
Spring Semester 2026
Monday April 13th
Monday April 20th
Monday April 27th
Monday May 4th
Monday May 11th
Monday May 18th
Monday May 25th
Monday June 1st
Spring Classes
course syllabus
"Mastering Discipleship:
Being a Disciple and a Discipler"
taught by Dr. James Buchanan
Mondays 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
As Christians, we are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ, followers in His way, participants in His mission in the world. Ministry leadership, in all of its variances, is about helping people become such followers of Jesus Christ. This course will focus on facilitating discovery of what it means to lead people toward their process of aggressive growth. To do so, we will explore what it means to be a disciple and we can help people grow to be more like Jesus.
Required Textbook: Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Discipleship. Zondervan, 2021.
Objectives:
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Understand the Biblical implications of being a fully committed follower of Jesus Christ.
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Interact with a Scriptural understanding of how people grow and develop in their walk with God.
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Assess the spiritual strengths and weaknesses in your own life and in the lives of those to whom you are ministering.
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Create an intentional ministry approach to meet the spiritual needs of those to whom you are ministering.
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Guide people toward a dynamic, growing relationship with God, using formal and informal approaches.
course syllabus
"The Ministry of Being a Shepherd"
taught by Pastor Richard Vieldhouse
Mondays 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
This class is designed to equip parents, teachers, pastors, and other leaders to shepherd their flocks well. We will work through and apply aspects of following the Good Shepherd and of the practice of shepherding. Much of our class time will be in a discussion format as we read through parts of the Laniak textbook.
Required Textbook: “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” by Timothy S Laniak, Everbest Printing Company, 2007 **(5 copies of this book are available through Pastor V at a discount)
“A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm” by Phillip Keller, Zondervan, 1970
Objectives:
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Renewed commitment to following the Good Shepherd
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Identify the needs of the flocks that are in your care
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Develop skills and strategies to improve your shepherding
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Encourage those who are shepherding you
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Prepare your flock to be shepherds
"Old Testament Intro: Pentateuch"
taught by Pastor Glenn Hulburt
Mondays 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
course syllabus
This course on the Pentateuch covers the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The understanding of the Pentateuch is absolutely essential in understanding the entirety of the Bible as well as its key doctrines. Students will study the concepts, the context, and contents of these first five books.
Required Textbook: An Introduction to the Old Testament Pentateuch by Herbert Wolf (1991) by Moody Publishers.
Purpose: This course seeks to strengthen the student’s conviction that the Bible is truly the Word of God, and as such, it is absolutely reliable, authoritative, and effective in all that it teaches. To accomplish this, the student will be instructed on the nature of God’s word and the process by which this book has become the foundation of our faith and practice.
Objectives:
After completing this course, the student should be able to:
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Demonstrate knowledge of the five books of Moses
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Possess a familiarity with Creation Genesis 1-11 and under
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Provide a defense for the authorship of the Pentateuch
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Describe the overarching narrative from creation to the edge of the promised land.
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Define and explain key theological concepts: covenant, holiness, law, sacrifice, blessing and curse.
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Summarize the main content and structure of each book in the Pentateuch.
course syllabus
"Church History: How We Got Our Denominations"
taught by Dr. Chris Gardner
Mondays 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Jesus prayed in John 17 that His followers would be one, yet, the church is fractured into hundreds of denominations. What caused these splits? How did the church get so divided? Are denominations wrong or acceptable? The students will learn about their own religious background and how that fits with the rest of the Christian Church.
Required Textbook: Rhodes, Ron, The Complete Guide to Christian Denominations, Harvest House Publishers, 2005
Purpose: This course is designed as an overview of the development of denominations through the centuries and the relationships between denominations. The course will cover the development of the church splits through the Protestant Reformation, then examine the Protestant denominations into the present. It will not include cults that have arisen but do not rightly belong to Christianity proper or small sub-denominations.
Objectives:
At the end of this course each student should be able
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To understand the concepts and development of denominations;
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To know how the larger branches of the church took shape through the centuries;
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To recognize the main lines of denominational development;
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To consider the biblical teaching on denominations and unity.
course syllabus
"How to Study the Bible:
Level 2 - Interpretation"
taught by Dr. Chris Gardner
Mondays 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
This course is designed to teach the second step in effective Bible Study principles and methods. The students will learn how to add to their observation of the text the use of additional resources that will provide the cultural, geographical, linguistic, and genres of the Bible in order to understand the meaning of the text for the original audience.
Required Textbook: Howard G. Hendricks and William D. Hendricks, Living By The Book, Moody Press, Chicago, 2007 edition (Enrichment and Certificate)
Tremper Longman III, Reading the Bible with Heart & Mind, NavPress, 1997 (Certificate)
Purpose: This course is designed to teach the student to use the tools available to interpret accurately the Word of God in order to allow God’s Word to make a practical application of God’s Word to his or her life.
Objectives:
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to understand the genres which the Biblical writers used to communicate God’s Word;
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to explain the numerous Bible study aids available to the serious student;
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to learn to use the five keys to interpretation: content, context, comparison, culture, consultation;
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to discover how to find the principles for applying the Scriptures;
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to practice applying the truths of God’s Word to daily life.