Christian Leaders Institute is developing a ministry training program where textbooks are not required. We are offering more and more classes where all materials are in a digital format. Our goal is to eventually have all our courses with the resources necessary contained on the web.
1. Christian Basics Certificate (7 Credits) Outside Textbooks Are Not Needed
Students enter Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) via our Getting Started Class: Discipleship and Evangelism (4 Credits). This Class introduces students to a reproducible walk with God and gives them orientation to CLI. After they complete the Getting Started Class, Students will be automatically enrolled in the Christian Basics Class (3 credits). This class covers the doctrinal basics of the Christian faith. This is the foundational certificate that opens up Christian Leaders Institute for further study by students.
No Outside Textbooks In Many Classes
2. Christian Leaders Certificate and Ministry Training Certificate(23 credits)
After Students complete the Christian Basics course, they are encouraged to work toward their Christian Leaders Certificate. This certificate covers the essential ministry training needed for many callings. The courses include:
- Getting Started in Ministry Training: Discipleship and Evangelism (4 Credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Christian Basics (3 Credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Old Testament Survey (3 Credits) No Outside Textbooks
- New Testament Survey (3 Credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Church and Ministry (3 credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Pastoral Care and Marriage (3 Credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Church History (4 Credits)
Total 23 Credits
3. Discipleship Diploma (30 credits)
This is the first diploma Christian Leaders Institute offers. After a student completes the Foundational two basic classes, students can take any classes they want accumulating 30 credits. This diploma is perfect for the Christian leader who wants to have a goal for continued studies. Many existing pastors may find this diploma very attractive.
- Getting Started in Ministry Training: Discipleship and Evangelism (4 credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Christian Basics (3 credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Christian Leaders Institute (23 CLI credits) No Outside Textbooks
Total Credits 30
4. Commissioned Pastor Diploma (31 credits)
The Ministry Training Certificate gives students the essentials they will need for leading their churches. The classes include
- Getting Started in Ministry Training: Discipleship and Evangelism (4 Credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Christian Basics (3 credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Church History: (4 credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Hermeneutics and Exegesis (3 credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Preaching Methods: (3 credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Pastoral Care and Marriage: (3 credits) No Outside Textbooks
- Systematic Theology I (4 credits)
- Systematic Theology II (3 credits)
- Church and Ministry: (3 credits )No Outside Textbooks
Total Credits 31
4. Ministry Diploma (45 Credits)
The Diploma of Ministry is the first of our three advance ministry training diplomas. This award says that students studied more areas of ministry training in-depth. This diploma will gives them advanced knowledge in what they need to be a pastor, evangelist, ministry associate, church planter, chaplain, or other Christian leader. Some churches and denominations require this kind of a diploma for ordination.
- Getting Started in Ministry Training: Discipleship and Evangelism (4 Credits)
- Christian Basics (3 Credits)
- Old Testament Survey (3 Credits)
- New Testament Survey (3 Credits)
- Hermeneutics and Exegesis (3 credits)
- Church and Ministry (3 credits)
- Pastoral Care and Marriage (3 Credits)
- Church History (4 Credits)
- Preaching Methods: (3 credits)
- Systematic Theology I (4 credits)
- Systematic Theology II (3 credits)
- Christian Ethics (3 credits)
- Christian Apologetics (elective) Dr. Voddie Baucham and Dr. David Feddes (3 credits)
Required 36 Credits
Elective 6 Credit
Total 45 Credit
5. Advanced Ministry Diploma (63 credits)
The Advanced Diploma of Ministry gives students knowledge and insight comparable to many seminaries. More in-depth knowledge of the various area of study will serve them well in their ministry calling. Right now Christian Leaders Institute is developing more thought provoking courses. This diploma will more available to students within a year. CLI eventually plans to offer this Diploma with a “emphasis” as our class offering increase in the next few years, Lord willing.
- Getting Started in Ministry Training: Discipleship and Evangelism (4 Credits)
- Christian Basics (3 Credits)
- Old Testament Survey (3 Credits)
- New Testament Survey (3 Credits)
- Hermeneutics and Exegesis (3 credits)
- Church and Ministry (3 credits)
- Pastoral Care and Marriage (3 Credits)
- Church History (4 Credits)
- Preaching Methods: (3 credits)
- Systematic Theology I (4 credits)
- Systematic Theology II (3 credits)
- Christian Ethics (3 credits)
- Christian Apologetics (elective) Dr. Voddie Baucham and Dr. David Feddes (3 credits)
Required 39 Credits
Electives: 24 credits
Total Credits 63
6. Divinity Diploma (90 credits)
This advanced Divinity Diploma is the highest award we grant to students at Christian Leaders Institute. This Diploma digs very deep into every study area for ministry training. CLI eventually plans to offer this Diploma with a “emphasis” as our class offering increase in the next few years, Lord willing.
- Getting Started in Ministry Training: Discipleship and Evangelism (4 Credits)
- Christian Basics (3 Credits)
- Old Testament Survey (3 Credits)
- New Testament Survey (3 Credits)
- Hermeneutics and Exegesis (3 credits)
- Church and Ministry (3 credits)
- Pastoral Care and Marriage (3 Credits)
- Church History (4 Credits)
- Preaching Methods: (3 credits)
- Systematic Theology I (4 credits)
- Systematic Theology II (3 credits)
- Christian Ethics (3 credits)
- Christian Apologetics (elective) Dr. Voddie Baucham and Dr. David Feddes (3 credits)
- Greek 1 (4 Credits)
- Greek 2 (4 Credits)
- Greek 3 (4 Credits)
Required 51 Credits
Electives 39 Credits
Total 90 Credits
The professional clergy are not the only ones who start revivals. Many revivals began with lay leadership. Lay leadership played a pivotal role in spiritual revivals in American history. Christian Leaders Institute is developing a new course called, “Evangelistic Missiology.” Dr. Bruce Ballast’s book, “Ordinary People – Extraordinary Things – How God Brings Revival” highlights impact of lay leadership in revivals. In fact, Dr. Ballast himself will be featured in the course.
Lay Leadership Starts Revivals
Dr. Ballast points out that lay leadership start revivals. Ballast talked about the “Great Revival of 1857” in the USA. This revival was started by Jeremiah Lanphier. Here was a lay leader working at a mercantile business in New York, NY in 1850s. As a lay pastor, he took over a dying church with few members. The professional clergy had vacated this work. This bi-vocational lay pastor canvassed the area, but still hardly anyone came to his vacant church. Then he started a prayer group on Wednesday. Revival started at this local church. What did he do?
Jeremiah Lanphier
Jeremiah passed out cards with this simple paragraph written down,
- “As often as the language of prayer is in my heart; as often as I see my need of help; as often as I feel the power of temptation; as often as I am made sensible to any spiritual declension or feel the aggression of a worldly spirit. In prayer, we leave the business of time for that of eternity, and the intercourse with men for intercourse with God.”
At first the prayer group was not that large. In a short time his church started to grow. Churches all over New York City got involved. The professional clergy joined the lay leadership supporting prayer. This movement spread through out the United States so that by 1858 churches were praying and growing everywhere. Check out Jeremiah Lanphier at Christian History Magazine and find out more of his excellent lay leadership.
Christian Leaders Institute Helps Lay Leadership for Free
At Christian Leaders Institute we have plans for the lay leadership of the English speaking world. We will help lay leaders get free ministry training to become pastors to spread Christianity everywhere. Who knows, maybe God will use you to bring revival to a nation? Let the lay leaders get trained!
Seminary Online Benefits
1. Seminary Training Without Uprooting
Seminary online makes it possible for students to be trained effectively and quickly without relocating. They can keep their job while they prepare for ministry, and they can remain in their community. This is especially strategic for people 30 years old and older seeking a path toward bi-vocational or full-time ministry. Seminary or Bible School training is finally available to you!
Seminary Online fits Lacramioara’s goal to strengthen her counseling skils in the U.K. Read and like her story at Facebook
2. Seminary Training and Freedom from Debt
- CLI training is financially available to every called and accepted student. Thus far students have been able to study tuition-free, thanks to full scholarships funded by students, individuals, foundations and churches who share CLI’s vision. Ministry students only need to purchase books for a few courses. Most of the online seminary courses now have the written materials in the course which makes the course even more accessible.
- Financial freedom allows for bi-vocational ministry or serving a smaller group. This is vitally important because 75% of American churches have fewer than 150 members; 95% have fewer than 350. Internationally most churches are very small and scarcely funded. Seminary training online is practical for bi-vocational leaders.
- More churches can be planted and remain viable if leader training costs are lower (Leaders need higher pay if their training requires that they pay for years of tuition for college and residential seminary. It is not financially viable for debt-laden leaders to live on the lower salaries that smaller groups are able to pay).
- Much has been written recently about how debt negatively affects bi-vocational seminary students Check out this post from Kurt Willems.
3. Seminary Training that is Cost-Effective
- CLI has little overhead in comparison to the typical seminary or Bible School.
- Donors can be confident that CLI offers excellent training at a fraction of what traditional Bible schools and seminaries cost.
4. Seminary Mentorship Model
- CLI partners with local sponsors and pastors who mentor students. These local leaders come alongside of the student to encourage and sponsor them in their ministry training journey..
- CLI’s vision is to support pastors in reproducing Christian leaders by allowing local pastors to have an effective option in training the new leaders who are being raised up.
5. Mission-Minded Seminary Professors
- CLI faculty members combine keen intellect with enthusiastic experience in outreach and evangelism.
- Most CLI professors have planted a church.
- All of CLI’s online seminary professors have advanced degrees and experience
- All of the professors seek to make disciples of all nations.
- Several of CLI’s online seminary professors have overseas experience.
6. Tweener Seminary Training
- CLI training is positioned between traditional seminaries and local church classes. CLI offers the best elements of seminary education at local levels everywhere on the globe.
- Aspiring leaders need not choose between the extremes of either years of full-time academic study after high school, or else starting a church with no training.
- Tweener seminary training is key for raising up a large, skilled army of church planters and leaders.
7. Contextual Communication
- CLI emphasizes actual ministry activity not the distraction of a resident seminary journey.
- Class assignments are not footnoted research papers, but quizes, papers, and interactions that support your academic training.
8. Home Discipleship
- A daily walk with Jesus and godly leadership in the home are foundational for spiritual leadership.
- CLI features an emphasis in your seminary training on cultivating daily worship at home.
- The whole CLI curriculum and training approach emphasizes character and spiritual connectedness.
- We cultivate patterns of daily Bible reading, prayer and memorization for our students.
- The first part of the getting started class focuses on home discipleship and faith foundation issues.
9. Bible Doctrine Culture
- The Bible is the Word of God, and this truth directs all teaching and learning at CLI.
- The second part of the getting started class focuses on Christian Basics that ground you in Biblical doctrine and grounds your seminary training.
10. Multicultural Seminary Culture
- CLI is training people from different ethnic groups for their ministry callings all over the world.
- Several of our professors have international experience and they bring that experience to your seminary training.