The School of Ministry (SOM) is a 30-credit equivalency program designed to prepare men and women for ministry leadership within the local church.

By offering courses in Bible, theology, and ministry leadership, this program satisfies the educational requirements necessary to be licensed with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and meets most of the Ordination/Consecration requirements of the C&MA as well.

Learn more about how this program aligns with Ordination/Consecration requirements.

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Courses are available in English, Chinese,  Spanish and Japanese.
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Two Ways to Complete the Program

The School of Ministry consists of 15 courses. Each course covers a specific topic directly related to ministry leadership for the local church. Students will learn from videos, readings, as well as practical assignments.

School of Ministry Accelerated

The first option for completing the School of Ministry is through the Accelerated Cohort model. In this model, students will complete all 15 courses in a little over two years. In this model, students join a cohort of other learners and travel together through each course. Students will spend time learning from the course content, their peers, and their cohort evaluator over their time in this program. In the accelerated cohort each course lasts six weeks with a one-week break between courses. The average student will spend 10-14 hours a week working on their coursework.

Remaining 2024 COHORT LAUNCHES: June 3 and September 23

School of Ministry Self-Directed

The second option for completing the School of Ministry is through the Self-Directed model. In this model, students work at their own pace to complete their studies. Students have up to 6 months to complete their work in a single course and may sign up for one or more courses as they prefer. In this model, students pursue learning through their course assignments and through the feedback they receive from their course evaluators. On average students take 3-4 months to complete a course in this model.

School of Ministry Accelerated

2 years

Program Cost: $3,200.00

Instructor-led

Learning Community

Cohort starts 3 times a year

School of Ministry Self-Directed

Flexible Pace

$210.00 per course

Start at any time

Transfer credits from other programs

Live help on-demand for all courses

Take a Look at Our Courses

The School of Ministry has 15 courses broken into three sections. Each course is designed to develop key ministry competencies in the life of the student. With an eye on the practical, these courses will help you grow in your understanding of practical ministry leadership.

School of Ministry 100’s – Developing the Heart of the Leader

The first section of the School of Ministry takes a look at the heart of the leader. Before we as leaders step into leadership, we must first shape our character. This can only be done in conjunction with Christ and the Holy Spirit. Once we’ve walked the road of discipleship, only then are we ready to lead.

101: The Story: Discovering God’s Big Idea

With 66 books, 1,100 chapters, and almost 32,000 verses, the Bible can be an intimidating book. The Story is a course that helps us understand that one all-important theme that unites the Word of God into a unique and powerful story relevant to us all. This class is six weeks long and introduces students to key areas of Creation, Hamartiology (Sin) Christology (Jesus), Soteriology (Salvation), and Eschatology (End Times).

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102: The Walk: Learning the Art of Discipleship

The call of Christ is a call to be different. But what does it look like to follow Jesus? The Walk is a course that focuses our attention on becoming a modern-day disciple; a follower of Christ who, day by day, is looking more like the Savior. This class is six weeks long and introduces students to the topics of sanctification and the spiritual disciples of engagement and abstinence.

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103: How to Study the Bible

The Bible is God’s Word written for all people. Sounds pretty important…then why is it so hard to understand? The Book is a course that offers practical steps on how to read, interpret and apply the Bible in our everyday lives. This class is six weeks long and introduces students to the topic of basic hermeneutics.

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104: The Church: Living in Community

Did you know that when Jesus talked about the church, He called it his bride? What does it mean to be part of Christ’s church? The Church is a course that is designed to uncover the truth that we are all made for community and are dependent upon one another. Through an investigation of Scripture, students will discover that the members of the church are gifted, empowered and that together they can change the world. This class is six weeks long and introduces students to the topics of ecclesiology, pneumatology, and spiritual gifts.

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105: The Mission of God and the Alliance Family

Throughout history, God has had one, all-encompassing mission. This mission has driven all He has done from Creation to the Cross. The Mission is a course designed to help us discover and immerse ourselves in the single task God has given to those who follow Jesus Christ. This class is six weeks long and introduces students to the topics of missiology and Alliance mission distinctives.

Upcoming courses

  • February 26, 2024
  • June 3, 2024
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School of Ministry 200’s – Learning to Shepherd the Church

Leadership in the church is distinctly different than leadership in other sectors. The Bible uses the consistent metaphor of shepherding when he discusses pastoral leadership. As such, the second section of the MSP program delves into what it means to shepherd for Christ. Emphasis is placed on understanding the unique roles and skills that pastoral leadership requires and on Bible knowledge competency.

201: The Life and Leadership of the Pastor

Pastoral ministry is both ancient and unique. It is ancient in that we can see examples of pastoral leadership and theology throughout the Old and New Testaments. It is unique in that the church itself is a mystery revealed to us by Christ. This course introduces students to basic pastoral theology. It also exposes students to the day-to-day reality of pastoral ministry and how students can prepare to step into ministry leadership well.

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202: Understanding Biblical Genres

Ministry leaders must be able to handle the Word of God correctly. This means leaders must be familiar with the nuances of biblical literature, genre, and interpretive methods. This course focuses on helping students understand the Bible as literature, biblical genre, and appropriate biblical interpretation methodologies.

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203: Effective Preaching

Knowing how to study the Bible is important, but so is knowing how to communicate what God is teaching us in His Word. This course is designed to expose students to sound homiletical (preaching) techniques that will allow them to effectively preach the Word of God in any setting.

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204: In the Beginning: Understanding the Old Testament

The Old Testament is the foundation of the Christian faith. This course is designed to help students understand the broad themes of the Old Testament as well as its characters and theology. This course will help students to apply lessons from the Old Testament to modern-day life situations, understand the roots of New Testament Teachings, and preach and teach from the Old Testament.

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205: The Life of Christ and the Early Church: Understanding the New Testament

The New Testament describes for us both the life of Jesus, as well as the birth of the Church. This course presents a panoramic view of the New Testament. This course will note the significance of the life of Jesus and how he trained his followers. This course will also help students understand how to read, study, and teach New Testament concepts.

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School of Ministry 300’s – Learning to Lead the Church

The final section of the School of Ministry is designed to help ministry leaders also function as effective organizational leaders within The Christian and Missionary Alliance. Emphasis is placed on helping students become effective leaders and managers within the local church. Emphasis is also placed on helping students understand the unique approach the Alliance takes to accomplishing the Great Commission.

301: Managing the Church.

Effective ministry leaders must balance pastoral care and organizational management for both are essential if the church is to grow. This course focuses on practical topics such as the development of effective organizational structures, administrative acumen, and the effective practice of the pastoral office in areas such as baptism, communion, wedding and funeral preparation, etc.

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302: The Pastor as Teacher and Counselor

This course focuses on developing skills relevant for teaching and counseling. Students will learn how to effectively engage various age groups in a classroom/small group setting. They will also learn how to develop effective lesson plans. Additionally, students will grow in their understanding of how to apply the counsel of Scripture in pastoral counseling settings and situations.

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303: Building Blocks of the Local Church: Evangelism and Leadership Development

For the Kingdom to advance, the lost must be reached and leaders must be developed. This course is a study of the principles necessary to recruit, equip, maintain, and motivate people in spiritual leadership in organizations and churches in a team setting. Included in the content will be biblical models of evangelism, leadership development, recruiting, various equipping venues for leadership development, and a focus on team building in your church.

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304: Understanding the Alliance

The Christian and Missionary Alliance is an Acts 1:8 movement seeking to bring the whole Gospel to the whole world. This course is designed to help students understand the distinct approach of the Alliance as it relates to church governance, polity, and organization.

Upcoming courses

  • February 26, 2024
  • April 15, 2024
  • June 3, 2024
  • August 5, 2024
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305: Organizational Dynamics: Change, Power, and Conflict in the Church.

Every church will experience change and conflict. Ministry leaders must be prepared to navigate these issues well in order to stay on mission. This course is designed to help students understand how to lead through the change process. It is also designed to help students understand how to biblically navigate conflict. Finally, this course looks at an issue related to both change and conflict, the issue of power.

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