SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGIES

Systematic Theology 1
Prolegomena: Introduction to Systematic Theology, Revelation, & Scripture

An examination of the discipline of systematic theology, including its nature, source, and methods. We will also examine the foundational doctrine of revelation and what it means for our knowledge of God. Finally, as a subset of the doctrine of revelation, we will explore the doctrine of Scripture, examining such issues as its precise relationship to revelation, the proper basis for a doctrine of Scripture, the dimensions of the doctrine of Scripture (including inspiration), and the notion and substance of a biblical canon. Various challenges to the orthodox doctrine of Scripture are considered as well.

Systematic Theology 2
Doctrine of God

An introductory and systematic study of the person and work of the Triune God of Scripture. The study will include a discussion of God’s existence, attributes, triune nature, and his works of creation and providence.

Systematic Theology 3
Man/Sin/Christ 

An introductory and systematic study of man, sin, and the person and work of Christ. The study will include a discussion of the nature of humans as created, fallen, and the glorious person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Mediator and Redeemer of God’s people.

Systematic Theology 4
Soteriology

A treatment of soteriology, the doctrine of salvation.  Course lectures and reading assignments will focus on the application of redemption with the goal of helping students grow in their understanding and appreciation of God’s glorious work of redemption.  Special attention will be given to both personal and pastoral application of the various soteriological doctrines.

Systematic Theology 5
Pneumatology 

This course focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit, with special reference to the continuation of the gifts of Spirit. We take up the question of whether Spirit-baptism is distinct from or identical with regeneration, and whether disagreement over subsequentism need divide churches. We discuss whether the miraculous or extraordinary gifts of the Spirit are still given to the post-NT church. We also explore the practical and ecclesiastical outworking of these doctrines. 

Systematic Theology 6
Ecclesiology 

This course explores the classic topics of ecclesiology and also looks at some of the practical aspects of applying ecclesiology to local church life.  In addition it surveys the book of Ephesians, the Bible’s most detailed letter on the doctrine of the church.

Systematic Theology 7
Eschatology 

This course looks at the classic topics of eschatology with a strong emphasis on the pastoral implications of our end times doctrine. Topics include Eschatology and the Old Testament, Death and the Intermediate State, Millennial Positions, The Second Coming of Christ, The Resurrection of the Body, The Final Judgement and the Final States. 

PASTORAL STUDIES

Pastoral Ministry 1

This course explores the theology and application of the shepherding metaphor for pastoral ministry. It is designed to address the heart and life of an ordinary pastor so that he can joyfully and effectively serve those entrusted to his care with the gospel.

Pastoral Ministry 2

This course introduces students to the practical, concrete details of pastoral ministry in many different areas of church life (youth, children’s ministry, funerals/weddings, leadership development, membership, etc…). Emphasis is placed upon the theological priorities and goals that drive each area of ministry. The reading provides further biblical and theological reflection on the pastoral office and church life. 

Biblical Counseling 1

This course will examine the concept of Biblical Counseling as it pertains to pastoral practice as well as to the mission and ministry of the local church.  Beginning with a counseling model articulated by Dr. Paul Tripp and his colleagues, students will be asked to provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of that model as they develop their own proposal for a counseling ministry in a local church setting.  In addition, students will be asked to participate in live counseling, with each student serving as counselor in one session, as counselee in a second, and as observer in a third.  Finally, the course will provide resources and suggestions for addressing both common and critical counseling issues in the church and for interfacing with the mental health and medical professionals available in every community.  

Biblical Counseling 2

This course explores the application of Gospel centered Biblical counseling in the context of local church pastoral ministry.  It draws upon essential principles of Gospel application and sound biblical counseling methodology to equip the pastor in his world of shepherding ministry.  The focus is not simply on counseling problems and procedures, but on the pastoral relationship as it is expressed in the ministry of counseling.  

PRACTICAL THEOLOGY 

Theology & Practice of the Spiritual Life 

The purpose of this course is to provide direction and stimulation toward personal godliness, with the context of ministry especially in view.  Students will seek to gain a clearer understanding of the nature and means of personal spiritual growth with special emphasis being given to the nurturing of various Christian disciplines. 

Marriage

God created marriage, so that a man and a woman, his image bearers, could reflect his glory and attributes, could experience his love and goodness, and could fulfill a purpose...ultimately to display the love of Christ and his bride, the church. The goals for the Marriage Class in the Pastors College include Biblical instruction, personal evaluation, practical application, marital transformation, and ministry preparation.

Parenting 

This class introduces parents to the theological priorities and training opportunities for each stage of a child's development.  This includes such objectives as developing the  biblical convictions for parenting; understanding how to combine love, structure and wisdom in parenting; being familiar with the potentials and perils of parenting the teenage years; understanding biblical definitions of legalism, license and liberty and how they pertain to parenting, etc.

Worship

Once a week, the class meets with Bob Kauflin at the start of the day for 45 minutes of training in the areas of music and congregational worship. Sometimes that involves Bob teaching on different topics including foundations for worship, gathering around the gospel, the Word in worship, and pastoring through song. At some point during the year, each student will lead 3 songs and then receive encouragement and feedback from Bob and the class. The aim of these times is to equip men to think about leading music in their churches biblically and pastorally, whether or not they consider themselves musically gifted!

CHURCH HISTORY 

Church History 1

This course covers that era of the history of the Church which runs from the beginnings in the first century to A.D. 500. We will focus on the key historical and theological developments, particularly those which are most central to the life and theology of the Christian Church. In particular this includes questions of the doctrine of God (especially the development of the doctrine of the Trinity), the person of Christ (especially the fact of the incarnation and questions of the deity and humanity of Christ), and the nature of grace (especially as seen in the debates between Augustine and Pelagianism). The last part of the course will attempt to understand the thought of Augustine, and his influence on the history of the Church.

Church History 2

The development of Christianity from Augustine to Luther.  Special emphasis will be placed on the Fathers, the apologists, the ecumenical councils, the emergence of the papacy, the Eastern churches, the Carolingian Renaissance, the growth of the Holy Roman Empire, the conversion of northern Europe, medieval scholasticism, monasticism, the cultural synthesis of the middle ages, the humanistic revival in Italy, the Christian Renaissance in northern Europe and the Protestant Reformation..

Church History 3

This course surveys the history of the church from the Reformation to the present day.  Major topics include:

• The leaders and the theology of the Continental and English Reformations (1500s-1600s)

• The Puritan movement (1500s-1600s)

• The leaders and theological of the Evangelical Awakening (1700s)

• The rise of liberalism and the various responses to it (1800s-1950s)

• Development in post-WWII Evangelicalism (1950s until today)

Students are encouraged to think about these events from the standpoint of pastoral ministry and the life of the church life, asking how the events and thinking of the past are applicable to today’s church.

SCRIPTURE STUDY 

Hermeneutics

This course will focus primarily on the presuppositions and skills necessary to faithfully interpret Scripture. Secondarily we will briefly consider apologetics issues raised by the idea of textual meaning and the interpretation of texts by analyzing key issues in recent hermeneutical debates. As a result of this course, the student should be better able to:

• Faithfully interpret all parts of God’s Word, “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). 

• Continue life-long development of the skills necessary for accurate and faithful interpretation of the text of Scripture.

• Better answer objections and questions about the very idea of finding authoritative meaning in a written text.
  

Homiletics 1

This course introduces the student to the theological principles that shape our theory and practice of preaching. It also introduces the student to basic exegetical principles relevant to the preaching task: determining textual units and making relevant exegetical observations. The course also covers the appropriate use of different sorts of secondary literature, as well as the basic mechanics of sermon structure. 

Homiletics 2

This course is a continuation of Homiletics 1 with particular attention on the process of moving from text to sermon.  Further theological focus will be given to the preaching task to ensure that one’s sermon faithfully reflects biblical values.  The exegetical process of analyzing texts for preaching will be explored in greater detail, which will include instruction and practice in the use of particular tools for text interpretation, and how such tools can be used in the sermon preparation process.

MISSIONS & EVANGELISM 

Evangelism 

This course explores how to create a culture of evangelism in the local church. Significant topics include:

• The theology of evangelism

• A theological vision for evangelism

• God’s heart for the lost

• Exploring the role of an evangelist

• The importance and role of the Holy Spirit in evangelism

• Developing a comprehensive evangelism plan for your church or a church plant

• Relating to your senior pastor in evangelism

• Practical training in sharing the gospel

Missiology

This course is designed to think biblically about the mission of the church and the missiology of the church. Major topics include: 

• OT Theology of Mission

• NT Theology of Mission 

• Paul as a Model for Mission 

• An Approach to Mission 

• Mission & Missiology: What is the Mission of the Church? 

• Responsible Contextualization: How to speak so they understand

• Sovereign Grace & Missionaries: Do we believe in them? 

Church Planting 

The Church Planting course seeks to equip the student in forming a clear connection between our biblical missiology and our church planting methodology. In addition, the course will equip the student to understand how Sovereign Grace Churches partner together to advance the gospel through planting churches with the hopes of stirring the hearts of our future pastors toward fervent commitment for making disciples and planting churches. 

Apologetics 

This course is designed to develop the student’s understanding of worldviews and their role in apologetics.  The course aims to:

• Familiarize the student with some prominent non-Christian worldviews. 

• Assist the student in developing robust critiques of non-Christian worldviews. 

• Sharpen the student’s critical thinking skills in the practice of apologetics. 

• Strengthen the student’s own faith, and to equip them to strengthen the faith of others through an appreciation of the rational superiority of the Christian worldview. 

GREEK

Beginning Greek

Students will learn the basic elements of New Testament (NT) Greek through the following objectives: 

• To master the basic morphological, phonological, and syntactical principles of NT Greek

• To build a strong vocabulary base

• To gain proficiency in reading the Greek text of the NT aloud

• To introduce the student to critical editions of the NT

• To become convinced of the necessity and practical value of the biblical languages for pastoral ministry

• To learn the basics of Accordance Bible Software to enhance your knowledge of the language and exegetical skills

Advanced Greek

This class is designed to accomplish the following: 

• To increase students’ proficiency in New Testament Greek by:

  • Covering an extensive portion of the New Testament.

  • Listening to, reading aloud/speaking, and composing New Testament Greek.

  • Gaining familiarity with Intermediate and Advanced grammars of New Testament Greek. d. Gaining proficiency in the rules of Greek accentuation.

• To increase the students’ knowledge of the Acts of the Apostles (chs. 1-10) with regard to both to what it meant to its original hearers and what it means for individual believers and the church today.

NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES 

New Testament 1 
The Gospels

This course introduces students to the study of the four gospels in general, including historical background, interpretive methods, and critical challenges. It also covers matters of special introduction relevant to each gospel book. It examines the literary structure and some of the theological motifs of each gospel.

New Testament 2
Acts/Paul: Part 1

This course introduces the student to the book of Acts and its account of the early church’s beginnings and development, as well the life, letters, and theology of the apostle Paul.  As the first of two courses on Acts-Paul, this course covers roughly the first half of Acts, Galatians, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians.

New Testament 3 
Acts/Paul: Part 2

New Testament 4

This course introduces the student to the literature and theology of the latter books of the NT. Special attention is given to difficult texts, pastorally sensitive topics such as perseverance and apostasy, and the eschatology of Revelation. Upon completion of this course, the student should

• Be familiar with the authorship, historical context, and basic contents of these biblical books

• Have a grasp of the unique theological contribution of each of these books 

• Be conversant with the knotty interpretive and critical questions raised by these books, and the different possible answers to them 

• Be prepared to teach and preach from these books in the context of a local church 

• Be familiar with the most helpful secondary literature about these books
  
  

Biblical Theology

This course surveys the unified, organic, progressive, historical unfolding of special revelation throughout redemptive history. The course will define “Biblical Theology,” examine its history, identify its role in the exegetical endeavor, and survey its benefits.  Then, beginning in Genesis at the beginning of the week and concluding in Revelation at the end, students will trace the development both of the biblical storyline and some central motifs and themes that occur within that storyline (e.g., the chosen ‘seed’) throughout the canon. 

OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES 

Old Testament 1

Using an evangelical approach, the basic interpretive issues of the first six books of the Bible will be examined while paying special attention to the original meaning and literary structure of each book. Special foci include: the development of redemptive history throughout the Pentateuch, the theology of covenant, the Law in the Old and New Testaments, holy war, creation, and other major themes contained in each book.

Old Testament 2

An overview/evaluation of the Deuteronomistic history, wisdom and poetic books.  Special attention will be given to the importance of narrative techniques in the historical books, the structural make-up of the Psalms, characteristics of Hebrew poetry, and interpretive methodology of wisdom literature.   Included in the course is selected exegesis of particular passages, emphasizing authorial intention and contemporary application. 

Old Testament 3

A study of the purpose and message of the Old Testament Latter Prophets and Daniel, including examination of critical, historical, hermeneutical, and theological issues with special view to the unfolding of God’s purpose in history climaxing in Christ. This course should help students mature in their ability to interpret the OT Latter Prophets and Daniel in a way that is faithful to the original intent of the Holy Spirit and magnifies “the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Pet. 1:11).