Lisa Williams of Richmond wanted training as she prepared to start a ministry. Her church, New Jerusalem International Christian Ministry, wanted to start a ministry school. Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond wanted to take seminary education to the church through distance education. Last year, all three desires meshed with the formation of the advanced congregational leadership certificate.

“It was just meant to be,” said Williams, one of nine New Jerusalem members and 15 students who earned the inaugural certificate.

BTSR has launched a School of Christian Ministry, which provides ministry leaders distance education courses with the option of pursuing the certificate. Students can take individual courses or can pursue the seven-course certificate, which requires four core classes and three classes in a concentration of the student's choosing.

Courses are four weeks long, with the entire certificate taking nine months to complete. A bachelor's degree is not required, but students must have Internet and computer access.

Concentrations are youth ministry, Hispanic/Latino ministry, black church leadership, health ministry and parish nursing, preschool/children's ministry, substance abuse, music ministry, bivocational ministry and developing lay ministry in the church.

Classes began Sept. 6 with the first core course. Tuition is $150 per class. Hispanic concentration classes are $50. Tuition is discounted for congregations that enroll five or more students.

The certificate program “came from a growing awareness that there are many people serving in congregations and community that don't have a foundation in theological education,” said program coordinator Kim Siegenthaler.

No grades are given, but there are mandatory assignments. Last year's “pilot test” included 36 students.

Special to the Herald

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