Your church is already training people for ministry
Church-based Seminary Courses are designed to help you do that with accredited Southern Seminary coursework, direct access to Southern faculty, and a clear path for students to earn seminary credit while staying connected to the life of your church.
What are Church-based Seminary Courses?
Church-based Seminary Courses are live, accredited Southern Seminary courses designed to be taken in cohorts under the leadership of a local church. Southern faculty teach the course content, while the church provides the setting for learning, discussion, accountability, and formation. These courses are intentionally structured so theological study is paired with discipleship and ministry practice in the local church.
A Southern Seminary professor teaches the course live via Zoom on a predetermined schedule. Churches participate in one of two ways, depending on their context:
- Gather as a group to stream the live class at the church, followed by guided discussion and shared work on assignments.
- Have participants attend the live class individually, then gather regularly under local leadership for discussion, reflection, and accountability.
In both models, students receive live instruction from Southern faculty, complete course requirements, and earn accredited Southern Seminary credit while remaining rooted in the life and leadership of their church.
3 Reasons Your Church Should Participate in Church-based Seminary Courses
Keep theological formation rooted in the local church
Church-based Seminary Courses allow your church to pursue serious theological training without sending members away. Learning takes place under pastoral oversight, so doctrine is formed alongside discipleship, accountability, and lived ministry in your local context.
Learning that happens in community, not in isolation
Participants learn together in cohorts through shared lectures, guided discussion, and common assignments. This approach strengthens theological understanding while building shared language, trust, and wisdom within the life of the church.
Seminary-level training without committing to a degree
Church-based Seminary Courses provide rigorous, faculty-taught theological instruction that stands on its own. This allows your church to pursue deeper training now, without requiring members to decide upfront whether they will pursue a full degree program.
A syllabus built for the local church
Church-based Seminary Courses use a cohort-focused syllabus designed specifically for church-based training. Each course follows Southern Seminary’s academic outcomes and standards while being structured for participants to learn together under the leadership of their church.
Before the course begins, Southern provides a ready-to-use syllabus that churches can implement in their local context. Within that framework, churches may shape certain elements such as discussion rhythms, ministry-related assignments, and application exercises to align with their setting and leadership goals.
These courses are intentionally designed around church members learning together, engaging one another in discussion, and completing assignments with pastoral oversight and accountability. Southern faculty are responsible for the academic content and requirements of the course, while the church provides the environment where formation, discipleship, community, and ministry readiness take shape week to week.
Cost and access
Students do not pay tuition to Southern Seminary. Instead, the church pays a single course fee that covers live faculty instruction, course administration, and seminary-issued credit and records.
Churches may choose whether to charge participants or fund the cost internally as an investment in their leadership pipeline. The fee is charged to the church, not to individual students.
Optional on-site teaching
For churches with a larger cohort or a strategic training initiative, we may be able to arrange for a Southern Seminary faculty member to teach the course on-site at your church. This option is considered case by case and depends on factors such as cohort size, scheduling, and faculty availability.
Next step
Fill out this form with basic information about your church and your training goals.
Our Director of Church Engagement will help you map the right course plan for your church so students can receive live instruction from Southern faculty, earn accredited seminary credit, and keep making progress toward a Southern degree.