Your church is already training the next generation of leaders.
Many churches have pastors and ministry leaders with an MDiv or a related master’s degree who are already teaching theology and ministry with seriousness and structure. CLD is designed to come alongside that work by connecting your church’s teaching to accredited college or seminary credit at no cost to the student.
What is Contextualized Leadership Development (CLD)?
Contextualized Leadership Development (CLD) is a church-based training partnership between The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Boyce College, and likeminded congregations and ministries.
Through CLD, churches host their own theological and ministry courses inside the life of the local church. Students register for and attend these courses through their church. Eligible students may have their work in these courses recorded as Boyce College credit and, for master’s-level students, considered by Southern Seminary for advanced standing.
Southern Seminary and Boyce College provide accreditation, academic oversight, and content standards approved by their faculty. Partner churches provide the on-the-ground teaching environment, mentoring, and ministry context.
CLD is designed to help churches raise up biblically grounded, doctrinally clear, and ministry-ready disciples without requiring people to relocate or step away from their existing callings.
Who is it for?
CLD is for churches that want to offer theology and ministry classes taught by their own leaders, and want those classes to count toward accredited college or seminary progress at no cost to the student.
CLD can also include current Boyce College and Southern Seminary students, and future students who want to begin through their local church.
How credit works:
Students who complete CLD coursework can apply that work as advanced standing toward a Southern Seminary master’s degree, up to one-third of their program.
We will clarify what qualifies and what documentation is required before the class begins, so churches and students know exactly what to expect.
What courses can be taught in the local church?
When your church partner’s with Southern Seminary through CLD, we provide access to recorded lectures from Southern Seminary faculty for the approved advanced standing courses.
Pastors may teach the course fully in their local context or selectively incorporate Southern’s faculty lectures so students receive both local formation and seminary-level academic instruction. CLD is one way Southern comes alongside churches to deepen and support the work they are already doing.
| Contextualized Leadership Development | Southern Seminary Advanced Standing Equivalent |
|---|---|
| PH 103 – Introduction to Philosophy | 28500 – Christian Philosophy |
| PH 108 – Worldview Analysis | 28700 – Christian Apologetics |
| PH 311 – Introduction to Ethics | 29250 – Survey of Christian Ethics |
| CN 101 – Introduction to Biblical Counseling | 34300 – Biblical Counseling & Personal Ministry of the Word |
| MS 101 – Introduction to Christian Missions | 32960 – Introduction to Missiology |
| MS 105 – Personal Evangelism | 32100 – Personal Evangelism & Devotion |
| PR 205 – Preaching I | 30000 – Christian Preaching |
| PR 206 – Preaching II | 30020 – Preaching Practicum |
| PW 315 – Pastoral Ministry and Leadership | 40301 – Pastoral Ministry |
| BL 101 – Old Testament Survey I | 20200 – Introduction to the Old Testament I |
| BL 102 – Old Testament Survey II | 20220 – Introduction to the Old Testament II |
| BL 111 – Hermeneutics | 22100 – Biblical Hermeneutics |
| BL 151 – New Testament Survey I | 22200 – Introduction to the New Testament I |
| BL 152 – New Testament Survey II | 22220 – Introduction to the New Testament II |
| BL 342 – History of the Bible | 28730 – History of the Bible |
| HS 201 – Church History I | 25100 – Introduction to Church History I |
| HS 202 – Church History II | 25120 – Introduction to Church History II |
| HS 305 – Baptist History | 26100 – History of the Baptists |
| TH 211 – Christian Theology I | 27060 – Systematic Theology I |
| TH 212 – Christian Theology II | 27070 – Systematic Theology II |
| TH 311 – Christian Theology III | 27080 – Systematic Theology III |
| TH 331 – World Religions | 32980 – World Religions and Christian Mission |
The CLD process:
- Fill out the form with basic information about your church and our Director of Church and Alumni Engagement will reach out to you.
- Our Director of Church Engagement will help you map your class to the right accredited option and confirm how it applies toward advanced standing.
- Before the class begins, we confirm expectations, required outcomes, and any documentation needed for credit.
- Your church teaches the class. Students complete the required work. Advanced standing is recorded toward their master’s degree up to the one-third limit.
For students who want to bring CLD to their church
If you want your church to offer CLD, share this page with your pastor or ministry training lead and ask them to complete this form. Our team will take it from there.