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Degrees
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The Ephesians 4 Center for Learning is very different in many ways from traditional Bible Colleges and training institutes. One of those ways is in our extreme emphasis on the Bible as the primary and often sole source of textbook materials for many of our courses. There is a very real reason for this. As we have examined and interacted with various Seminaries and Bible Colleges down through the years, several facts have become painfully obvious regarding their cirricula. In one institution, the founder and president of the Ephesians 4 Center for Learning was a student with a theology major, yet in all the years that he attended that university, NOT ONCE was the Bible a REQUIRED TEXT for any of the theology courses he enrolled in. Instead, the students were filled to overflowing with the doctrines of men, something that Jesus Himself said made void, cancelled and supplanted the Word of God itself. Instead of studying and analyzing what the Holy Scriptures themselves said, the students were filled with the opinions and doctrines of various theologians. It has been our experience that virtually NONE of the teachers, pastors and evangelists in America today have EVER read through their entire Bible EVEN ONCE! This is an abomination against God and His Holy Word. Instead of studying the Word of God to show themselves approved, instead, our Seminaries and Bible Colleges have studied the words of men in order to show themselves approved of men. Shame on them! Is it any wonder, then, that ministers regularly burn out and leave the ministry, or cave in to the carnality of their congregations and preach uninspired, watered-down, powerless sermons which result in no lives being changed. Our founder and president, Pastor Ray Young, has personally read through the Holy Scriptures from "Genesee to Maps" over a dozen times! But he considers himself a spiritual weakling in many ways, for his father knew a man in their little country church who read the Bible from cover to cover an amazing NINETY-SIX TIMES! While we at the Ephesians 4 Center for Learning will not require you to read through your Bible 96 times before you graduate, we have nonetheless mandated a non-negotiable policy regarding our students and the Word of God. If you persist even to the point of earning a one-year Certificate in Biblical Studies, you will read through the ENTIRE BIBLE from cover to cover before you earn that degree! One of our critical missions is to restore the authority and integrity of the Word of God in individual's lives on every subject and in every area. You will find that as you walk systematically through the Word of God during your first academic year, answer after answer and solution after solution will literally jump out of the pages of your Bible into your eyes and ears. And, since faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, you will find your own faith growing by leaps and bounds as you allow the life stories of the great men and women of God to saturate into your soul. By the time you have earned a two-year Certificate in Biblical Studies, you will have read through some of the Old Testament and most of the New Testament again, this time in greater depth. And if you persist and earn a three-year Ministerial Diploma you will find that you have read through the entire Bible TWICE, initially as an overview, and then a second time in far greater depth. You will also find that your personal faith and holiness will have become impeachable, and you will be able to do all things through Christ Jesus, who has strengthened you through His Holy Word. It is for this reason that we at the Ephesians 4 Center for Learning have mandated only ONE textbook deemed as necessary to graduate from this educational institution, the Holy, inalterable, literally accurate, divinely inspired Word of God. In a few courses, we ask the student to purchase a supplemental text for non-Biblical subjects, such as Biblical reference materials, but as a general rule we will supply clear, crisp, computer handouts to supplement the lectures, and copies of all of our PowerPoint materials will be available upon request for a modest Love Offering to cover the cost of printing the materials for many students. With all of that in mind, here, then are the three degrees which you may obtain through the Ephesians 4 Center for Learning. Each degree is incremental and builds upon the previous degree. As a general rule, the courses which must be taken are non-negotiable, since our primary objective is to systematically teach the student the whole counsel of God. After each course, your knowledge of the mind of God will be dramatically increased, and your ability to integrate that Word into the practical areas of your life will be greatly strengthened. May God richly bless you as you walk in faith and obedience to Him! Certificate in Biblical Studies -- One Year Program This program is designed for the individual who desires a basic understanding of Biblical truths and also desires sufficient Biblical understanding so as to be of assistance to the Pastor of his or her church in the various ministries offered by the church (i.e. Sunday School). 30 total credit hours required.
Advanced Certificate in Biblical Studies -- Two Year Program This is a course of study with a broader scope. Students receiving this degree are prepared for further study at the Ministerial level. An Advanced Certificate is granted upon successful completion of 60 credit hours of course work, built upon the 30 hours previously earned in the one-year program and including all of those courses.
Ministerial Diploma -- Three Year Program The Ministerial Diploma is a three-year theological program designed to prepare students for a Christ-centered ministry as pastors and ministers. Under the instruction of academically and spiritually qualified faculty, students receive a sound knowledge of the Word of God and worship. a student must complete 90 credit hours of study in order to qualify for a ministerial diploma, building upon the 60 credit hours already earned in the two previous certificates.
Some course substitutions may be made at the request of the student, provided that the course being substituted is comparable to the original course. For example, CH 310, Early Church Fathers, might be replaced by CH 340, Protestantism, if the course were being offered at the time that the student was ready to take the class. We will also allow some classes to be taken out of sequence, taking into consideration the fact that most students will not enter the pursuit of a degree at the beginning of an academic year. Our only requirement is that in order for a student to receive any of the three certificates, ALL courses required for that certificate MUST be taken and passed successfully. Additional degrees and programs will be added in the future as class enrollments grow and qualified instructors become available. The Ephesians 4 Center for Learning is committed to correctly training and raising up the full Five-Fold Ministry of Teachers, Pastors, Evangelists, Prophets and Apostles. A "Graduate Degree" is also available to those who complete these first three certificates through our School of Apostles and Prophets (S.O.A.P.) The graduate courses concentrate on the nature, methods and anointing required to move in the two highest offices in the Body of Christ. |
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