How long will I have access to the course?
Each student will have access to their Online Course for 12 months from the date of enrollment. At that point your enrollment will expire and you can re-enroll if you’d like to continued access to the material.
Flexible Format
Our courses are designed to be flexible. You can take them at your own pace and access the materials anytime you want. We encourage you to take a course with a partner or in a small group, affording you the chance to share and discuss your work with someone else. Many students say this is one of the most beneficial aspects of the course!
What resources are available for those leading a group through an Online Course?
We are committed to supporting and equipping those leading small groups through an Online Course. Contact our Online Course Manager, Dave Cartwright, for access to video, print, and other resources to help you.
Group Enrollments
Those taking the course as a group can indicate as such when enrolling, and also share the name of their group leader. We ask that each person in a group enrolls in the course. There are bulk discounts available for groups interested in purchasing access for 25 or more participants. Contact Dave Cartwright for information on bulk discounts.
Pace and Assignments
The course is self-paced. You can go on your own schedule, at your own speed. It is also self-directed. That means assignments can be altered or even omitted as needed. Assignments that are completed can be discussed during meetings your partner/group and are not submitted to the Charles Simeon Trust (except when the course is being taken for graduate credit).
Where do I begin?
We recommend that you begin with First Principles. This course will introduce you to a few core convictions and helpful skills and prepare you take any of the genre courses. A good next step is to take a course on a particular genre, like Epistles or Old Testament History. These courses will give you an opportunity to practice the skills you acquired in First Principles and apply them immediately to a book you’re working on at your church or on your own. Students with a little more experience in studying the Bible may want to look at Biblical Theology and Preaching or Systematic Theology and Preaching. These courses will help you bring additional theological precision to your study and teaching.
Seminary Credit
We offer several of our courses for graduate credit through strategic partnerships with the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. These courses require additional seminary tuition, but are offered at a discounted rate. And the credits are transferrable. Contact our Director of Online Training, Dave Cartwright, for more details and the registration paperwork. Courses for seminary credit are only offered in English.
Enrollment Costs
Since the founding of the organization, our intention has been to keep the fees for the Online Courses as low and affordable as possible. And we believe, compared to similar organizations and conferences for ministry leaders, that we have been successful. Please contact us should the fee policy have a detrimental effect on your ability to participate in an Online Course. It is not our intention to exclude anyone on the basis of their ability to pay the enrollment fee alone. And while we cannot promise that we will have the ability to revise this policy on an individual basis or make exceptions, we would like the opportunity to try.