Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash
Beginning in the spring 2022 semester, Covenant Theological Seminary added nine new graduate certificate programs that students can complete either fully online, or a hybrid of online and in person. The new certificate programs bring Covenant’s total graduate certificate offerings to 10, and are designed to help lay leaders who want further training in practical ministry areas like teaching the Bible, church history, counseling, educational ministries, and apologetics.
The majority of ministry in a church is carried out by laypeople — ruling elders, women’s Bible study leaders, children’s ministry volunteers, and deacons — who volunteer their time to shepherd, teach, and care for fellow members. These people might not be called to complete an entire degree program, but they can obtain some additional training to strengthen their ministries.
“Christ’s kingdom goes forward through his church, and his church isn’t just people in official positions of leadership,” said Jay Sklar, Covenant’s vice president of academics. “If we can equip those who aren’t called to go full time for a seminary degree, we are still equipping Christ’s church for his kingdom.”
Most of the new certificate programs can be completed with three to five classes. While all can be done residentially, seven of them can also be done fully online. The remaining three are done mostly online, with one or two weeks per certificate that require a three-day trip to campus for some in-person classwork. The programs are all designed for students who are only able to take one class per semester, but students are welcome to speed up or slow down as their schedule allows.
Students can also use the earned credits toward a master’s degree later.
“For the typical Christian, the very mention of seminary or theological education can be overwhelming,” said Covenant Seminary President Tom Gibbs. “Whether online, hybrid, or in-person, these certificates provide students access to world-class, Reformed, and biblical scholarship in manageable programs that are attuned to today’s challenges in the church and culture.”
For more information on the degree programs, including information on how to apply, click here.