Courses from SGC are used in different kinds of programs. Some high schools (sometimes called secondary schools) use certain courses. Some churches use courses in their Sunday schools. Home Bible study groups choose courses to study. Pastors select material from courses to use in preaching and teaching.
The directions in this chapter apply to the operation of a local institute that uses the 20 SGC courses for a complete program of study.
The complete set of SGC courses includes the most important content of a Bible college curriculum. It is purposely written without difficult vocabulary.
A student must be able to read and write well to study the courses as they are designed.
The courses are not designed for discipleship of new converts, though much of the material is useful for that purpose.
The best practices for the group are for each student to
Have a copy of the course.
Complete all assignments.
Practice presenting material during class sessions.
Be in good relationship with a local church.
Have regular ministry outside of the group.
A teacher who maintains these practices will effectively train students for ministry.
Student editions are available for groups of students who are not preparing for ministry. The student editions are condensed versions of the courses. They are used in high schools (secondary schools) and Sunday schools. Those students do not do the normal assignments because they are not practicing ministry or preparing for ministry. Teachers of these students must teach from the original SGC course text because the student edition is incomplete. Note: The student editions should not be used for students who are preparing for ministry and plan to receive a certificate of ministry training.
SGC does not give an academic degree. In some places local or national institutions that use SGC courses give a degree or certificate based on their own requirements. The student must register with the institution and fulfill their requirements.
In places where an academic degree is not available, the program should be considered professional training. In the business world professional training programs prepare a person to work in a skilled occupation. Those programs do not provide degrees, but they certify that a person has been trained. Likewise, the SGC program is professional training for ministry.
Materials Needed
Only a Bible is necessary in addition to the courses, but the courses recommend materials for further study. A local institute should try to develop a library for student use.
Class Schedule
A local institute can have its own schedule for classes, based on local situations. However, sufficient time must be committed. If a teacher simply teaches the content without discussion and student practice, the time spent will be less, but the class will not equip the students well. If the group spends time discussing the material and the completed assignments, a course will take more than thirty hours of classroom time. The students should spend additional time doing the assignments outside of class.
The Order of Courses
A certain sequence is not necessary. Each course is complete and does not depend on another course to precede it. It is possible to run the program in a cycle, allowing new students to join at the beginning of any course. An institute can continuously recruit new students rather than making them wait until the beginning of a year. Individual students enroll at the beginning of any course and continue through the cycle until they have finished all courses.
Quality Control
The teacher should keep records of student attendance. A student who does not attend at least 75% of class time and complete 100% of the required work should not receive credit for the course. In special circumstances, the teacher may give additional study requirements to compensate for missed class time.
The teacher should keep careful records of assignments completed by students to make sure the final grade is fair and accurate. The teacher should make sure individual students know if their assignments or attendance are making their grades low.
If the local institute is part of an association of institutes, records of attendance and assignments should be available for regional trainers to inspect. A certificate will not have value if the institution does not consistently maintain requirements.
Local Financial Support
Each local institute site should be locally supported. The classroom is provided by a local church. The teachers serve as part of the local ministry. The cost of printed courses is covered by the local ministry or by students. If an institute is part of an association of institutes, the central administration may set a fee for students that covers the cost of printed courses and helps support the local institute staff.
It is necessary for local institute staff to be honest and transparent in all financial matters (2 Corinthians 8:21). Everyone involved should know what money is collected and how it is spent. A committee should be involved in managing funds. Examples of financial matters include fees that students pay to the local institute or the central administration, cost of printed courses, support of local teachers, and any other money collected or spent.
Because honesty is a basic element of Christian character, it is not possible for a dishonest person to be a good Christian example. A dishonest person should not hold any ministry position. Any incident of dishonesty will affect a leader’s relationship with SGC.
Establishing a New Training Program
This section is designed to assist a local ministry team as they set up a new training program. It provides an order for planning the aspects of the program. The local ministry team should discuss and record their answer to each question.
1. Identity of the Responsible Ministry
► Who is opening the training program? (An existing institute? A church association? A local church? A partnership of several churches or pastors?)
► Should others be invited to share in the responsibility of opening this program?
2. Mission and Goal
A mission statement describes purpose. Example of a mission statement: “Our mission is to train Christian leaders with biblical doctrine and ministry methods.”
A goal has measurable details. Example of a ministry goal: “Our goal is to train church planters to open 20 new churches in the Irkutsk Region in the next five years.”
► What is the mission statement for the new training program?
► What is the goal of the new training program?
3. Name of the Training Program
If the new training program will not be part of an existing institute or network of local training centers, the local ministry can choose a name for it. Decide on a name which will be understood in your local context. (SGC prefers that local ministries not use the name Shepherds Global Classroom.)
► What is the name of the new training program?
4. Facility
► Where will classes be held? Will there be an office? (Can a local church or other building be used without cost? Will the classroom have adequate space and comfort and be free from distraction?)
5. Printed Curriculum
► How will we provide students with printed courses? (Will we print them on our own equipment, print them at a local business, or buy them from a training office elsewhere?)
► What will the cost be?
► How do we plan to cover the cost?
► Are students able and willing to use digital courses on mobile devices rather than having printed copies?
6. Schedule
Decide on a specific schedule for the classes. Examples:
Students will meet each Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7-9 p.m.
We plan to teach through one course in two months.
The first class will begin June 3 and end July 29.
New students can join at the beginning of each new course.
► What days and times will classes meet?
► How much time will we plan for each course?
► When will we start?
► At what times can new students join?
7. Teachers
Teachers should be familiar with the SGC manual. They should be reliable and willing to take time to prepare for teaching. A good spiritual character and Christian example are absolutely necessary. It is good if a teacher has some institute training, but it is not always possible. Teachers should already have a good reputation in their current ministry.
► What qualifications do we expect of teachers?
► Who is available and willing to begin?
8. Administration
Examples of positions:
Director
Registrar/secretary
Treasurer
► Who will direct the training?
► What other staff are needed?
► Who should receive phone calls from potential students?
► What is the job description for each position?
9. Certificates
If you want to award students with certificates from your local ministry, you can set your own requirements. If you want to give certificates from SGC, you must be in contact with an SGC representative who verifies the quality of your training program and approves you to give SGC certificates.
Example of a certificate plan: Students will be awarded a certificate from the local ministry for each course completed. Students who complete 10 courses will have a graduation and receive a certificate from SGC. Students may continue for 10 additional courses and an advanced certificate if they desire.
► What certificate(s) will our graduates receive?
► Who will provide certificates and set the standard for the program? (A church denomination? A local church board? SGC?)
10. Student Enrollment
Decide on the requirements of enrollment. For example:
Students must:
Be recommended by their local pastor.
Submit a written personal testimony of salvation.
Sign a student covenant.
► What is required before someone can enroll in the program?
Decide on any financial obligations of enrollment. Possible obligations to consider:
Students must pay $________ for each printed course
Students must pay $________ as a teacher fee
Students must pay $________ as a facility fee
Students must provide their own food and travel costs
► What are the financial obligations of students?
11. SGC Representative
SGC has specified a person to communicate with training ministries in your region. Your ministry should designate one person to be in communication with the SGC representative. The SGC representative will arrange for certificates for your graduates.
► Which person in our ministry will communicate with the SGC representative?
A Mission Organization/National Ministry and a Local Institute in Cooperation
ABC is the fictional name of a national ministry that helps churches establish local institutes. The site agreement ABC uses for local institutes is found on the following page. ABC representatives regularly visit and inspect local institute sites using the questions listed on the last page of this chapter.
ABC uses this form to explain the relationship between their national ministry and the local institute.
The purpose of ABC is to serve the body of Christ by equipping the church to develop ministry leaders. A local church or ministry organization may be approved to operate a ministry training program using SGC courses.
ABC reserves the right to cancel this agreement in the case of a local ministry not fulfilling its commitments.
ABC provides the following:
A set of 20 ministry training courses
A training seminar for teachers
Administration visits to the training site to encourage local teachers and enhance quality
Certificates for students on the completion of each course (a personal copy of the course is necessary for each student to receive a certificate)
A certificate for completion of the entire program
An ABC sign to be posted at the ministry site
The local ministry commits to the following:
To appoint faithful, competent local teachers with the approval of ABC administration
To require teachers to cooperate with training and directions from ABC administration
To provide a classroom that is convenient for good study
To support local teachers financially as necessary
To collect and send to ABC an enrollment fee for each course copy needed
To provide ABC administration with records of student attendance and assignments completed
To post the sign provided by ABC. The sign is the property of ABC and will be removed in the event of cancellation of this agreement.
Name of local ministry __________________________________________
Signature of representative of local ministry ____________________________________
Signature of authorized representative of ABC ___________________________________
When representatives from ABC visit sites, they use the following questions to evaluate and guide for improvement.
Have the site teachers received SGC teacher training?
Do the teachers use a variety of teaching methods?
Do the teachers involve the students in discussion and participation?
Is the site developing assistant teachers who practice in class?
Is the classroom convenient for study (seating, lighting, free from distraction and noise)?
Does each student have a personal copy of any course being studied?
Are all students able to read and write well enough to complete assignments? (Required for certificate.)
Does the class schedule provide thirty hours of class time for each course in addition to time spent completing assignments?
Do the testing procedures ensure that students do not copy answers from others or from written material?
Do the teachers maintain accurate records of student attendance? (A student who misses more than 25% of class time should not receive credit for the course.)
Do the teachers maintain records of student assignments completed? (All assignments must be completed for a certificate.)
Is the local institute developing a system for local financial support?
Are local institute finances managed by a local committee for openness and accountability?
Print Course
SGC exists to equip rising Christian leaders around the world by providing free, high-quality theological resources. We gladly grant permission for you to print and distribute our courses under these simple guidelines:
No Changes – Course content must not be altered in any way.
No Profit Sales – Printed copies may not be sold for profit.
Free Use for Ministry – Churches, schools, and other training ministries may freely print and distribute copies—even if they charge tuition.
No Unauthorized Translations – Please contact us before translating any course into another language.
All materials remain the copyrighted property of Shepherds Global Classroom. We simply ask that you honor the integrity of the content and mission.
