Covenant Overview

Christ at the Center

What is unique about our approach to ministry training? Our core value of Christ-Centered Ministry explains it well, “We believe that a seminary education is successful only if, at its end, the student knows Jesus Christ more intimately than at its beginning.” Thus, our goal is not simply to produce pastors and ministry leaders who have a superior understanding of the Bible and the ability to communicate it well, important as those things are. Rather, we see our task as helping students recognize and appreciate the powerfully transformative nature of the gospel of grace in their own lives—resulting in changed hearts, renewed minds, and Spirit-charged ministries that have a profound impact for Christ.

Pastors Training Pastors and Those Who Serve Beside Them

Our primary purpose is to equip pastors and other ministry leaders for service to Christ’s church. But that in itself is not enough—we want those church leaders to be able to equip others for service as well. This means teaching our students not only the basics of biblical interpretation, communication, and ministry practice, but also giving them the tools they need to help others learn and grow in grace.

To facilitate this equipping process, we have assembled an outstanding faculty of pastor/scholars, all of whom are recognized experts in their fields of study as well as being seasoned practitioners with years of experience in the church or other ministry settings. Our faculty is committed to a holistic approach to ministry training that encompasses not only classroom learning, but also emphasizes service in the local church and engaging in covenantal community.

This dual focus on academic excellence and practical experience informs all our training programs and provides valuable opportunities for students to learn with and from people with deep insights into the ups and downs of life in ministry.

Preaching Christ From the Whole Bible

Our uniquely effective preaching program is structured around the redemptive-historical approach outlined in Dr. Bryan Chapell's highly acclaimed book Christ-Centered Preaching. Now in its second edition and available in multiple languages, this influential book has been praised by academic journals and leading Christian magazines as the best current work on the value and methods of expository preaching and has become a standard homiletics text for many evangelical and Reformed seminaries.

Dr. Chapell contends that to fully and faithfully expound any passage of Scripture, a preacher must not merely issue a call for sinful people to be or to do better under their own strength. Rather, good preaching involves finding the redemptive heart of a passage and relating it to the redeeming work of God in the present, showing how a particular aspect of human fallenness is addressed by God’s grace to us in Christ—thus enabling believers to live transformed lives to the glory and praise of God.

Ministry and Mentoring Opportunities

Our strong community life also gives students the chance to get to know many of their professors on a more personal level, creating an environment in which to develop relationships that can have a profound impact on their lives and ministries. And because preparation for ministry is an ongoing process that does not end when one graduates from seminary, our Alumni Relations staff works closely with recent graduates to provide mentoring opportunities with pastors and ministry leaders in the field.

Fast Facts