Bachelor of Biblical Studies

The Bachelor of Biblical Studies degree is the core training program at SIBI. Students study 40 courses equaling 120 college-level credit hours that cover the entire Bible. Each student also chooses a four-core emphasis in preparation for his or her chosen ministry. Students may choose an emphasis in Preaching Ministry, Family & Youth Ministry, or Missions.

Throughout the two years of training and study, students participate in a rich array of classes, from textual study to spiritual enrichment to ministry application. This training is rigorous, providing in just two years the same number of class hours that would require four or more years to complete at a typical college pace. This training is also deeply rewarding, launching students into a lifetime of growth and ministry.

Historically, training preachers has been the main focus of this core program. While training preachers is still central at SIBI, the bachelor’s degree has proven effective in preparing men and women for a wide variety of other ministry opportunities in the Kingdom.

Graduates of SIBI are serving not only as pulpit ministers but also as youth ministers, inner-city ministers, prison ministers, women’s ministry leaders, non-profit organization leaders, and missionaries in many countries and cultures throughout the world. SIBI’s Biblical Studies program has provided a foundation from which a variety of ministries have been launched.

Preaching Ministry

Proclamation of God’s Word has always been at the heart of SIBI’s training. The purpose of the classes in the Preaching Ministry emphasis is to prepare men to preach and minister effectively in an established church.

Students who choose the Preaching Ministry track will take four courses designed especially for this emphasis:

  • Spiritual Leadership – is about the characteristics of leadership, the need for leadership in the Church, problems confronting church leaders, and leadership from different perspectives.
  • Church Growth – looks into tri-dimensional growth patterns found in healthy, dynamic, and growing congregations of the Lord’s people. Each dimension is essential if the church is to accomplish its God-given mission.
  • Advanced Homiletics – is an advanced course in the study and preparation of sermons, including a deeper study of the various types of sermons. The course is designed to equip the student to preach more effectively and creatively. Major emphases include enhancing communication skills and increasing organizational strategies.
  • Congregational Ministry – examines the work of a minister in a local church setting in the United States. Major emphases include the minister’s work, his interpersonal relationships, his response to ministry stress, and his personal life. 

Family & Youth Ministry

Families are a foundation for healthy churches. These classes within the Family & Youth Ministry emphasize training students to reach the family with the Gospel and facilitate parents and youth to live within God’s unique design for family discipleship.

Students who choose the Family & Youth Ministry track will take four courses designed especially for this emphasis:

  • Family and Youth Ministry Foundations – The foundation of family and youth ministry is a clear definition and application of Biblical teachings regarding the family and its symbiotic relationship with the church. During this course, we will explore the development of a Biblical Christian worldview as contrasted with the popular Western worldviews of secular humanism, Marxism, New Age, Islam, and Postmodernism. A historical overview of youth ministry and an introductory study of the basic principles of family-based ministry will set the stage for the courses that follow.
  • Family and Youth Ministry Frameworks – The structure and context of family-based ministry will be defined and examined during the second term of study. A strategy for the facilitation of family-based ministry within the background of present culture will be presented using Biblical guidelines for the “household”. Most importantly, the relationship between the church and family will be appraised with the goal of understanding how we must actively integrate families – and especially our children – into the body of Christ.
  • Family and Youth Ministry Toolbox – This study will examine the “tools” provided by Scripture to impact the family and the church – and ultimately, our world. The significance of family-based education, evangelism, service, and missions will be explored in practical discussions – along with the presentation of related resources and materials. Students will learn to create a holistic curriculum that provides guidance for all ages to experience spiritual growth.
  • Family and Youth Ministry Administration – The function of the minister in regard to operational procedures, planning structures, working relationships with church leaders, and the practical integration of family and youth into the church are key elements of effective ministry. A practical approach that harmonizes a Biblical “job description” and church expectations will be considered in this study.

Missions

For those who are interested in missions and church planting, the courses in the Missions emphasis help them have a basic understanding of mission work, church planting, and evangelistic strategies. These classes can serve as a foundation for study in the School of Missions.

Students who choose the Missions track will take four courses designed especially for this emphasis:

  • Theology of Missions  –  Developing a clear biblical worldview with God and His mission as the center.
  • Culture – Understand multiple facets of culture, how it influences worldview, how it influences the implementation of different systems, and one’s ability to share the Gospel message effectively. 
  • Strategy – How to unite the above-mentioned disciplines through critical thinking.
  • Implementation – Putting the pieces together (Team, Missionary Care, Equipping, Partnering, Fundraising, etc.)

Women’s Ministry

Women have a distinct purpose and mission in the Kingdom. Classes in the Women’s Ministry emphasis are designed to equip and train women to be effective in ministries such as recovery programs, benevolence, children’s ministry, and more. Women who attend SIBI are offered the opportunity to complete one of two certifications.  She can either choose to take our Women’s Bachelor of Biblical Studies (48 courses) or our  Women’s Associates Program (28 courses).

Students who choose the Women’s Ministry track will take courses designed especially for this emphasis:

Public Speaking

  • PS 1 – Basic introduction to public speaking.
  • PS 2 – Building skills to give a short, biographical lesson.
  • PS 3 – Learning to prepare and facilitate a small group class/study.
  • PS 4 – Building skills to give a topical lesson.
  • PS 5 – Learning how to study the Bible through exegetical methods.
  • PS 6 – In this class, the results of learning how to study exegetically are put into practice as the students prepare and present a lesson based on what they studied in public speaking 5. 
  • PS 7 – This class gives the student an opportunity to participate in a simple, impromptu presentation. 
  • Public Speaking 8 Senior Presentation/Effective Women’s Ministry 3 – These classes are combined in order to prepare for each student’s senior lesson.

Women’s Emphasis Classes

  • Gracious Hospitality – This course allows the student to learn basic cooking skills, but much more importantly gives insight into why God expects this blessing of fellowship and the beautiful results of this ministry toward others.
  • Essentials in Ministry – This is a “resource-based” class with various teachers.  The purpose of this class is to look at areas of ministry that most ministers’ wives, female interns, and/or teammates of a mission team experience.
  • Effective Parenting – This class is designed to not only cover healthy and biblical parenting for the student but for the people she will be encountering throughout her ministry.
  • Effective Women’s Ministry I – Introduction to becoming a more healthy woman of God – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
  • Effective Women’s Ministry II – Continued studies from Effective Women’s Ministry I with several out-of-class, “hands-on” assignments.  We also learn what healthy “boundaries” should look like in our lives as well as in the lives of those to which we minister.
  • Women in the Church – What is God’s plan and design in the Church for women?  This class looks at the many facets of women in both biblical and world history. The design of this course will help inform and give answers.
  • Effective Women’s Ministry 3/PS 8 Senior Presentation – Along with planning and presenting senior lessons, the women in this track will take a look at building an effective women’s ministry.  These resources will be vital in future ministry involvement whether stateside or on the mission field.

Christian Interpreter Training

Christian Interpreter Training courses are for men and women who want to make an impact within the Deaf community. Learning American Sign Language allows the student to be active in preaching, teaching, interpreting, and much more.

For more information about this opportunity, click here