Residential Studies

Since 1962 Sunset has led the way for Churches of Christ by producing well-equipped teachers, preachers, and missionaries to share the Gospel across the United States and around the world. SIBI started as the Latin American Bible School and later the Sunset School of Preaching, a first-of-its-kind, tuition-free, specialized ministry training school.

Today, our training programs extend from mission experiences to Bachelor of Biblical Studies courses covering the Bible and remain tuition-free to help our graduates be free from unnecessary debts.

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and go on to be biblically sound preachers and teachers, innovative missionaries and church planters, well-grounded youth ministers, deaf missionaries, and creative, effective citizens of the Kingdom of God. Our students strive to meet the needs of the body of Christ around the world.

Let us help you to become better equipped for worldwide ministry, and to find your place in the Kingdom.

ACADEMICS

The public proclamation of the Word of God has always been at the heart of SIBI’s training. In the residential school, students take courses covering the entire Bible, along with various ministry and Bible-related studies. Gaining knowledge is important, but it is our conviction that the Word must be preached and taught or it is just sterile knowledge.

The faculty at SIBI has years of experience in preaching and teaching throughout the United States and in many foreign nations. This wealth of practical knowledge enables the instructors to teach and challenge students for successful ministry. Having a faculty that has been there and done that adds to the effective training available at SIBI.

AIM –

AIM teams are made up of college-aged young people who spend eight months in intensive study and preparation before going to a mission point for at least 14 months. While there, AIMers work under the supervision of an experienced missionary or minister in a foreign country or in the United States. AIM is a life-changing experience for those who go and for the many they meet who are changed by the gospel.

Over 50 years of experience since AIM began has shown that many of those who serve in AIM will become missionaries, ministers, elders, and leaders in local congregations.l They are already shaping the future of the church.

SrAIM

With many years of experience, senior Christians have much to offer. They want to use their experience, knowledge, perspective, resources, and time to make a difference for the Lord. Seniors who become part of Senior AIM come to Lubbock and get further Biblical study and training. Then they can combine that training with their experience to serve others in a wide variety of ways.

Senior AIMers can serve anywhere – across town, across the country, or across the world. They participate in evangelistic campaigns, provide teaching in congregations, help with benevolent efforts, and contribute in a host of other ways. Seniors know it’s not just about where you’ve been, but where God is taking you next.

Advanced School of Missions

Going the distance makes a difference. The apostle Paul obviously thought understanding the worldview and customs of those in Athens was necessary to communicate the message of the risen Christ. It is just as important in our time. The gospel doesn’t change, but learning how to connect with people in their own culture is still critically important.

The Advanced School of Missions is a four or nine-month program of advanced, targeted training in missions to equip mission teams to effectively share the gospel in the culture they have chosen. The instructors in the Advanced School of Missions were missionaries themselves. They provide not only theoretical knowledge but also hands-on experience and hearts for world evangelism.

Deaf Ministry

SIBI’s Deaf Ministry program trains deaf men and women to accept the challenge of reaching their community with the Gospel. One in every thousand people in the world are deaf making it one of the largest unreached populations that can respond to the Word of God. Deaf Ministry is designed to equip non-hearing men and women for various facets of ministry both in congregational work as well as foreign mission work.