Our Name

Our name tells you who we are:

 ·         Life in Christ
The school is an “arm” of Life in Christ Ministry and receives its values and vision from it.

·         International
The school is part of a network of school called International School of Ministry (ISOM), which trains an average of 250 thousand students in 140 different countries every year.

·         School
The dictionary defines school as “an organization that provides instruction”, and that is the mission of Life in Christ ISOM—to provide instruction for Christian service.

·         Of Ministry
The Word ministry means service. Jesus said, “If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others. And if you want to be first, you must be everyone's slave.” (Mark 10:43-44) Therefore, our school aims at training servants.

What We Are Not

1.       We are not an accredited college.

There are excellent secular and Christian colleges in our area. For a person who is interested in a formal Christian education with an accredited school, we recommend:

Bethany University

www.bethany.edu

800 Bethany Drive
Scotts Valley, CA 95066-2820
(831) 438-3800

Bethany is owned and operated by the Assemblies of God, and is a fully accredited university.

Patten University
www.patten.edu

2433 Coolidge Avenue
Oakland, CA 94601

1-877-4PATTEN

We support higher education and if you are interested in pursuing an accredited course, we would be happy to assist you.

2.       We are not a leadership school.

“Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
 and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
 Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

(Matthew 20:25-28)

Leadership is necessary and appropriate, and there are legitimate “schools of leadership”. However, our vision is to train and develop servants. God chooses leaders. And in His Kingdom, only good servants can ever be entrusted with leadership.

3.       We are not a Bible Study group.

Bible study is a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and spiritual growth. These meetings tend to be informal gatherings where the Bible is studies systematically. We recognize the important place of these meetings, and encourage every Christian to participate in them. Yet, our school is a structured training center aimed at developing Kingdom servants.

4.       We are not an evangelistic outreach.

Evangelism is very important, and every Christian is an evangelist. However, the purpose of this school is not to reach the lost, but to train the saved, who in turn will reach the lost. Therefore, unbelievers are welcome to visit at any time, but are not allowed as students.

The Plan

There are four components to the training you will receive.

1.       Lectures

2.       Cohort

3.       Private Development

4.       Public Ministry

Lectures

Each week, students will attend two lectures of one hour, with a 10 minute break in between. That is, once a week there will be a class lasting 2hrs and 20 min. Notebooks will be provided and notes are to be taken.  Attendance is required, and records of attendance and participation will be kept.

Cohort

Christian ministry is not a solo experience. There are no lone rangers in the Kingdom. Therefore, students will be placed in small groups and each student will share their learning experience within the group. Group will complete various assignments together. These assignments are intended to develop partnership, people skills, and common experiences.

Private Development

The information from the lectures and the experiences from the cohort program will be internalized and personalized by each student in private time of devotions, meditation, and reflection. Here, too, there will be guided assignments, but this is mostly a personal journey to be taken by each student.

Public Ministry

All learning should lead to being, and then doing. Our school is a practical school of ministry, so that by the end of the first semester, every student is expected to be regularly involved in some area of Christian ministry. This is application and implementation of what we have learned.

Cost

·         Each semester will cost $250 per student.

·         $150 is payable upon enrollment, and the balance is due on the first week of class.

·         Enrollment begins 6 week before each semester and closes 3 weeks before the start of classes.

The Student

Who should join the School of Ministry?

·         Individuals with a sense of calling!
You need to know inside of you that God is calling you to deeper knowledge and greater responsibility.

·         Individuals who are busy!
Jesus seemed to always call busy people, “and they left their nets and followed him”. Only people who are used to being busy will be able to handle the demands of training and ministry.

·         Individuals who want to serve!
Our curriculum begins with instruction (lectures), and flows to assimilation (cohort), then to incorporation (private development), to end at application (public ministry). In other words, from the very start the student is being directed toward Christian service. Unless this is where the student wants to go, this is not the course he/she will want to take.

·         Individuals who are ready!
Students only learn when they are ready to learn. Proverbs 18:15 says, “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.” Without this eagerness to learn, the student probably won’t learn.

Who should not join the school of ministry?
Admittedly, this school is not for everyone. Some may not be ready yet. For others, God’s plan may involve some other type of training.

·         The person who is unsaved.
1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

·         The person who is simply curious.
Curiosity is not a bad thing, but it is not a good enough reason to join a school of ministry.

·         The person who wants to lead.
This is a school of ministry (Gk, diakonia, meaning  service), not a school of leadership.

·         Those who are pursuing an academic degree.
It is possible to transfer credits from our school to a limited number of other Christian institutions. However, there are several limitations on this process. If receiving an accredited degree is a priority for you, we recommend an accredited college or university and we will be happy to assist you in finding the right one.