THE
COGIC SCHOOL OF MINISTRY
MEMPHIS, TN
COMING TO YOU:
FALL, 2002
Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson,
Chancellor & Presiding Bishop
Dr.
Alonzo Johnson, The Commissioner of Education
The COGIC School of Ministry (CSM) is an undergraduate institution that currently offers Certificates of Theology and Associate of Theology degrees to persons interested in perfecting the ministry gifts. Students are prepared for ministry in the Body of Christ and service to the world.
We unapologetically and unequivocally proclaim the Holiness-Pentecostal call for holy living and for the exercise and impartation of Spiritual Gifts to the Body of Christ.
The CSM serves persons of all races, ethnic groups, economic classes, and denominational backgrounds, although the largest segment of our student body is from the Tri-State area and are members of the Church of God in Christ.
The mission of the COGIC School of Ministry is to foster Spiritual Renewal in the world and to equip men and women for ministry and service in church and society. All courses and programs are designed demonstrate the relationship between genuine spirituality and rigorous intellectual pursuit.
The following goals and objectives are the guiding principles of the School of Ministry:
• Encouraging all persons to develop authentic spiritual lives, anchored on a close relationship with Jesus Christ, walking in the Spirit, the study of the Word of God.•Promoting an intellectual and spiritual curiosity among students, faculty and staff. •Creating meaningful opportunities for students to do Christian service in local churches, communities, and para-church agencies.•Preparing male and female credential holders for ordination and licensing examinations within jurisdictions and local congregations.•Providing general studies and programs to equip students for further studies in other undergraduate programs.•Assisting the Presiding Bishop, General Board, Women’s Department, General Council and AIM in creating holistic, accredited and unaccredited programs for the training of future leaders in COGIC.•Providing programming, curriculum, and resource support for all schools within the Charles Harrison Mason System of Bible Colleges and Institutes.
Fostering the development of a full undergraduate program that will serve as a feeder for the Charles Harrison Mason Theological Seminary.
• Working with the Presiding Bishop, President of the Missions Department and the Commissioner of Education in providing curricular and program support for the creation of new C. H. Mason System of Bible Colleges and Institutes in foreign countries.
• Promoting the publication of books, leadership training curricular, and other such material for jurisdictions and local congregations.Forging an overall communal environment that is conducive for the social and cultural development of all students.
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• Working in conjunction with the Foreign Missions Department in providing training material for new home and foreign mission workers.
• Developing a standardized ordination and licensure curriculum for the National Church.
• Providing substantive credit and non-credit courses on the history, polity and theology of COGIC.
• Promoting computer/technology-assisted distance learning and correspondence programs for persons around the nation. This will be done in conjunction with other schools within the C. H. Mason System of Bible Colleges and Institutes.
The CSM offers two basic academic programs: The Associate of Theology (NEW: Associate of Religious Studies) and the Certificate of Theology. The Associate of Theology programs serves persons who seek to strengthen their ministry skills and enhance their knowledge of the principles and practices of effective Christian ministry. The curriculum offers a well-rounded body of courses that are fundamental to any biblically-based general studies academic program, including Theological Education; general studies, practical/skills oriented classes, and Holiness-Pentecostal studies.
Theological Education: centers on courses that are designed to give students a broad introduction to primary areas of study that are requisite for the professional ministry. Courses cover: Bible, the History of Christianity, Theology, Ethics, Homiletics & Worship, Pastoral Care, and Christian Education.
General Studies: courses that introduce students to the liberal arts and humanities, such as, language & literature, Western Civilization, history, philosophy sociology, art & music appreciation, anthropology, religious studies, political science, etc. These courses will offer upper and lower-level introductions to the individual disciplines. The general studies courses will provide students with the foundation that is essential to all future academic work, whether in a secular or religious institution. It also prepares students for professional vocations. Moreover, the general studies curriculum will ensure that our students will be able to UNDERSTAND AND COMMUNICATE with other people, even as they seek to minister to them. General studies is central to any serious higher education program.
Practical/Skill Instruction: courses in practical, hands on, supervised learning, i.e. field education. These courses are skills-oriented, and seek to put students directly in the work context so that they may do ministry up-close, either in a church or a Para-church setting. These courses will prepare students for work after they have graduated.
Holiness-Pentecostal Studies: a core of courses that examine the history, theology, and values of the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition, of which the COGIC is a product. The aim is to demonstrate the distinctiveness of the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition and to show the continuities and discontinuities between the traditions.
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Curriculum for the Associate of Theology - 72 Credit Hours - (The Number of Credit Hours will Be Changed to Meet the Commonly Accepted Credit Distribution Hours.) |
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Current Required Courses |
New Course Possibility |
| Old Testament I | Evangelism | Basis Grammar |
| Old Testament II | Church History | Written Composition |
| New Testament | Homiletics | Western Civilization I |
| Introduction to Theology | Hermeneutics | Western Civilization II |
| Life in The Spirit | Study Skills | Pedagogy |
| Theology of the Holy Spirit | Advanced Theology | Foundations of Education |
| COGIC Polity | Christology | Field Education |
| Old Testament History | Theology of Preaching | Music Appreciation |
| Old Testament Prophets | Psalms | Christian Education |
| Synoptic Gospels | Pauline Epistles | Pastoral Care |
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Electives |
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| Hebrew | Revelation | |
| Greek | Church Administration | |
| Christian Education | Black Presence in the Bible | |
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Curriculum for the Certificate of Theology—36 Hours This program is designed for persons who are seeking ordination and licensure within the church of God in Christ. The credits from these courses will transfer to the Associate of Theology Degree program. |
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Current Required Courses |
New Course Possibility |
Old Testament I COGIC Polity Women's Ministry In COGIC Old Testament II Evangelism Lay Ministry New Testament Church History Basic Grammar Introduction to Theology Homiletics Life In the Spirit Hermeneutics Theology Of The Holy Spirit Study Skills
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*****NEW PROGRAM PROPOSAL: The Laity Training and Professional Development Institute (LTPDI Certificate)—Will offer non-degree courses for the training of laypersons and refresher classes for working professionals. |
CLASSES
COGIC Polity Old Testament I & II Theology of the Holy Spirit New Testament Evangelism Independent Distance Learning (IDL) On-line, audio and video-based video based courses that are offered to students throughout the world. Students will communicate directly with faculty members regarding course requirements and grading. Normal registration procedures are required. IDL and other C.H. Mason Bible Colleges around the nation. These schools will serve as Distance Learning Centers, offering CSM IDL students opportunities to study in cluster groups at the local schools and to have additional instructions from local faculty. This will save the C.H. Mason System.
The Accelerated Monthly Residential Program (AMRP)—an intensive one-week per month program that is designed to serve the needs of persons who desire to work on degrees without being in residence full-time. Students will commute to campus during this week and take classes all week. These courses will be taken for regular college credit.
The Accelerated Weekend Commuter Program (AWCP)—Modeled after the AMRP, this program offers intensive courses on Friday evenings and on Saturday. The courses will be taken for regular academic credit. It will target local students and persons within 150 miles of Memphis. Residential students will also take these classes.
FACULTY INSTRUCTORS FOR INSTITUTES: We will use local faculty members and special guest faculty members as the core teaching faculty for this program.
What does it mean? It refers to the process whereby agencies outside of a given academic institution signify that the institution "has a purpose appropriate to higher education and has resources, programs and services sufficient to accomplish its purpose on a continuing basis." Southern Association of Colleges and Schools: Commission on Colleges, p.1, 1998.
Who grants accreditation? Accreditation can literally be granted by anyone who wishes to call themselves an accrediting agency. They are somewhat like mothers, "everyone has one." The more important question is, are all accrediting bodies of equal value and do they do the same things? No! No! and a THOUSAND TIMES No!!!
What do accrediting agencies look for when they evaluate a school? They will thoroughly examine every aspect of the institution, from its library to its treatment of students and staff members. The major areas of consideration are as follows: Library resources sufficient for the mission of the school; a board of directors; legal permission to operate in a state and to grant degrees; qualified faculty members, persons with degrees from recognized institutions, who possess at least one degree higher than the level at which they teach; course content and standardization of class hours; financial affairs; the administrative structure of the institution, with a CEO; the quality and clarity of the academic programs; an academic catalog with all pertinent information about the school; institutional stability; potential for growth.
What accrediting agency should we seek to be a part of? Those that are affiliated with or modeled directly after the standards proposed by Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (a non-governmental agency that is recognized by the U. S. Department of Education). We also look for accrediting groups that are affiliated with the U. S. Department of Education and the Commission on Colleges, which represents more than 800 public and private colleges around the nation and is composed of 77-members from participating schools.
What agencies will we seek accreditation from? The International Christian Accrediting Agency (ICAA) (Oral Roberts University Educational Fellowship, Tulsa, OK); the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC), Orlando, FL; Trans National Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), Forest, VA; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Decatur, GA.
TIMETABLE:
January 1 – September 1, 2001
When will we begin operating?
Fall 2002!!!!What will be the relationship between the CSM and the current C. H. Mason Bible College in Memphis?
Answer: Pending the approval of the 3 Co-Presidents, Bishops G. E. Patterson, J. O. Patterson, Jr. and S. Lowe, the Memphis school will be merged with new program so as to form the National COGIC School of Ministry.
What programs will we offer in the fall of 2002?
Answer: We will offer the Certificates as well as the Associate and Bachelor’s degrees. The Bachelor’s curriculum will be introduced when we have gotten the accreditation for the Associate in Theology degree program.
What will we do in the interim? Jan. 1 – Sept. 1, 2001:
-Launch a National, web-based Contest for the name and logo of the institution
-Revise the mission statement, goals and objectives so as to reflect the name and logo
-Establish the Commission on Education
-Begin communications with the accrediting agencies, ICAA
-Write and visit state agencies within Tennessee regarding affiliation and laws
-Visit the Tennessee C. H. Mason Bible College
-Get articulation agreements with local colleges to ensure that credits from this school will be transferable.
-Structure the proposals for the operation of special institutes and revise the current academic program
-Begin writing the academic catalogue
-Travel with the Presiding Bishop to promote the CSM
-Begin visiting sites and jurisdictions for the purpose of promoting the CSM and connecting with local C. H. Mason Bible Colleges and Institutes regarding IDL matters
-Identify new staff, administrators, and adjunct faculty members for critical areas, including national names for the intensive programs
-Develop a comprehensive budget
-Begin offering new classes under the revised curriculum
-Establish the new curriculum for the Bachelor’s program
-Have the classes revised with new times and descriptions
-Begin the preliminary work on acquiring library space and resources. Launch a national campaign to buy books for the library
-Begin discussions about the future location of the campus, the use of residential facilities, etc.
-Begin to develop the Policies and Procedures Manual for the institution
-Establish policies regarding tuition and other budgetary mattersThe Chancellor: Presiding Bishop
The Commissioner of Education
The Commission on Education
The Dean
The Faculty And Administrative Council
Contact the Commissioner of Education
Alonzo Johnson, Ph.D., Commissioner of Education
Ms. Rhoda Simmons, Administrative Assistant
Contact Numbers:
Church: (803) 829.2375 (803)829.2409
Office Fax 803 829.2054