"Home Study courses "
Since ordination is between the person and God, we have always ordained anyone who steps forward. However, it is important to make training available to the majority of our ministers.
Although some people are ready to function well as ministers without degrees or further study, most of us need additional training. For that reason, we make distance learning available through our home study courses.
Home Study: The following distance learning courses are available for home study. Each course is thirty lessons in length except the Ministers Training Course which is twenty-six lessons. At the end of each lesson is a quiz mostly of the "true or false" or "choose the correct answer" type questions.
Go at Your Own Pace: Upon registration, we will send you the entire course that you may complete on your own schedule. You will then return the answered questions to us. You may proceed with any course at your own pace, completing as many lessons as you wish. However, lessons will be graded in groups of at least five lessons at a time.
The Well-Being Course and part of the Counseling Course were written by Rev. Theodore H. Swenson. The courses are based on his own studies as well as his experience as Dean of Students at the University of California. Rev. Swenson served at the University for eight years. His focus was on the well-being of students while responding to various emergency and crisis situations.
You will grow and develop both as a person and as a minister by taking our Well-being course. This non-denominational course will guide you through our five steps to a better and more fulfilling life. This is our most important course and it is the first step toward becoming a Journeyman Minister.
Preparing for Ministry: Preparation for the ministry begins with our own lives. Good helpers are often people who have had trouble with their own lives. To help you prepare for the ministry, we want to help you take charge of yourself and move forward.
Helping Ourselves: Before we can help others, we have to help ourselves. Those of us who have had our share of trouble and suffering can understand better the situation of others who need help. We are offering you a chance to improve your life and become a more effective minister at the same time. To do this, you must free yourself from the negative limitations that hold back most people.
Helping Others: We are seeking to develop ministers who want to make an important contribution to the lives of others. How that contribution is made will differ from person to person depending on the particular talent each has.
1. Confidence Building - This is a process that leads to your feeling better about yourself and what you are able to do with your life.
2. Discovery - This step helps you learn what you REALLY want in life. Most of us never make this discovery and if you don't know what you REALLY want you will never get it.
3. Goal setting - Once you know what you REALLY want, you have to learn how to go after it in an organized way and that begins with goal setting.
4. Reprogramming - Most of us have allowed other people to determine what we do with our lives. We may have allowed these other people to direct us to paths that are not good for us. If this is true in your case, it is necessary to reprogram your life in the direction YOU choose.
5. Directed Prayer - This is a powerful technique to "take your dream and make it happen." It works like magic and makes miracles happen. You will be absolutely amazed when you discover that you can actually get what you REALLY want!
Lesson Format: Our Well-being course consists of thirty lessons that you can do in your own home, taking as much time as you like. Each lesson is presented in three typewritten pages. After each lesson, there are some questions for you to answer. Finding the answers to our questions is not difficult but it will help you review the lesson and fix it in your mind.
Course Completion: When you finish the course, you will receive a certificate of completion to hang on your wall. This will be your first step toward becoming a Journeyman Minister. The second step will be the completion of our Counseling Course. The third and final step will consist of taking our Minister's Training Course.
In addition to being the first step in the Journeyman Ministers Program, the Well-being course is an exciting, fulfilling, and growth-oriented adventure.
Requested Offering : We request an offering of $25 to register for each course. Also, we request an offering of $5 for each lesson you return for grading. Since you must return at least five lessons at a time for grading, you are requested to include an offering of $25 with the five lessons you return for grading. If you return more than five lessons, please enclose an additional $5 for each additional lesson.
We urge you to get started right away. Order the Well-Being Course
Still not sure?
The Well-Being course is written in easy-to-understand language, to make it as practical as possible. To give you an opportunity to consider if it's right for you,
Download a FREE copy of Chapter One.
(PDF file- 24 kb - needs Acrobat Reader - Download Acrobat Reader)
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This non-denominational course provides a straightforward, easy-to-understand introduction to a variety of counseling techniques. It will also teach you how to relate in a helping way to friends, family, and coworkers.
Sensitivity and Skills: The first half of the course is concerned with helping you develop an attitude or outlook that is important for people who are counselors. It will help you become more sensitive to the needs of other people and to help them identify behaviors which limit their own growth and development.
You will also learn listening skills that are vital to helping people grow. You will discover how to help your client to become a more independent person -- how to accept personal responsibility. You will learn more about the importance of agreements with other people and even about agreements with yourself. You will discover how to encourage self decision-making in your client, how to provide moral support and to give feedback to help the client select appropriate courses of action.
Course Texts: In the second half of the course, you will read and study two important books: Basic Types of Pastoral Care & Counseling by Howard Clinebell and I'm OK You're OK by Thomas A. Harris, M.D.
A highly respected pioneer in Pastoral Counseling, Howard Clinebell, Ph.D., was Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Psychology and Counseling at the School of Theology at Claremont, California.
The Present Challenge of Pastoral Care and Counseling
In his popular book, I'm OK You're OK, psychiatrist Dr. Thomas A. Harris provided a method for understanding human behavior which has been applied with success in counseling and therapy. The method Dr. Harris discusses employs the concept of "Transactional Analysis" that was originally developed by Dr. Eric Berne.
Dr. Harris believes that using "Transactional Analysis" in therapy is a realistic way to help clients understand their responsibility for solving problems and taking control of their lives. You may find that the vocabulary of Transactional Analysis is easy to understand and that it goes well with common sense. Dr. Harris points out that anybody can use Transactional Analysis, not just patients or therapists. Order the Counseling Course
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The twenty-six lesson Minister's Training Course addresses many fundamental religious and practical issues for practicing ministers. The following important questions and topics are presented in this course:
New Testament Bible Course
This course covers the entire New Testament of the Holy Bible. Each lesson asks you to read about twelve pages of the New Testament and to answer ten questions about what you have read. Questions are either of the "True-False" variety or ask you to choose the correct answer from three possibilities. For example, here are two actual questions from the course:
1. Who of the following was Jesus' brother?
___ John ___ Peter ___Judah
2. When Peter came to Antioch, Paul opposed him.
___True ___False
As with all our courses, you will receive a certificate of completion after you have finished the last lesson in the New Testament Bible Course. Click here to order the Bible Course .
How To Order Minister Training Courses....
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Guarantee
If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with any of the materials you order from us, you may return them (in original condition) for a full refund less the $3 shipping and handling fee.
Countries where we have ordained ministers.
Antigua, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Ivory Coast Republic, Jamaica, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Guinea, New Zealand, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Rep.of Seychelles, Russia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, UK,USA, United Arab Emirates, Virgin Islands, W.Africa, Wales, Zimbabwe
USA states where we have ordained ministers
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakot, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Canadian Provinces where we have ordained ministers
Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador
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