Baptist Institute of Pittsburgh Course Catalog

Baptist Institute of Pittsburgh Course Catalog 2018-2019 www.baptistinstitutepgh.org

Welcome to your Baptist Institute! The Baptist Institute of Pittsburgh was founded in 2014 with the sole purpose of providing high quality education on matters of Baptist faith and practice for students, pastors, and church members in western Pennsylvania. Since then we have continuously offered courses on the theology of worship, church history, the biblical doctrine of the Church, and much more all from the perspective of Baptist and similarly-minded believers. Our students are men and women of baptistic faith. We are not a seminary, but students of some seminaries can earn graduate academic credit that can be transferred toward degree programs. Many of our students are pastors and church leaders looking to continue their theological education. And many of our students are men and women who take our courses for personal enrichment and spiritual growth. For these reasons, our motto is Strengthening Baptists in faith, doctrine, and unity. One thing you should know is that we at the Baptist Institute take the Word of God very seriously. We believe that the Bible is inerrant, clear, authoritative, and sufficient for all matters of faith and spiritual life. I love talking with prospective students and their pastors about Baptist theological education and how we can help. Please do not hesitate to call! Grace and Peace, Rev. Brian K. Hart, Executive Director

FALL 2018 Baptist Church History I Instructor: Rev. Brian Hart The Baptist church has its roots in the English separatist movement of the 17th century. Both General (Arminian) and Particular (Calvinistic) Baptists find their foundations in the struggle of Protestant believers with the Church of England and one another as the great theologians of the day worked to find the right Protestant identities. Baptists, being convinced of the regenerate nature of the New Testament church, sought to defend this view while at the same time demonstrating their orthodox Christian belief. This course is an exploration of the origins of the General and Particular Baptist churches through the 17th and 18th centuries including the migration of Baptists from England to America in New England, Pennsylvania, and the other English colonies. Dates: September 7-8, October 12-13, November 2-3

FALL 2018 Foundations of Church Leadership Instructors: Dr. Kim Grueser, Pittsburgh Baptist Church What does the Bible teach about church leadership? Baptist churches are independent bodies, yet often associated with similarly-minded churches. While leadership structures may vary from church to church, this course examines the underlying biblical principles of church leadership that are useful to pastors, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, and more. Students will explore the biblical foundations of church leadership as well as consider how those foundations can be applied to church life today. Dates: September 28-29, October 26-27, November 16-17 ]

WINTER 2018-2019 Baptist Theological Frameworks Instructors: Dr. Benjamin Reaoch and Rev. Brian Hart Churches have developed what might be called theological frameworks to summarize their understandings of Scripture. Covenant theology, Dispensationalsm, and New Covenant Theology are among the frameworks used by various Baptist churches. This course, with an emphasis on Reformed Baptist covenant and biblical theology, helps the student understand the nature, history, and development of these frameworks to make more informed choices among them and, consequently, among the churches which hold to each of them. Dates: December 7-8, January 11-12, February 8-9

WINTER 2018-2019 Theology of Worship Instructors: Dr. Benjamin Reaoch and Rev. Brian Hart In the vernacular of the modern church, worship has come to mean the style of songs we sing. Biblically speaking, worship includes every aspect of how we give glory to God in public services, with our families at home, or in our private devotions. Worship is the Word of God preached, read, sung, prayed, and observed in the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord s Supper. In this course, students will be confronted with contemporary issues in worship in the church, examining them according to what the Bible says that God requires. Students will also reflect on their own worship practices at home and in private, assessing them in terms of what the Scriptures say is pleasing to God. Dates: December 14-15, January 18-19, February 15-16

SPRING 2019 Doctrine of the Church (Baptist Ecclesiology) Instructor: Dr. Benjamin Reaoch, Rev. Brian Hart The nature and organization of the church is one of the most difficult doctrines to understand from Scripture. For this reason, there are a wide variety of governmental models, approaches to worship, and understandings of the authority of the church. Using the tools of biblical and systematic theology, students will understand the nature of the church, tracing God s design for the assembly of believers from Eden (before and after the Fall), through the patriarchs, assembly of Israel in tabernacle and temple, to the New Testament church and the eschatological church in the new heavens and earth to come. Dates: March 8-9, April 12-13, May 3-4

SPRING 2019 Baptist Confessional Standards Instructors: Rev. Brian Hart The church has from its very beginning sought to establish from Scripture clear statements of beliefs in order to teach others, settle disputes, and often to demonstrate orthodoxy. The seventeenth-century Baptists were no exception and developed corporate confessional statements, several of which continue to be used by churches today. Tracing the origins of Baptist confessional thought in sixteenth and seventeenth century England, students will recognize the foundational role of the London Baptist Confessions of 1644 and 1689 to subsequent Baptist statements of faith finding within it the distinctives of Baptist belief and practice that continue to distinguish this branch of Christian believers from those of other denominations, especially with respect to the nature of the New Testament church. Dates: March 15-16 April 19-20, May 10-11

INTERNSHIPS Local Church Internships Pastors are made in churches, not seminaries. Education is essential in teaching Christian doctrines, for building up the body of Christ, and teaching the holy things of God to believers. Practical church experience in dealing with the lives of the saints from a pastoral perspective, learning humility in service, grace under sometimes extreme pressure, and to love the Lord s people is what makes caring, effective pastors. This course is structured to the needs of the student and the church and may be taken any number of times. Internships are designed by Institute staff in conjunction with the student and a local Baptist pastor. Elective. Offered at any time by arrangement. Please note that RPTS students must take internships at the seminary. Baptist Institute internships are not available to RPTS students

HOW TO REGISTER Registration 1. Complete and submit our online Application. See baptistinstitutepgh.org/admissions.html. There is no application fee. 2. Contact our office at 412.461.2107 to register for the specific courses you wish to take in the coming term. 3. Order your textbooks. Information about required texts is available on our website at baptistinstitutepgh.org/classschedules.html. 4. Pay tuition on or before the first day of class. We accept major credit and debit cards, personal and church checks and online payments through PayPal. Students may arrange in advance to pay tuition in three equal monthly installments. Tuition For-credit tuition is $200 per credit, or $600 per three-credit course. Non-credit tuition is $200.

OUR MISSION The Baptist Institute offers graduate seminary-level courses for credit. We are not an accredited seminary and do not confer academic degrees. We teach courses on doctrines of Baptist faith that are intended to transfer toward degree programs at other institutions as elective credit or, in some circumstances, replacement credit for required courses. The Baptist Institute is governed by pastors who desire to build up Baptist and like-minded believers. We are independent of any one church, association, or denominational body. Our faculty include members of our Board of Directors, our staff, and area pastors who are qualified by education and experience to teach at the seminary level. STRENGTHENING BAPTISTS IN FAITH, DOCTRINE, AND UNITY. The Baptist Institute is about more than classroom teaching. It is about building community among baptistic believers. We hold to the historic Baptist confessional standards of the London Baptist Confession of 1689, though we do not require our students to hold to the same views. We teach what we believe, understanding that not every Baptist church believes the same way. Our desire is to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. FOSTERING ACTIVE AND ENGAGED CHURCH MEMBERSHIP We believe that the best--and only--place to learn how to do ministry is in the local church. Paul told Timothy, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, give to faithful men who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2 ESV). Pastors, ministers, and teachers are made by doing ministry. Where do we fit in? By providing quality training in matters of Baptist faith, doctrine, and practice. You fit in by practicing what you learn under the care of a pastor in the local church. No local church? We can help with that! In addition, we help forge internship opportunities in other churches to round out your training and experience.