CLST

Christian Life School of Theology is an institute for the church. Our first commitment is to serve the local church and its leadership, helping them train church members for ministry in the Kingdom of God.

A word from the president

When the Lord gave the vision for CLST, and throughout the forming of the institute, we all understood that CLST would be a helper to the local church and its pastor in reaching excellence in what God has called them to.

Our goal is educated and trained Christians, able to serve Christ effectively anywhere in today's world. With that intent we want to give the local church a Bible institute, courses and teachers who serve under the pastor's vision, because we believe the right place to prepare people for ministry and for life in the Kingdom of God is the local church.

We are glad to introduce CLST to you — an "institute without walls" that unites thousands of students across America and in other countries. These students are growing into faithful witnesses of Christ throughout the world. The very fact that you are reading this speaks of your own interest in Christian education. May the Lord bless you!

Ronald E. Cottle, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., M.S.Ed., Ed.D.

A word from the academic dean

Carl F. George, director of the Charles Fuller Institute and a recognised American author and consultant on church matters, says of the future of theological education: "Seminaries, as well as other institutions within associations, will develop a new schedule for practical ministry. This approach to leadership education will become central to the development of Christian education, allowing virtually every large church to have its own seminary; clearly such seminaries will draw teachers into the local church."

Today you are deciding to step forward into the future of Christian education. You open your church; we provide our curriculum and our teachers. Here you will find full information on how to organise such an institute in your church.

Please remember that the national CLST office is ready to help and to serve you. Do not hesitate to call with questions or comments.

Thomas T. Hale, B.A., M.Th., academic dean

Name and location

The name of the institute is "Christian Life" — a non-profit corporation licensed in the State of Georgia, USA. In this document it is referred to as Christian Life School of Theology, or CLST.

Address:

• Christian Life School of Theology
• 6003 Veterans Parkway
• Columbus, GA 31909, USA

History

In the USA

In 1975 God placed a dream of Christian education in the heart of Dr Ronald Cottle, one of the most highly educated men in Pentecostal circles in the USA. Dr Cottle's vision was higher theological education delivered within the local church.

It took eight years for that vision to begin to be fulfilled: in 1983 Christian Life School of Theology was founded.

Classes began in 1984, with Dr Cottle as the only faculty member; they were held in church-based schools in Missouri, Alabama and Florida. Two years later CLST had 12 schools with around 600 students and 9 teachers, and the central office moved to Columbus, Georgia, where it remains today.

In 1992 the Video Department and the Correspondence Department began their work. Today CLST video courses are distributed worldwide, and the Correspondence Department gives thousands of students the same courses on audio that on-campus and video-school students attend.

In 1993 the movement towards missionary work and establishing schools in other countries grew stronger. By 1997 CLST was serving in 8 countries, offering more than 130 courses across five divisions of theology, with more than 10,000 students in the USA and abroad.

By the end of 2000, the number of students studying at or having graduated from CLST reached 24,000 in more than 400 schools, over 19,000 of them in the USA. Today CLST continues to grow in 13 countries.

In Ukraine

Christian Life School of Theology has been working in Ukraine for almost 30 years. God has extended the work of the institute beyond a single church: there are now 3 regional offices of the Bible institute, and more than 1,500 students have studied or are studying here.

Purpose and objectives

Christian Life School of Theology began in order to prepare ministers, teachers of Christian education, and other Christian leaders and workers to carry out the biblical mission of the Church on earth.

The principal purpose of the programme is to help members of local churches who want to study in depth such subjects as Bible study, counselling, Christian maturity, church growth and others. The courses are designed to prepare Christian workers for pastoral ministry, counselling, evangelism, teaching, and music, youth and children's ministry. They also aim to enrich personal spiritual life and to strengthen the ministry of the local church.

To fulfil this purpose, CLST has set itself the following objectives:

• 1. To be an institution of Christian education serving the local churches that partner with the institute. Other students who agree with the objectives of the institute may also study where circumstances allow.
• 2. To provide teaching centred on Jesus Christ and on the Bible as the foundation of faith and conduct, with a curriculum built to enrich the practical experience of students.
• 3. To provide a highly practical and professional orientation, helping students acquire the qualities and skills that prepare them for leadership positions in churches.
• 4. To provide academic excellence in the quality of knowledge, encouraging students to develop the ability to study and to apply what they receive in their own lives.
• 5. To provide the spiritual environment a student needs to develop as a whole person, deepening their understanding of biblical values and of the importance of worshipping God "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23).
• 6. To provide a missionary and evangelistic focus that helps the student be like Christ in His care for those who do not yet know Him.
• 7. To bring a deep and abiding presence of the work of the Holy Spirit, bringing revival to the church and to the world today.

Statement of faith

We believe that:

• Jesus Christ is God and the Son of God (1 Tim. 3:16; 1 John 5:20).
• Jesus is the God-Man, fully God and fully Man (1 Cor. 15:47; Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Tim. 2:5).
• God was manifest in the flesh (Rom. 1:1-4; John 1:1-14).
• Jesus lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:14-16; 1 John 3:1-5; 1 Pet. 2:21-25).
• Jesus Christ took upon Himself the sins of all mankind and died for us on the cross of Calvary (Isa. 53:4; 1 John 3:5; 2 Cor. 5:21).
• Jesus rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-8; Luke 24:1-8).
• Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us (Rom. 8:31-34; Mark 14:62; 16:19; Eph. 1:19-20; Col. 3:1).
• In the one God there are three sovereign persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit — one in essence, equal and eternal (Matt. 3:16-17; Luke 1:35).
• The Bible, and the Bible alone, is the only standard by which to judge any teaching (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Prov. 30:5).
• Jesus Christ will come to earth a second time to establish His Kingdom (2 Thess. 1:7-12; Matt. 26:63-64; Jude 1:14-15).

Academic structure

Affiliation

Christian Life School of Theology is an independent educational ministry, thoroughly biblical in its philosophy of education. CLST ministers within local churches, directly under their covering, and does not belong to any other church organisation.

Authority

The institute is authorised to grant degrees under the Act on Authority in Higher Education, Georgia Code 20-3-100 et seq., for which the corresponding certification is held. CLST meets the requirements for the purposes of granting degrees.

The institute is a member of the Apostolic Council for Educational Accountability (ACEA), an organisation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that upholds high standards of educational accountability among its members. The president of the institute is a member of the Association of Christian Schools and Seminaries (ACCESS).

Accreditation

The institute is a member of the Southern Accreditation Association of Bible Institutes and Bible Colleges (SAABC), whose national association is located in Atlanta, Georgia. SAABC, founded in 1952, is not recognised by, and does not seek recognition from, the US Department of Education.

Although the institute's educational programme has been evaluated by the SAABC accrediting association, this accreditation is not recognised by the United States Department of Education. Please do not refer to CLST as an accredited institution.

The institute is a member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), and its courses qualify for teachers in ACSI member schools under the Continuing Education Units (CEU) programme. Since 2011 the institute has been a member of the Euro-Asian Accrediting Association (EAAA).

The model

The institute offers flexible, quality education designed to prepare Christian workers who are not able to study at a residential school. What is new about the model is that the institute's work is based in the local church, where a CLST school operates. The administrative structure includes a chancellor and an administrative dean in each church-based school.

The educational programme is developed by professional teachers at the institute's central offices in Columbus, Georgia, and Kyiv, Ukraine. Students admitted to the institute, however, are not in Columbus or Kyiv. Instead, teachers offer courses in church-based schools, either in person or by recording.

Formats of study

• Live teaching (L) — the teacher comes to the local church and teaches in person over 10 hours.
• Video-audio (V) — students meet in class and study using a video-audio recording. The recording is made from live courses, so the student feels present in the same classroom as the teacher.
• Home study (H) — for students without a convenient church-based school. The programme is offered on audio recorded directly from live courses.
• Online study (I) — for students who cannot travel to the office for materials. The student listens to the material and takes the exam online.

The Biblical Theology programme contains courses from six main divisions: Old Testament, New Testament, Biblical Theology, Practical Theology, Historical Theology and Christian Counselling. To complete the programme, courses must be taken from each of the six divisions. All courses include both classroom sessions and independent preparation before and after class, including further reading, research and assignments.

Although official student records are kept at the regional or central office in Kyiv, the church-based school is responsible for enrolling students, taking part in scheduling, keeping student records and answering student questions about grades, credits, diplomas and degrees. Information about schedules, finances and grades is available from the central office in Kyiv.

Divisions of study

The CLST curriculum is divided into six divisions. Further related subjects may be offered as they are developed and approved.

• Biblical Theology
• Christian Counselling
• Historical Theology
• New Testament
• Old Testament
• Practical Theology

Degrees offered

All degrees awarded by CLST are degrees in Biblical Theology.

• Diploma of Theology (Dip.Th.) — 30 semester credit hours
• Associate of Theology (A.Th.) — 60 semester credit hours
• Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) — 126 semester credit hours
• Master of Theology (M.Th.) — 171 semester credit hours
• Master of Sacred Studies (M.S.S.) — 216 semester credit hours
• Doctor of Sacred Studies (D.S.S.) — 261 semester credit hours
• Doctor of Theology (D.Th.) — 300 semester credit hours

All degrees are awarded by completing courses and accumulating semester credit hours. Courses may be taken in a church-based school, by home study, online, or in combination. A student may receive additional credit provided certain requirements are met; such credit must be supported by other academic programmes completed or, on a limited basis, by Christian ministry. No course or additional credit may be counted more than once for the same student.

The national CLST office publishes an Academic Catalogue with course titles, descriptions and requirements. Chancellors may select courses for their own school using the catalogue, with the approval of the academic committee. Home-study students receive their curriculum from the academic dean.

There are two conditions for receiving a degree or diploma at a given level:

• The student must accumulate the total number of credit hours corresponding to that degree or diploma.
• The student's grade point average must be above 2.00 (out of a maximum of 4.00).

Home study and online study

This is a distance education programme based on audio recordings of live classes. The student receives the same teaching and the same credits as those studying in the live or video format, and can earn the same diplomas or degrees from home. All that is required is a computer, an internet connection and a commitment to study. CLST provides the rest.

All home-study students must order courses individually and receive materials from the study office.

Additional credit

Students who have taken courses at other institutions, or who have experience in local church ministry, may receive credit for that work. This requires official diplomas, certificates and/or a ministry résumé to be submitted to the academic committee.

• Requests for additional credit are considered only for currently enrolled students.
• Additional credit is granted only after the student has completed forty-two courses (a bachelor's degree).
• It is strongly recommended that all required documents be submitted at once. An additional fee may be charged for documents submitted later.
• Students are responsible for gathering all transcripts, résumés and diplomas and giving them to the chancellor or dean of their local school. Please do not send documents directly to the central office yourself.
• The Additional Credit Request form must be completed at the local school and signed by the chancellor, who then forwards the forms and all documentation to the central office.
• Although the amount of credit granted may be limited by the number of years in ministry, the review is based primarily on the skills, knowledge and abilities acquired, not on the length of service.

Student policy

No one may take part in study without being registered as a CLST student. Everyone wishing to enrol in a class as a credit student or an auditor must have a completed application form on file at the central CLST office. School chancellors must receive the application from the student before their first class.

Each student must declare their status before each course begins and pay the corresponding tuition to the chancellor or dean of the school. All students are required to buy the course materials (notes and books), and no one is permitted to remain in class without them.

Credit status

Granted to an officially registered student. These students may take part in any class discussion, must complete all assignments and submit a completed exam; their grade is recorded at the central CLST office.

A credit student who does not submit an exam for grading (regardless of class attendance) receives a grade of Withdrawing Passing (WP) or Withdrawing Failing (WF).

Credit students must be at least 18 years old and hold a secondary school diploma. They pay full tuition and complete the course exam and other assignments. Under CLST rules, students have up to 30 days to listen to the classes and complete the exam, and the chancellor or dean has a further 2 days to send the exams and all accompanying documents to the central office.

Auditor status

Granted to a student officially enrolled as an auditor. Auditors attend class but do not ask questions or take part in discussions; they are not required to complete assignments or to sit the exam. Auditors receive an "audited" record at the central CLST office.

Auditors pay tuition at the same rate as credit students. An audited course cannot later be converted into a credit course — to receive credit, the auditor must take the course again as a credit student.

Observer status

Granted to a person who only attends class. Observers are not required to submit an application, do not pay tuition, and no records are kept for them at the central office. Observers may abstain from class discussion but are required to buy the course materials. No credit is granted to observers.

Guest students

Prospective students may temporarily attend one CLST course as a guest of the chancellor or dean of the local school, in order to decide about enrolling. Guests may attend one course and remain in class for no more than 3 hour-long sessions; a guest may not attend more than one course.

Course materials

Every student — credit, auditor or observer — must buy the course materials in order to attend. The course materials form a single set and may not be divided. No one except a guest of the local school is admitted to CLST classes without the course materials.

Examination policy

For each CLST course a student may receive a maximum exam grade of 100. Grades are awarded on the official CLST scale:

• A — 94–100 points, 4.0, 3 credit hours
• B — 86–93 points, 3.0, 3 credit hours
• C — 78–85 points, 2.0, 3 credit hours
• D — 70–77 points, 1.0, 3 credit hours
• F — 0–69 points, 0.0, 0 credit hours
• WP (withdrawing passing) — 0.0, 0 credit hours
• WF (withdrawing failing) — 0.0, 0 credit hours
• INC (incomplete) — 0.0, 0 credit hours

If a course is not completed successfully, or the exam is not submitted on time, the student may retake that course.

CLST students have the right to an academic appeal if they wish to dispute an exam grade. The chancellor or dean of the local school may review the exam and decide to change the grade on the basis of the answer key. In disputed cases they may contact the CLST office for clarification.

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