You may know your family’s story, where your grandparents lived, and how your parents met. Or you may have traced your lineage back a dozen generations, perhaps even through DNA testing, to people in a dozen regions of the earth! For better or worse, their stories are part of your story!

As a Christian attending a BIC Church, you also have a story. There’s the story of God and His people in the Old Testament and Jesus and His disciples in the New Testament. There’s the 2,000-year history of the church and the 230-year history since the ‘River Brethren.’ Want to know and tell those stories better? Consider taking the BIC-Emmanuel Certificate in Practical Theology. This certificate is a self-paced online certificate of six courses: 4 courses that help you learn 4 big stories and 2 courses that help you tell those stories better.

Five of the courses are based on Emmanuel Bible College degree courses. The final course has been developed in collaboration between Emmanuel Bible College and Be In Christ denomination. It serves to trace the history, people, and convictions of the BIC people from the 1770s to the present day and asks the learner to discuss the BIC convictions in relation to the other 5 courses.

Why Story-Telling?
For traditional education, writing papers is an excellent way to measure how well a learner is doing. For non-traditional learning, like this certificate, it’s a more practical approach to see if you can tell a story. Complete the online activities, practice with a friend over coffee, and practice with a church supervisor to hone your knowledge and skills and heart by hearing the stories you tell. Then you’re more confident to lead Bible studies, discuss important issues and help others learn by discussion too.

Building on the success of 81 years of quality biblical education, we have responded to a request from our denominational partner, the Be In Christ Church of Canada, to envision an alternate path towards denominational credentialing. The Be In Christ Certificate in Practical Theology results from that collaboration. The certificate is available in an accredited and non-accredited format to lay leaders and prospective Pastoral / Ministry Staff.

Not everyone who serves or even works in a church position needs a theological degree, but you do need theological training and understanding. A Certificate can fit into your schedule more easily and does not require the same time commitment as a degree. In the Certificate courses, you will receive instruction from the same Professors who teach our college courses. You can take these courses for credit as part of a theological degree if you prefer. Talk to us about how!