What is Christian Leaders Institute?
CLI is a source of training for church leadership. We want our students to be able to complete their ministerial education without painful debt accumulation and with opportunities available in church planting, pastoring local congregations, and ministering as staff in churches.
Why Christian Leaders Institute?
Ministerial education has largely become the domain of theological seminaries. These seminaries can give great opportunities for academic theological research, but may not be accessible to students whose family and work obligations make getting a resident seminary education impossible. CLI seeks to provide the tools for a lifetime of theological reflection, with most of the training occurring in your own home. We want to prepare godly people for church leadership.
How does the ministry training program work?
CLI seeks to maximize the advantages of home study using the internet as a tool for primary professor-student interaction. We offer classes in Spring, Summer, and Fall terms. Each class lasts twelve weeks. While they are taking CLI classes, students can be mentored by a pastor in their own location.
What does a CLI course actually look like online?
Click to see some sample courses:
Systematic Theology II
Church and Ministry
What about accreditation?
We are not presently seeking accreditation from academic accreditation services. We believe that pastoral education should be accredited by churches, not by accrediting agencies. Our primary accreditation will be the effectiveness in church planting and leadership by those who have received CLI training. Some of our course descriptions closely match those of accredited colleges and seminaries. CLI students will be well positioned to use portfolio equivalency to gain course credit and advanced standing at accredited colleges or seminaries that have a provision to grant portfolio-based credit. However, if you hope to pursue further graduate-level theological studies that require a prior degree from a credentialed institution, CLI is probably not the right fit for you.
