Agape World Fellowship

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Agape School of Ministry

The Agape School of Ministry would be a project of Agape World Fellowship focused on encouraging and equipping believers with the knowledge necessary to be effective servants of the Lord.

Curriculum: ASM will offer multiple pathways, each with its own requirements and expectations. Each program will be developed separately, yet complement the others. Coursework will be scrutinized carefully through a multistage review process, and will be fully based on and complementary to the Word of God. The scrutiny coursework will receive is expected to create challenging and highly rigorous programs, fulfilling the School's mission. Graduates of these programs will have their achievement recognized through the award of a certificate at the completion of their studies.

Funding: ASM is expected to be revenue neutral, and no part of its operation should result in any increase in AWF's costs of operations. Nonetheless, the School will work to raise funds to cover the costs of operating the virtual world that will be a crucial part of studies. Some examples will be charges for hard copy certificates and the sale of school merchandise through approved vendors. Any money received from fundraising activities will be delivered to the Treasurer of AWF, to be used as appropriate.

Oversight: The School's work shall be supervised by a committee of five individuals appointed by Agape World Fellowship. Primarily, the committee shall approve all coursework and directions of study, but may have other abilities and functions. Member selection and terms will be decided by the AWF Board.

Programs: The School anticipates offering programs in the areas of Biblical Studies, Christian Ministry, Language Studies, and Leadership Studies, dependent upon the acquisition of instructional staff. Each program shall be administered by a director who shall be knowledgable in the subject and work to acquire sufficient staff for the program.

Biblical Studies will be the School's core program and one of the first to be initiated. As a foundation in the Bible, it is going to be unique in its basis in the Gospel of John. Students will start with a course on this Gospel, then explore the bible by connecting the themes from John to the rest of the Bible.

Christian Ministry will use the lessons of the Bible to develop evangelists and ministers of the Good News. Instruction will focus on communication and other areas that are necessary to effectively minister to the needs of the Body of Christ.

Language Studies is designed to build upon and enhance students' understanding of the Bible through investigation of the original languages it was written in. Through study in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, we can learn more about the original insights of the Bible without having to worry about translation issues. The difficulty of learning languages means that students would be able to study one language at a time, and receive a certificate after each. Despite this difference from the other programs, study among the three languages would be similar and follow the same general pathway.

Leadership Studies will move beyond the foundation of biblical studies and apply theological concepts to leadership. Instead of just reading about leaders, students will gain the skills to become leaders and put these ideas into practice by serving God and their community.

Staff: The director of each program of study shall have the ability and discretion to appoint instructors and publish a list of tutors. Service in these capacities will provide qualified individuals with experience in education that can be used to their advantage when seeking other positions. Instructors will be expected to be active participants in the school, attending all class sessions and promptly responding to student questions. Tutors are expected to be competent in their chosen subject, promptly respond to and work with others, and may not charge any fee to students.  Any staff member who is unabled to meet their commitment shall be promptly removed from their post, and replaced by another qualified individual. No instructor will be assigned to more classes than he is able to teach, and no tutor will be expected to serve beyond his abilities.