In this series of blog posts, I investigate four websites that offer excellent college- and seminary-level Christian education completely free of charge.
POINT: Third Millennium Ministries is committed to giving a complete seminary education free of charge to pastors and Christian leaders all over the world.
The mission of Third Millennium Ministries is explicitly “to equip church leaders in their own lands by creating a multimedia seminary curriculum in five major languages.” Please view this brief introductory video to gain a sense of what Third Millennium Ministries is all about.
Our goal is to provide Christian education to hundreds of thousands of pastors around the world who lack sufficient training for ministry. We are meeting this goal by publishing and globally distributing a free multilingual, multimedia, digital seminary curriculum in English, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Russian, and Spanish.
The courses offered on the Third Mill website can be sampled and enjoyed by anyone, or they can be completed systematically in a prescribed order to constitute a full seminary-level education. Click on this link for an overview of the 25 courses currently available through this innovative Seminary Curriculum. Broad categories of courses include: Old Testament, New Testament, Theology, and Practical Theology.
More details about this Seminary Curriculum can be discovered by clicking on links such as the following from the left column of the same page:
The subject matter of each course is delivered through three different modes: video recording, audio recording, and text. For learners who do not have adequate internet connections, the course materials can be obtained via DVDs or USBs. Lectures within the courses also come with Study Guides (in Word or PDF) to help learners navigate through the material and aid in comprehension and retention.
The content is arranged in such a way that completion of prescribed courses could appropriately lead to three levels of achievement:
- Certificate = 27-credit, 1-year program leading to a Certificate in Christian Ministry
- M.A.C.M. = 27 credits in addition to the Certificate program, for a total of 54 credits in a two-year program leading to a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry
- M.Div Core = 27 credits in addition to the M.A., furnishing the core courses for a Master of Divinity to which seminaries could add their own requirements.
However, the organization reminds users that “Third Millennium Ministries is a publisher, not an educational institution. In order to receive academic credit for our courses, students must study under the supervision and administration of a school or other institution.” These instructional materials may be used free of charge by any school or organization, and incorporated as desired into their own programs. Several degree-granting institutions currently allow participants to take these courses for academic credit.
I love the servant philosophy that drives Third Millennium Ministries! These excellent courses equip faithful leaders worldwide who simply could not experience seminary education any other way.
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