New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) will soon expand its outreach to northeast Alabama with a new accredited certificate extension center in Crossville.
Beginning Jan. 22, Union Grove Baptist Church in DeKalb Baptist Association will offer certificates in biblical teaching and pastoral ministry as a first step toward one day offering a full extension center with bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
Zach Richards, director of the new center and pastor of Union Grove Baptist, says he began looking into this type of program after several men in his church “surrendered to the call of ministry.”
“I was convicted over the need to do more to help these guys prepare for ministry,” Richards said. “I was blessed with being able to go to seminary, but I was also blessed to be mentored by a good pastor. There is nothing like having the hands-on opportunities and the theological training at the same time. That’s really what I wanted to offer. I want to give these guys some basic tools to help them to make their transition as smoothly as possible and bear the most fruit for whatever church God calls them to and also for the kingdom of God.”
Richards believes the convenience of the program makes it a great opportunity for bivocational ministers, but says the program is open to anyone regardless of his or her educational background.
Opportunity to grow
“The beauty of this is that it is not just for pastors and preachers,” he said. “It is for anyone who would like to grow deeper in their understanding of God. If there are lay preachers or Sunday School teachers who would like to go deeper in the Word and get some college credit for it, this is the perfect program.”
Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said Richards is passionate about this ministry and is doing an outstanding job of making it a reality.
“This may be a trend for the future in theological education for pastors and other church leaders,” Lance said. “I am very supportive of Zach Richards and his innovative ideas about helping people with theological education in a church based fashion. I pray it will be an effective tool to train leaders for the future.”
Crossville classes will be held every Tuesday, 6–8 p.m., with two classes each costing $100 plus books offered per semester. There is also a one-time $25 application fee; however, the first 20 to commit to the program will receive a scholarship covering half the price of their first class. Up to 16 hours may be transferred toward a bachelor’s degree at Leavell College at NOBTS.
According to Richards, the biblical teaching certificate will focus on digging deeper into the Word of God and will include classes such as the life of Christ, the life and letters of Paul, the early church and both Old and New Testament book studies. The pastoral ministry certificate will cover many issues pastors will face in their ministry including homiletics, evangelism, discipling church members and Baptist doctrine.
“I want to see God glorified,” he said. “I want to see men and women of God who are serving their churches faithfully have an opportunity follow God’s call on their lives and pursue theological education. I want to see the churches benefit by the quality of ministers that I have seen New Orleans produce. It’s a win-win for everybody. It’s a win for ministers and lay people and a win for the church as well because they are going to be getting people serving in their churches who are better equipped for the ministry and service that God is calling them to.”
Other locations
Similar NOBTS extension centers are located at Heritage Baptist Church, Montgomery, and at First Baptist Church, Athens. A full extension center is located in Birmingham at The Church at Brook Hills.
Currently, the Crossville extension center needs teachers with at least a master’s degree from an accredited seminary. For more information on classes, scholarships or teaching opportunities, contact Zach Richards at 256-706-2478 or br.zrichards@gmail.com.
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