Donate to "THE FOUNDATION FOR BIBLICAL STUDIES" 
(This is the parent organization that funds SLBC.)                                                

 

Church Polity and Order


 

In this course you will learn the scriptural formula for running a New Testament Church.

For the Pastors, it will be useful as a manual concerning the polity of the Church, its officers and structure, and how to lead and be the leader of the congregation.  Not a dictator but a leader.  Not forcing their own ideas on the Church but rather teaching, leading, and following the scriptural mandates and arrangement commanded by the one who started the first Local Church, from which all scriptural New Testament Churches have descended, the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

For the members, it will give them added confidence in their Pastor(s) as they learn what the New Testament Church is: how it is arranged, its proper polity and order, its leaders and it ordinances, and clarification of some matters that have been clouded, and sometimes even abrogated, by heresy and man's traditions. The clarification of a wide variety of subjects and principles taught in this course will enforce their confidence that their leaders are leading in the direction and handling the affairs, growth, and details of function of the Church in a manner prescribed by God, the one who started and bought the Church corporate with His own blood which was shed in the person of Jesus Christ.
    Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

  • Prerequisite for attendance:
    To take this course, student must have already taken and passed the following courses.
        Salvation
        The Church
        The Bible

  • METHOD OF STUDY:
    1.         Student is required to read the workbook, "Church Polity and Order" Edited by Dr. T.E. VanBuskirk which is a rearrangement for study purposes of a text by Hiscox entitled, "The New Directory for Baptist Churches."  The biblical precepts presented in this book pertain not only to Baptists but are scriptural precepts applicable to all true New Testament Churches.
        Student is required to look up and read all scriptures in your Bible that are referenced in the workbook.
        Student is required to complete the tests as you complete each of the lessons.
    2.     Student may not complete more than one section per week. Even one section every two weeks is reasonable for some lessons, given the depth of the material.
    3.     If any questions are missed on a test, even if the test has a passing score, then the student must restudy that section of the text and find all of the correct answers to the questions missed before beginning the next lesson's week of study on the next day.
    4.     There will be a final test at the end of the course.  All tests will be open book except the Final Test.

  • ATTENDANCE:  Minimum required attendance for the complete course is 24 weeks and will earn 3 credits.
                                  Minimum required attendance for each lesson in the course is 1 week.

  • TESTING: Make sure you read and submit a Testing Instructions Agreement Form if you have not already done so.  Only one such form is required for each student's file.  If you do not turn in a copy of this form then you will not know how to properly enter your User Name and User ID.
     -      Most tests are "open book," which means you may use your workbook to find the answers. The Final Test is "closed book," which means you may not use your workbook or any other materials while taking that test. You must complete the closed book test from memory alone.  You will be required to submit a "Closed Book Test Contract" form before completing the closed book test.  You will receive the password for the Final Test when you submit the Closed Book Test Contract form for that test.
    -      Tests are to be taken at the end of each lesson.  Lesson requirement is one week minimum per lesson, and on or after the last day of that week of study the student may take the test for that lesson. The next week of study begins the day after you pass the previous lesson's test.
    -      You may not take more than one test in one subject on any one day.  Once you finish the last section and have taken and passed that section test, you may not take the Final Test on that same day.  You should review all of the section tests, noting questions you had missed and the correct answers which you were required to look up in the workbook, and then take the Final Test not sooner than the following day.
    ATTENTION:      If you fail a test, you MAY NOT attempt that test again on the same day.  You must restudy the textbook/workbook and find all of the correct answers to the questions missed and then retake the test no sooner than the next day.

  • SIGN-IN first for this course and mark the form "Begin" unless you have done so previously.  You do not sign in when you finish each lesson.  You only do so and mark the form "Finish" when you have completed the entire course and you are ready for the Final Test.

  • Download and print the COURSE RECORD FORM.  On it you will keep a record of your sign in "Begin" date because you will be required to enter it on the Sign In "Finish" form that you will submit at the end of the entire course.  You will also keep other pertinent information on that form such as date and score for each test so that you will be able to keep track of your progress through the course.

  • FINAL TEST
         - Once you have completed all sections of the workbook and passed all of the corresponding section tests, and found the correct answers to any questions missed on any test, then anytime on or after the day you passed the last lesson test for the course, you may retrieve the password by submitting a Closed Book Test Contract form. Upon receiving the Password, you may take the Final Test for the course. Do not take the Final Test on the same day that you passed the last Section Test.  The general rule in all courses is that you may not take more than one test in one subject on any one day.
    - Once you pass the final test do not take it again.
    - If you fail the final test then you need to restudy the workbook and textbook and all of the sections tests and make sure you have found all of the correct answers from your workbook, textbook, or KJV Bible, whichever is appropriate, and then you may retake the Final Test on or after the next day.  Repeat this process, waiting at least one day between retakes, until you pass the Final Test.
    - If you miss any questions on the Final Test, even though you received a passing score, then you need to review the textbook and all of the section tests and find the correct answers to the questions you missed.

    The following is included to avoid some possible and prevalent problems experienced by students concerning attendance and testing.

    Please Sign In and mark the form "Begin" when you are ready to start this course and then Sign in again and mark the form "Finish" when you have completed your study in this course and before submitting the Closed Book Test Contract form to retrieve the password and take the Final Test.

    Make sure you read and submit a Testing Instructions Agreement Form if you have not already done so.  If you have already submitted that form earlier you do not need to submit another.  Only one copy of that form is required for each student's file.

    Final test is "closed book"     i.e., you may NOT use your textbook and workbook while taking the final test nor may you have any outside help or use any type of material or notes.  The test must be taken from memory alone.
    You may now proceed to the Workbook by clicking HERE.
     Links to all tests are included in the Workbook.