Ministry Education with Experience
What sets OSL apart from traditional ministry degree programs?
It’s not too difficult to argue that formal education and subject knowledge are necessary for vocational success. This is a truth held whether in the marketplace or in ministry. A person well-versed in his or her particular field of study has the potential to go far in his or her calling in life. That said, one must still confront these questions:
“At what point does potential turn into action for the well-learned?”
“When does a person with knowledge get up and go into the ‘real world’ to utilize that knowledge?”
In the Oaks School of Leadership (OSL), you will turn your “book knowledge” into practical use right from the start. As an OSL student, you will not need to wait until you enter a traditional internship year or until you earn your degree before practicing what you have studied. Instead, as learning takes place in the classroom, real-world application will be simultaneously lived out, modified and course-corrected as you advance through the program.
With pastors from The Oaks Fellowship right by your side to mentor you through the process, you will be well-equipped to serve, minister and grow. The pastors with whom you will work during your time in OSL are currently active in day-to-day ministry and have a thorough, up-to-date understading of what is taking place in the church and community culture.
Most traditional ministry students gather all of their formal education for 4+ years, graduate, and then go out into fieldwork. The beauty of OSL is that, beginning in the first year, students will be active in the field as they receive their formal education — learning in real-life settings in conjunction with learning in the classroom.
By the time a student graduates from OSL, he or she will have already had years’ worth of ministry experience and will have also made connections with multiple pastors and ministries. Our students are highly sought after by churches wanting individuals who have had experience in the ministry in addition to their formal education.
And don’t forget! The Oaks School of Leadership partners with Southwestern Assemblies of God University, which is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees, so if you want to advance your studies (MOL or D.Min. anyone?), you will be able to transfer your coursework to graduate schools with ease.
Geared to helping students navigate through leadership opportunities during their college or university experience, OSL offers thousands of dollars in scholarship money in addition to the low price of $269 per credit hour + an OSL site fee.
By the time a student graduates, not only do they have an accredited academic degree but also 4+ years of leadership experience in a specialized field of ministry.
