The Church needs mature leaders and flourishes with them.

We equip men for ministry—to be shepherds, pastors, elders, overseers. Our apprenticeship program is built on the conviction that the church of Jesus Christ needs pastors who are men of the Word and prayer, sober-minded, bighearted, and who exude gravity and gladness.

Such men display a clarity of mind—they know who God is, who they are, what life is about, and what the world needs.

Such men manifest a stability of soul. They are not tossed like children by every wave of doctrine, every cultural fad, and every raging passion. They have a ballast in their boat that keeps them from being shipwrecked by suffering, hardship, affliction, and the raging anxiety storms that mark our day.

Such men show a readiness to act. They are neither apathetic nor reactive. They face challenges and lean into difficulty with wisdom and purpose.

Pastoring is a high calling and a noble task, filled with joys and sorrows, hardships and tribulations. Will you be ready?

Bethlehem Pastoral Apprentices graduate as mature leaders, ready to shepherd God’s people with biblical clarity and Christ-exalting affection for the rest of their lives:

Christian Hedonism

Apprentices become Godenthralled men who gladly embrace the truth that God is most glorified in them when they are most satisfied in Him by mining the treasures of the Bible and considering the wisdom of the Christian tradition.

Intentionally Small Students learn in a tight-knit community of students, teachers, pastors, and church members who share a deep personal interest in both the students’ academic performance and spiritual growth.

Church-Based Apprentices are mentored by faithful pastors in the context of a globally-minded network of churches in the midst of a multi-ethnic urban center with significant opportunities for equipping and ministry.

Bible-Saturated Apprentices learn to mine the riches of God’s Word, rightly handling the Scriptures from rigorous exegesis in the original languages to expository exultation for the joy of God’s people.

Debt-Free

A committed community of generous contributors demonstrate their confidence in our education by ensuring that every resident student receives a Serious Joy Scholarship that enables them to launch into life and ministry without the burden of student loan debt.