Dear Friend,

Thank you for considering the American Bible Colleges Association as your organized method of training and empowering Gods precious people to do the work of the Gospel ministry!  Accomplishing the Great Commission, through foreign and local Missions, is the heart of ABCA.

David M. Reeves, Ph.D.
President

1. Why is starting a campus a good idea?
2. When should we start and how many courses should we offer in an academic year?
3. How do we get started?
4. What is included in the Affiliate Directors Procedures Manual?
5. How do we advertise?
6. How do we enroll students?
7. How many courses must we offer in an academic year?
8. What program of study should we offer first?
9. What is Ministry Practicum?
10. What else is required of the Students?
11. How often is achievement recognized?
12. How may I continue my education while running an Affiliate?
13. What support is provided by the Main Campus?
14. What administrative duties are required of the Affiliate Director?
15. How do STC’s communicate student information to the Main Campus?
16. Who would be a qualified instructor?
17. What are some instructor duties?
18. How do we order books?
19. How much does each student have to pay?
20. Do the students have to pay the annual fee all at once?
21. How do we collect and disperse funds?

QUESTION 1   Why is starting a campus a good idea?

Starting a Satellite Teaching Campus of American Bible Colleges offers many benefits.

1.  It will enhance the profile of your church or ministry by offering your community a higher Christian education that they may not otherwise have available to them.

2.  STC Directors and instructors continue to progress in their own personal education goals by gaining credits as they direct and instruct.

3.  You will have the opportunity to teach and train other Christian leaders and help fulfill the great commission.

4.  Becoming an STC allows you to be a part of an established, accredited College.

5.  ABCA has established programs with supporting documentation such as syllabi, outlines, quizzes, tests and answer keys.  The texts have been selected.  All you need to provide is an anointed teacher.  This means that you will be providing your students with a high quality, established program.

6.  The Main Campus will provide the administrative support for only a portion of the tuition received, thus enabling you to generate additional ministry income.

QUESTION 2   When should we start and how many courses should we offer in an academic year?

An STC may be started anytime.  As you will see, the way the courses are laid out allows a campus to start anytime.  You will offer at least 9 courses plus Ministry Practicum in an academic year.

QUESTION 3   How do we get started?

Fill out the enclosed STC application and a check for $500.00 made payable to American Bible Colleges, or ABCA.  This helps defer the cost of the start-up package, which includes:

1.  A letter of acceptance as an official STC of American Bible Colleges.

2.  An official STC wall certificate.

3.  Official ABCA catalogues for formal presentations.

4.  STC Directors Procedures Manual, which will be periodically updated.

5.  All of the courses, quizzes, etc., you will need to get started.

QUESTION 4   What is included in the Affiliate Directors Procedures Manual?

The Affiliate Directors Procedures Manual (STC-DPM) includes detailed financial information, general administrative procedures and standard, locally produced forms, for making reports, etc., to the Main Campus.  Also included are reproducible handbooks for students and instructors.

QUESTION 5   How do we advertise?

You can start in your own church or ministry through bulletins, etc.  You can advertise in the print media and radio and television.  Word of mouth is best and we are constantly upgrading this form!

QUESTION 6   How do we enroll students?

Each prospective student is to fill out an application and submit it along with proof of high school graduation, I.e. copy of diploma.  Note:  If they provide college transcripts, no high school diploma is required.  With the application they will submit a non-refundable application fee of $100.00.

If a student has attended other colleges, universities or institutes of ministry, a full, original sealed transcript from each institution is required.  Transcript request forms will be supplied to the prospective student for this purpose.

Once the student has shown up to the first class and paid the course tuition, and you have submitted all the paperwork and fees to the Main Campus, the student is then officially enrolled.

QUESTION 7   How many courses must we offer in an academic year?

You must commit to offer at least 9 courses per academic year.

Students will take one course at a time, rather than carry a heavy course load of several subjects.  This system will accomplish two things:  first, the student gets to concentrate on one subject at a time.  Secondly, new students may enroll at any time throughout the year at the beginning of any course.  In this way you will constantly be increasing your student enrollment.

QUESTION 8   What program of study should we offer first?

All students will be enrolled in an initial 30 credit hour programs that we call Year 1.  This program of classes is designed to solidly establish the student in certain foundational truths.  If a student could only attend for one year, you would want to know that you gave them enough truth to build their Christian life on.

Year 1 for all majors includes the following required courses:

• Life Management
• Bible Doctrines
• New Testament Survey
• Systematic Theology I
• Old Testament Survey I
• Old Testament Survey II
• Praise Life
• Ministry Practicum*
• *Ministry Practicum is not a classroom course.

The Main Campus provides the syllabi, outlines, quizzes, final tests and all appropriate answer keys for these courses.

QUESTION 9   What is Ministry Practicum?

Ministry Practicum is a volunteer ministry in any area of church work during the nine-month duration of the program.  Students are required to give an average of 2 hours per week, or a minimum of 72 hours of volunteer service to their local church or acceptable substitute within the student’s major.

A Ministry Practicum Form will be submitted before graduation, signed by a supervisor, pastor, etc.  This will count for 3 “degree credit” hours.

Pastors in your community will especially like the fact that members of their church that become your students will be trained to be better members for their church.  Pastors will know you are not trying to proselytize their members, but you are actually trying to train them to be better workers for them.

QUESTION 10   What else is required of the Students?

Each syllabus for each course will give specific instruction as to what and how much to read and what kind of paper is to be written.  Each syllabus will give instructions as to what kind of exam or test is to be given for that course.

Students are required to attend classes and, if missed, make up the class by tape.

Any other answers to what is required will be explained in the Student Manual.

QUESTION 11   How often is achievement recognized?

ABCA awards a diploma or “degree credits” at the completion of each thirty-six credit hours of course work.  Students transferring college “degree credits” or life experience credit to ABCA will enter the “degree credit program” at the level commensurate with their cumulative totals.


Examples:

Status Level Based on Completed Hours

Diplomas or Degrees Awarded

QUESTION 12   How may I continue my education while running an Affiliate?

By teaching courses you and your staff will earn “degree credit” hours toward your educational goal or transferred degree, all the way through Doctorate level “degree credits”.

In addition to teaching classes that satisfy your course work, a dissertation (Type written of not less than 150 pages) must be submitted for each Doctoral “Degree Credit”.  Note:  Dissertation subject must be pre-approved by the Main Campus.

QUESTION 13   What support is provided by the Main Campus?

The Main Campus provides you with:
Affiliate Director’s Handbook (periodically updated)
Course syllabus, outline, quizzes, tests and answer keys.
Academic assessment of each student upon receipt of their file.

The Main Campus also:

• Maintains a master file on each student.
• Sends one official transcript to each student upon completion of each “degree credit” or certificate/diploma program.
• Releases official transcripts to other institutions (upon written request of the student).
• Provides graduation regalia (caps, gowns, hoods, etc.) and certificates at graduation time.
• commencement exercise speakers (expenses paid by Affiliate).

QUESTION 14   What administrative duties are required of the Affiliate Director?

• The Affiliate Director is responsible for:
• Recruiting students.
• Collecting applications and all associated paperwork.
• Collecting fees
• Remitting funds to the Main Campus on a timely basis.
• Sending original student documentation to the Main Campus.
• Recruiting instructors.
• Ordering textbooks.
• Taping all initial course sessions and sending copies to the Main Campus.
• Completing and sending in all attendance and grade reports.
• Verifying graduation information to the Main Campus.

QUESTION 15    How do STC’s communicate student information to the Main Campus?

At the completion of each course, a grade report is mailed within 14 days of the last class of the course.  This allows the instructor time to grade papers or exams and complete the reporting.  This process is explained in more detail in the handbook for Directors.

QUESTION 16   Who would be a qualified instructor?

Varies by state, instructors must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree.  However, in the case of Bible Institute graduates (for example, Rhema Bible Training Center), you may teach for course credit the final year of your Bachelor’s Degree.  The following example would apply:

1.  Two years at Rhema - 60 credits

2.  Three to five years of full time ministry.
(determined by life experience evaluation) - 30 credits

3.  One year teaching at extension campus - 30 credits

Total requirements - 120 credits

QUESTION 17   What are some instructor duties?

The Instructor is responsible for:

• Verifying that course materials are current and ready to hand out to students.
• Teaching all classes.
• Grading all tests, quizzes, and research papers.
• Recording attendance and grades.
• Tape recording the classes.

QUESTION 18  How do we order books?

Directly through the Main Campus.  STC’s order books directly from the Main Campus.  

QUESTION 19   How much does each student have to pay?

This depends on the level the student is in.

Example:

Audit students attend class but are not required to do any other work and may not participate in the graduation exercise.

QUESTION 20   Do the students have to pay the annual fee all at once?

No.  Students pay the fee in 9 equal monthly installments (for Certificate/Diploma undergraduate students) or 11 monthly installments (for graduate students) before the start of each new course.  This is a type of interest free student loan offered as a service by ABCA.

QUESTION 21   How do we collect and disperse funds?

Students pay, each month on the first night of class for the new course.  The per student share due the Main Campus must be submitted within 7 days of the start of the course.  Forms are provided for this transaction.