Nuestro nombre expresa nuestro propósito. Es bien sabido que en la Biblia los nombres de las personas con frecuencia poseen un profundo significado y relevancia. A menudo, el nombre de una persona refleja algo de su carácter. Lo mismo puede decirse del nombre de la Academia Pastoral.
The Academy is not, in fact, an independent institution associated with the church; rather, it is one of the church’s ministries and is therefore under the church’s direct supervision and control.
The word Pastoral underscores that the purpose of this school is the training of men for the ministry of the gospel. All the courses offered have a direct relationship to the exercise of pastoral ministry.
The term Academy further reinforces that the purpose and function of this institution are specific and clearly defined. An academy is an educational institution that provides instruction and specialized training in a particular field. For example, men are sent to the United States Air Force Academy to be prepared to serve in the nation’s Air Force. In a similar way, the Pastoral Academy exists for the exclusive purpose of preparing men for the ministry of the gospel.
But what is Christian ministry? What are the distinctive characteristics of the Pastoral Academy? Who will be accepted as students? What will be the nature of the training they will receive? Who will be responsible for providing such training? The answers to these and other questions are presented in the following pages. Pastors and other church leaders who are considering sending men to the Pastoral Academy are urged to read and study this prospectus carefully. Likewise, men who wish to apply as students in the Academy should seriously reflect on everything presented here.
In the following pages, an attempt is made to apply biblical perspectives to our time and circumstances. By the grace of God, we will not depart from the principles of Scripture. Nevertheless, as God grants us greater light, it may become necessary to modify some of the current policies. However, the policies presented in this prospectus represent, in our judgment and at this moment, the best expression and application of the relevant biblical principles.
“The Pastoral Academy accepts as students only those men who have given pastors or other overseers of their respective local churches valid reasons to believe that they have received from the Head of the Church certain fundamental gifts which, if properly developed, will make them ‘useful for the ministry.’ Students must be able to wholeheartedly subscribe to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Additionally, students at the Academy are required to commit themselves to striving to achieve the following goals.
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The understanding of the nature of the Christian ministry—both regarding its origin and its function—will decisively influence the attitude one adopts toward the training of men for that ministry.
The biblical teaching on the nature of the Christian ministry is exceedingly clear.
First, a true minister is constituted solely by the sovereign appointment of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church (2 Corinthians 3:5-6; Ephesians 4:8-12; 1 Timothy 1:12). Second, God has designated the essential function of the pastoral office (whether exercised locally or abroad) as the shepherding of God’s flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2).
This shepherding work is carried out through the preaching and authorized teaching of the whole counsel of God, through the loving and patient guidance, exhortation, and encouragement of God’s people, and through the exercise of wise governance in the house of God.
Furthermore, the exercise of this pastoral ministry can only be carried out in an atmosphere of credibility, earned through the minister’s own godly and consistent example (1 Timothy 4:12; Titus 2:7).
Third, the Bible teaches that the only sure sign that a man is being formed by Christ as a competent minister of the New Covenant is his growing conformity to the clear standard of virtues and gifts set forth in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9.
This truth was excellently presented by R. L. Dabney in his essay entitled What Is a Call to the Ministry?
This leads us to add another important class of texts through which the Holy Spirit will inform the judgment of both the candidate and his brethren concerning his call…
Shepherding God’s flock with a reasonable degree of competence requires the constant exercise of a wide range of gifts, granted by God and diligently cultivated…
Although gifts for ministry are given by God, they must also be diligently cultivated. Therefore, the Pastoral Academy requires rigorous academic discipline from all its students…
Our churches are crying out for men whose ideas are worth thinking about… — C. H. Spurgeon
Since only Christ bestows pastoral gifts on His church…
No education can give a man skill if he does not have it. — Spurgeon
Unless we examine carefully and select with sacred care… — Samuel Miller
We are convinced that the church, organized according to the pattern of God’s Word, has been ordained by God to be the ‘pillar and ground of the truth’…
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Academic Degrees
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Finances
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Policy Setting and Oversight
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Admission Requirements
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This prospectus will be reviewed, and additional elements will be added later.
