School of Ministry Affects the Local Church
The Certificate in Ministerial Studies, CIMS, is one of the more popular programs administered through the Church of God School of Ministry (SOM). The SOM recently underwent leadership restructuring following the General Assembly last month. But the changes have not diminished the vision or the effectiveness of programs that continue to minister to the local church.
In a recent e-mail to the School of Ministry, Brian Shepard, pastor at Life Community Church of God in California, Md., reported on the tremendous effectiveness of the CIMS program in his church.
“The School of Ministry and the CIMS program have been a vital part of our discipleship and leadership development programs for the past six years,” Pastor Shepard said. “The impact of these courses affects almost every aspect of our organization and ministry. As a Distance Learning Center (DLC), our ministers in training, as-well-as our department heads, learn important elements of leadership and ministry. Many of these students plan to transfer the CIMS credits they earn to other colleges as they seek degrees in a variety of disciplines. In addition to the DLC, we use the video lessons individually as part of our on-going staff training. This has greatly enhanced their effectiveness as leader/followers in our church.”
The School of Ministry, under the Division of Education in the Church of God, was led by Dr. Donald S. Aultman, a pioneer of education in the Church of God until his retirement at the Assembly. The programs of the division are being led by Rev. Mark Williams, assistant general overseer and divisional director, and Donald Bennett and Dwain Pyeatt who serve as coordinators of the School of Ministry/Ministerial Development. Also appointed at the General Assembly was Dr. Delton Alford who will lead the Patten University/Internet Degree Program (IDP) within the Division of Education.
