Bristol Baptist College’s Certificate programme give students the opportunity to:

• develop and demonstrate an understanding and critical appreciation of the Bible and Christian tradition.
• integrate knowledge and understanding of the Christian tradition with the development of professional and vocational skills.
• develop and demonstrate the ability to evaluate arguments and points of view – including those not held by the student – fairly, sensitively and with intellectual rigour.
• develop the discipline and skills to pursue in-depth study of more specialised areas of the subject.

This course will be of interest to those preparing for various forms of Christian ministry, and to anyone wishing to deepen their discipleship and understanding of theology within a Christian context. It is taught in partnership with Trinity College, Bristol and students study alongside those training for ministry in the Church of England.

There is a specialist pathway through the Certificate for those interested in children and family ministry. This includes a number of required modules. Other students can make their own choice of modules from across the subject areas of the awards.

The programme includes the opportunity to gain credit for work and reflection carried out in a placement church or context. For those on a children and family pathway this is a required element of the programme.

Some teaching at Certificate (Level 4) is currently available in the evenings as well as during the day. Most teaching takes place on Tuesdays, but some pathways require attendance on other days.

Level 4 (year 1  for full-time students) lays down a strong foundation of knowledge and skills in such areas as the Bible, Christian tradition, practical theology and reflective practice.

To be awarded the qualification 120 credits are required. These may be taken over 1 year full-time or 2-3 years part-time. You must take at least 40 credits per year. The programme is made up of modules which are worth 10 or 20 credits. Each credit taken equates to a total study time of 10 hours. Total study time includes scheduled lectures, classes, or seminars and independent study including pre-reading for classes and writing assignments.

Students cover a wide range of topics in the Certificate to give them a firm foundation in the areas of Bible, Christian Tradition, and Ministry and Mission.

These include:

Old Testament
New Testament
Christian Doctrine
Church History or Ethics
Students can choose other modules depending on their pathway or interest, such as:
Spirituality and Discipleship
Mission and Evangelism
Pastoral Care
Values and Practice in Youth work
Methods of Reading the Bible
Values and Practice in Children and Family Work
Informal Learning with Children and Young people
Theology and Development in Childhood and Adolescence
Preaching
Worship
New Testament Greek
Biblical Hebrew

All Certificate students take at least one of the following:

Placement in a church, community or mission context
Integrated Learning week – Islam

Students who follow the CYM endorsed pathway will also be awarded the CYM Foundation Certificate in Children’s or Youth Work. Read more here. 

A copy of the regulations for the programme is available at this link.