FAQ: Simeon Course


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
		What is the Simeon Course on Biblical Exposition? Why would I take this Course? How does the Course work? Has anyone already taken this Course? Who is the Course for? Who’s involved with it? Where can I take the Course? Can I take it for credit? When does it start? How much does the Course cost? How can I get started?
What is the Simeon Course on Biblical Exposition? The Simeon Course is an online training course for people who want to get better at studying and teaching God’s Word. It’s an online course in the sense that the content is delivered online. The course itself involves watching instructional videos, engaging the study materials, interacting with other students over the content, and integrating what you are learning into your own ministry. Our aim is to help people not just learn the Bible better, but be able to preach and teach from the Bible better. We think the course is unique for three reasons:
		Flexible Format This course can be done by anyone anywhere. All that is needed is an Internet connection. You can take classes in this course as an individual in a self-guided study track or as part of a group working together. Even if your church already has an internship program, the content of this course can be made available as supplementary material. Practical Engagement There are certain skills necessary for both studying and teaching the Bible. Our singular task is to assist you in acquiring these skills in as simple and straight-forward way as possible. Some of the skills are simple to obtain and others are more difficult. All of them are fundamental to preaching and teaching—the kind of skills to which you will return over and over again. Accomplished Instructors We have been working hard to get the best people we know on each subject we cover. Some of the instructors are well known and deservedly so. Others are relatively unknown (at least in the United States of America). The only question that has guided our selection process has been: “who will deliver the highest quality content on this subject?” As a result, our course features instruction from preachers and teachers like D.A. Carson, John Woodhouse, David Jackman, Mark Dever, Phil Ryken, David Helm, Barry Webb, Kent Hughes and many others.
Why would I take this Course? There are a lot of ways of getting training in the English-speaking world. Maybe your church has a training program. Maybe you are thinking of applying to seminary or some other kind of Bible program. Maybe you have your eye on a correspondence course that tackles an interesting topic or two. Our course is a little different. It’s about access and emphasis. Maybe you have no formal training and no means of getting it. Our course gives you access to world-class instruction at a seminary level. And we have carefully selected this instruction to be the most critical for handling God’s Word well. But maybe you’ve been to seminary and you’re thinking: “this course is only going to cover things I already know.” Keep reading. We think that you’ll find that this course has a different emphasis than most seminaries and other training programs. It’s all about teaching and preaching. We think the other bits of most seminary programs are useful and even important for long-term professional ministry. That is why we leave that kind of training for the seminaries. The Simeon Course is all about getting from what is on the pages of God's Word to your proclamation of God's Word. How does the Course work? There are courses, tracks, formats, and optional add-ons. Here is a brief overview of how it all works, but more detailed information and comparisons of the various tracks and formats can be found on the Tracks/Formats page. COURSES The first-year curriculum is Biblical Exposition Through Literary Genre. We are also in the process of developing and testing a second-year curriculum on the relationships between preaching and biblical and systematic theologies. We hope to have this second course filmed and tested in 2012 and publicly released sometime in 2012 or 2013. TRACKS For each course, there are three tracks. The original form of the Course was designed for men in or going into pastoral ministry. But we have also discovered that the Course is incredibly useful for women who teach women as well as lay leaders. As such, we have designed the first-year course to be taken along three different tracks:

		Teaching Ministry Track This is the original track. It involves 30 weeks of curriculum and the most robust workload. Students on this track will have access to all of the study materials for their course (both the standard materials and all supplementary materials). Students on this track will also have access to the add-on option of seminary credit. This track is ideal for pastors who want to work in groups to keep sharp on their preaching skills, seminary students heading into full-time vocational teaching ministry, and incorporation into church-based training programs. It is also good for regular Sunday school teachers, missionaries, and Elders who regularly teach within their churches. Women in Ministry Track (available sometime in 2012) This track is nearly identical to the Teaching Ministry Track. It involves the same 30 weeks of curriculum and an equally robust workload. The only difference is that for 9 of the 30 weekly videos, the teaching will be from leading women expositors in women's ministry settings. Students on this track will also have access to all of the study materials for their course (both the standard materials and all supplementary materials). Students on this track will also have access to the add-on option of seminary credit. This track is ideal for women's ministry leaders and women's Bible study leaders in addition to seminary students, Sunday school teachers, missionaries, and other church leaders. Lay Leader's Track This track is a less intense version of the Course. It involves 20 weeks of curriculum and fewer practice assignments overall. Students on this track will have access to the basic instructional materials for their curriculum. This track is ideal for Elders, Sunday-school teachers, and enthusiasts who are just interested in accessing the Course. This track is not available for seminary credit.
FORMATS Most students will participate in a Group Format. The Course was designed for groups of people who have a common bond (e.g. pastors in the same city or denomination, students in the same church internship program, missionaries from the same church, or even a group of friends). Groups in this format will follow the Course syllabus and complete the assignments. The primary means of interaction will be group meetings either in person or via video-conferencing. Students who want to make use of the seminary credit add-on will need to be participating in groups. There is an Individual Format or self-guided study track. It is for students who want to take the course at their own pace and on their own schedule or simply want access to the teaching materials. Finally, we offer an Open Licensing format for churches and other organizations that already have training programs and want to incorporate our content into their programs (e.g. church-planting courses or a church-based internship scheme). The open license grants comes with two major advantages: 1) access to our course materials to be used however you like and 2) access to our course director and coordinators to consult and advise on your program and how best to make use of the course materials. OPTIONAL ADD-ONS As we mentioned above, we offer the Course for seminary credit for anyone taking the Course in the Group Format. More information can be found on the graduate credit page. Has anyone already taken this Course? Actually, we ran a pilot group through the Course (using the video-conferencing option) to test every aspect of the Course. We then publicly launched the Course in 2009 and have had numerous groups go through it. We have had overwhelmingly positive feedback. You can hear from some of the first student by watching our promotional video on the front page of this website. Who is the Course for? It’s for anyone. From senior pastors to Sunday school teachers, from missionaries to seminary students, the Course is for anyone interested in getting better at handling God’s Word. Whether you have no formal education, have been retired for many years, or are anywhere in between, it might be for you. Who’s involved with it? The Simeon Course on Biblical Exposition is an initiative of the Charles Simeon Trust. But in order to elevate the quality of this course to be among the best in the world, we have partnered with seasoned pastors and experienced professors. Already involved in providing the instruction for the first-year course are D.A. Carson, John Woodhouse, David Jackman, Barry Webb, David Helm, Kent Hughes and a few others. The second-year course will feature Graeme Goldsworthy, Phillip Jensen and many more preachers and teachers. You can find more information about who is involved on the Course Instructors page. Where can I take the Course? You can take it from anywhere in the world. From your office to your living room, all you will need is a reasonably high-speed Internet connection and enough bandwidth to download the videos each week. Can I take it for credit? Yes. We have a relationship with Trinity Evangelical Divinity School to offer our Course for graduate credit for anyone taking it in the Group Format. This credit can then be transferred to other seminaries as well. When does it start? The answer to this question depends on the group. New groups can start the course whenever they are ready to get started as a group. Group coordinators can plan with the meeting schedule with the help of the Director of Training ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). Individuals and open license holders can begin whenever they want. How much does the Course cost? The answer to this question depends on your track and format. Factors are whether you want to take the Course for credit and whether you are taking it as part of a group or as an individual. Check out the tuition page for more information. How can I get started? First, you will want to make a decision about which track you want to take. After that, the easiest way to get involved is to complete the online Registration and Deposit. Of course, if you have any questions, you will definitely want to get in touch with us first. You can contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on the telephone at 773-752-9876.