FOUNDATION SEMINARS
These growth groups are short-term, content-driven courses designed to help you grow in a particular area of interest or need. Our vision for Foundation Seminars is to help adults acquire a comprehensive Christian education resulting in spiritual growth and service to God and others.
CONNECT • GROW • BELONG

Build a Strong Foundation for Your Faith!
These seminars help us comprehend the subtle intricacies and overarching truths of our God and the theology, ministry and history He has authored. Foundation Seminars are styled as lectures and discussion, with occasional reading assignments outside of class. Most classes require registration. See below for more details.
Marriage & Family
Enhancing Your Marriage & Family Life
The Wholehearted Marriage | Sundays, 5:00 pm
Registration is open for fall 2023 class!
With your busy lifestyle, do you recognize the important role your heart plays in life and in your marriage? You need to pay attention to your heart, understand it, value it, take care of it, and use it. Wholeheartedly engage your marriage. You are worth it. Your spouse is worth it. Your marriage deserves it.
Whether you’re looking to enhance a good marriage or restore a troubled one, this class will equip you with the concepts and tools to experience the abundant life and marriage that God desires.
Logistics:
- 8 Weeks (Begins September 10, 2023)
- Sundays at 5:00 pm / Room FC201
- Taught by Steve Quinton and Eddie Watkins
- No cost
Discipleship
Growing in the Christian Faith
Foundations of the Faith | 11:00 am
Location: FC207 – Ongoing class you can join anytime.
Leader: Ron Scarborough
Foundations of The Faith is a six-week topical study for new Christians who want to understand the core beliefs of the Christian faith and learn how Christians strengthen their faith. This class will also help those who are curious about Christianity and want to know what Christians believe.
You’ll examine topics such as:
- What is eternal life?
- Can I know for certain that God has saved me?
- Is the Bible really true, and must I obey it?
- How can I grow in my faith and become more like Jesus?
Introduction to Greek | 9:30 am (starts Sept. 10)
NOW REGISTERING!
Leader: Steve Young
This lay-level, introductory course is designed for motivated adults who would like to enhance their personal Bible study by interacting with the Greek language in which the New Testament was originally written. This course differs from formal language instruction in that it does not require exhaustive knowledge of grammatical constructions or paradigms and does not require memorization of hundreds of words. Rather, it provides enough knowledge of the language and readily available tools so that the student, with a Greek New Testament in one hand and a reliable English translation in the other, can gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word for spiritual fruitfulness.
At the end of this study, the student will be able to:
- Pronounce Greek words and sentences
- Interact more competently with technical commentaries of the New Testament
- Know how the components of Greek grammar (verbs, nouns, etc.) factor into exegesis and interpretation
- Helpfully diagram sentences in Greek (and English!) to aid in analysis of the biblical text
- Understand the various online and print, free and paid tools available to assist in interpretation
- Know how Koine Greek fits, broadly, into the span of Bible history
- Learn the differences between English translations and how to compare and leverage them in study, using knowledge of Koine Greek for further exegesis.
Expectations from participants:
Purchase a copy of Greek for Everyone by A. Chadwick Thornhill.
About The Instructor:
Steve and his wife Kelly have been attending The Shepherd’s Church for 13 years. In parallel with his 20-year career in software development and technical support, Steve is a student at Shepherds, pursuing a M.A. degree in Biblical Languages and Literature where he has taken three years of Greek classes. He is currently a Teaching Assistant to Dr. W. Andrew Smith in first-year Greek as well as a Research Associate to Dr. Smith on a multi-year text-critical project concerning the Pastoral Epistles.
Shepherds Route 66 | Mon-Fri, 6:00-7:45 am
New Session Begins August 28, 2023
Location: STS
Time: 6-7:45 am
Cost: $300 per semester
Learn More
Shepherds Seminary in conjunction with The Shepherd’s Church offers Route 66, a verse-by-verse study of the Bible in one academic year. This in-depth overview of all 66 books will be available to all Shepherds Seminary students, The Shepherd’s Church family, surrounding churches, and students at area colleges, and universities.
Route 66 meets September through April, following the school calendar. No classes will be held over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Breaks. Route 66 will be offered online for those who are unable to attend classes on campus. Cost for this 240-hour program of instruction will be $300 per semester.