CHURCH PARTNERSHIPS

What is the Church Partnership Program?

The Church Partnership Program unites the Seminary and its Partner churches in the pursuit of our mission to equip pastors and church leaders in orthodoxy and orthopraxy with Reformed catholicity. The partnership provides for the mutual financial and educational benefit of both the Seminary and its Partner congregations. Church Partner financial contributions allow the Seminary to bless our Partner congregations with low-to-no-cost educational benefits through our Church Enrichment classes, with reduced fees for members enrolling in regular classes, and with significant tuition reductions for their own degree seeking students. No student should bear the cost of preparing for ministry and church leadership by themselves, independent of their home church. Because pastoral training is the responsibility of the church, we ask congregations, especially those whose members will be pursuing their pastoral and leadership studies at the Seminary, to partner with us financially and to help underwrite a portion of the Seminary’s costs in providing their education and training. This not only reduces student costs, but also keeps pastoral training affordable for all our students (especially those with financial needs and those from international congregations [see our Global Church Associates Program for more about how to bless our sister congregations abroad]). Partner support also gives the Seminary a solid financial base to sustain the quality of our faculty, administration, staff, course offerings, degree programs, enrichment courses, and operations. Partner support keeps the Seminary affordable and accessible to all Reformed and evangelical congregations and their aspiring pastors and church leaders. We invite you to become a Church Partner and to bless the Seminary, its students, the work of ministry, and the Church everywhere by your generous Partner support.

Becoming a Church Partner

We invite all congregations, of any size or means, to become Church Partners. Because full-time tuition, fees, and other student expenses cost approximately $7,000 per year per student, we ask larger congregations (with 200 members or more) to donate $5,000 annually to become a Church Partner. That covers roughly 70 percent of a student’s estimated Seminary costs. For smaller congregations (with fewer than 200 members), we ask contributions of $2,500 or more annually.

These sized-based levels of Partner support allow us to provide one degree-seeking student from each partner congregation 50 percent off the regular $200 per credit tuition rate and to offer member congregants a full range of Partnership benefits.

Church Partner Benefits

The Seminary offers our supporting Church Partners free or significant discounts on tuition for selected courses open to pastors, church leaders, and congregants. Partner benefits apply to both those who wish to enroll in our degree programs and those who simply wish to grow in their biblical and theological knowledge. The Partner benefits are the same regardless of the size of the Partner congregation.

Church Partner congregations receive the following benefits:

  • Each Partner congregation’s annual contribution allows one qualified (regularly admitted) matriculating student to pursue a degree or to enroll in classes at the Seminary at a 50 percent discount off the regular $200 per credit tuition rate.

  • All live-taught classes designated as “Church Enrichment” courses are available for FREE with a “Listener’s Pass” to all Church Partner congregants. These are non-credit courses for personal and congregational enrichment. These classes are appropriate for elder and deacon training, church counselor training, Sunday School teacher training, adult Sunday School classes, adult Bible studies, and more.

  • In the near future, select recorded, asynchronous Enrichment courses may be available for streaming online anytime for a nominal fee (discounted for Partners, of course) to cover the costs of video production, storage, and distribution. Check the website for updated information about the availability and selection of these asynchronous Anytime Church Enrichment courses.

  • All other regular degree-program courses (those not designated as Church Enrichment courses) may be audited or attended by Church Partner members at a 50 percent discount off the published tuition rate when a member enrolls as a non-matriculating student. A limited number of courses may be taken as a non-matriculating student.

  • Church Partner members are invited to attend our quarterly Cappella webinars and other special online events throughout the year. These events are free and open to all Partner congregants, but you must register to receive a link to the webinars. Information about these events are emailed to our partner congregations and announced on this website News & Media page and on our various social media platforms. Please join us for these online events.

Three Easy Steps to Becoming a Church Partner

Becoming a Church Partner is an easy three-step process:

  • Step 1: Fill out your initial interest information in the “Tell me more about the Church Partnership Program” spaces below.

  • Step 2: Once the Seminary receives your initial expression of interest and reviews the information you’ve provided, we will send you the Church Partnership Agreement Form.

  • Step 3: You then (i) complete the Agreement Form and (ii) send a check made out to Reformed Evangelical Seminary to our business office (1201 JQ Adams St., Oregon City, OR, 97045) in the appropriate amount, based on the size of your congregation.

That’s it! Easy as 1-2-3! Once you’ve completed Step 3, your congregation is a Church Partner and now eligible for all Church Partner benefits.

Step 1: Becoming a Church Partner
Starts Here

Limitations and Restrictions

Please read carefully the following limitations and restrictions that apply to all Church Partner congregations and participants:

  • All Seminary courses are accessible on a “space-available” basis only.

  • Listener’s Passes are made available only to members of Church Partner congregations which have made their financial contribution (appropriate to their size) to the Seminary.

  • Redistribution of Listener Passes or providing course link access to anyone outside a supporting Church Partner congregation is strictly forbidden without the Seminary’s written permission. Violation of this rule may result in the termination of Church Partner benefits to the individual(s) involved.

  • Coursework in Church Enrichment courses is not graded and active participation in discussions and class assignments may be limited to tuition-paying students.

  • All Church Partner members seeking to use their tuition and “Listener Pass” benefits are subject to the Seminary’s published registration and enrollment deadlines, which apply to regularly admitted students. Church Partner students are not allowed to register for a course after a term’s registration deadline closes.