What is the SBS online?

Introducing the school of biblical studies online:
The former nine month school of biblical studies (SBA) is now available in an e-learning format to enable anyone to take the course part time while continuing with his or her work/ministries and responsibilities. Each month of the residential school is extended to a three-month module requiring twelve to fifteen hours a week of study. There is a set start time and finish time for each module with a module leader who will not only be a tutor and support throughout the module, but will also create community with the other students who are in the course.

The SBS online is ideal for:

• individual staff who have a passion to know more of god’s word and ways.
• whole teams to work on together or as part of a team training strategy.
• integrating into existing training curriculum to provide a dynamic biblical studies element.

The school of biblical studies online
This school is now accessible to many more people through this e-learning format. It uses the powerful inductive approach to bible study. On completion of the school the student will not only be proficient in using the tools and skills of effective bible study, but would have applied those skills to every book of the bible. Understanding the significance of the various types of biblical literature, the original setting and culture of each book, are an integral part of the inductive approach. The application of scripture, both into one’s personal life and ministry, and into the wider spheres of society, is the purpose and specific goal of all of our study. Studying the course alongside work/church responsibilities brings the added dynamic for immediate application of the study into ministry situations.

School Dates

Module start times:
There are a total of 26 different modules (see course content) in the v-sbs. Each module is a six-week course. there is no set start dates, each modules can be started at any time that suites the student. Modules one and two have to be taken first; after that students can choose any module in any order.

Tuition Cost

$90 per module

Each module will be a six-week course, taking students through different books of the bible. For each module students should plan on a 12-15 hour a week commitment.

Inductive Study

What is inductive bible study?
The aim of the inductive approach to bible study is to enable you to study the bible in context, letting the bible speak for itself. the questions asked are “what is the human author (inspired by the holy spirit) actually saying?” “how does the genre of literature used and the historical setting inform our understanding?” What the bible meant to the original reader becomes the foundation for what it means for us today. Inductive bible study involves learning to read effectively, observe carefully and interpret correctly. This then becomes the basis for meaningful application for the 21st century.

What method of applying the inductive approach to bible study does the school of biblical studies use?

• firstly each book is read out loud from beginning to end in one sitting, (well, maybe two or three sittings with a book like jeremiah!) to get the initial “big picture” of the book.
• it is then read again with special emphasis on observing certain elements that will open up the book.
• it is then read a third time. this time each paragraph is given a short title that sums up the content of that paragraph. by now you are really getting a handle on the “big picture” of the book.
• the titles then help determine the structure of the book. this is recorded in a visual chart form for future reference.
• each portion is then studied, using the same inductive skills with discoveries recorded on appropriate charts. the act of doing these encourages the inductive approach and is a visual reminder of what you have discovered.
• at the end of the course you will have an enviable grasp of the whole of scripture, being able to see each part in the light of the whole.
• at times during the course some books are studied in a different way, adding variety and creativity.

The modules are as follows

New Testament books:

old testament books: