Academically, the CNPC program is demanding. The students work for three years through a wide range of subjects with a reading load that is rigorous, but reasonable.

In their first year, the students study:

• Biblical Theology: This is the study of God's progressive self-revelation through Biblical history—from Genesis to Revelation. In this class, students learn how each part of the Bible contributes to its central message of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Thus students gain an understanding of the Bible's unity and are able to apply its truths with a greater understanding of the Gospel foundation that is its core.
• Heart Religion: This is the study of the Gospel with a particular focus on students' personal growth in faith and holiness. In this class, students learn to apply the Gospel to their own lives in very practical, concrete ways. This, in turn, prepares them to minister the grace of God to others in years to come.
• Biblical Greek: This is a study of the language of the New Testament. In this class, students gain a working knowledge of the Greek language as well as reference tools that will aid them in their study of God’s Word.

In the second year, the students study:

• Systematic Theology: This is the study of what the whole Bible teaches about any given subject. In this class, students gain a comprehensive understanding of biblical teaching on the most central aspects of the Christian faith.
• Hermeneutics: This is the art and science of biblical interpretation. In this class, students apply their Greek skills as they learn the fundamentals of biblical interpretation.
• Biblical Greek: In the second year, the students’ continued study of Greek is integrated into their hermeneutics work.

In the third year, the students study:

• Pastoral Theology: This is the disciplined study of practically applying God’s Word in a pastoral context. In this class, students develop a more thorough understanding of biblically faithful pastoral ministry, particularly as it relates to regular pastoral tasks: counseling, preaching, leading an elder’s board, etc.
• Church History: This is the study of God’s work in His people from Pentecost to the present day. In this class, students become familiar with the way God has protected and preserved the Church; they learn the patterns and habits of God’s people through the ages—positive and negative; and they come to see themselves as a small part of God’s work over the course of redemptive history.
• Biblical Hebrew: This is a study of the language of the Old Testament. In this class, students gain a working knowledge of the Hebrew language as well as reference tools that will aid them in their study of God’s Word.

A unique aspect of the academic element of the CNPC is the manner in which these classes are taught. Instead of being lectured by professors, the students are led in discussion through the reading assignments they’ve prepared beforehand by our tutors. Based on the Socratic Method, this is a manner of instruction that has been in use for hundreds of years—one that challenges the students to wrestle with, understand, articulate, apply, and integrate what they are reading.

In addition to this method of classroom teaching, our students take part in a series of intensive seminars each year, given in lecture format. This aspect of our training program seeks to teach our students not only what they must know to be faithful pastors, but to ingrain in them both the study skills and the critical thinking skills that will serve them well in the pastorate.

If the students apply themselves, they will come out of the program with a good grasp of the Bible’s content, doctrines, and application to their own lives and the lives of the people they will shepherd one day as pastors.