Our Approach

Building Preachers

Rather than attempting to train preachers in only one area, at the Brown Trail School of Preaching we target three distinct areas of focus in order to produce well-rounded ministers of the Gospel: Knowledge, skills, and character. We firmly believe that by training and mentoring you in these areas, we will prepare you for spiritual maturity and life-long success in ministry.

During our two-year intensive training program, we cover the entire Bible, teaching essential skills and emphasizing practical ministry applications. We have several other programs as well.

Building Knowledge

Preaching requires a strong knowledge base of the Bible as well as numerous other subjects.

We encourage active learning and give you assignments carefully designed to prepare you for both the requirements and pace of real-life ministry. At BTSOP, you will study and learn…

Every book of the Bible
Faith-building apologetics
Historical and cultural backgrounds of the Bible
Biblical Greek and Hebrew
Biblical and philosophical theology

Building Skills

Too much focus on cultivating students’ knowledge neglects some important skills for a preacher’s work.

In addition to dedicated skills classes, we have several hybrid courses, which use biblical texts as skill-teaching sandboxes. Using these methods, we spend substantial time developing your abilities, such as…

Biblical interpretation
Sermon crafting in numerous styles (topical, textual, expository)
Teaching Bible classes effectively
Evangelism and mission work
Biblical counseling and leadership

Building Character

While learning to preach involves a large number of classes, it is about so much more than just the academics! A preacher must be a man of God. This is why we spend extra time focusing on personal development and growth.

Here, we’ll lead you to grow…

As a Christian and preacher, personally devoted to God—especially through our unique chapel system
As a leader—of your home, of the church, and of others who seek after God
As a hard-working, diligent, organized worker in the kingdom
As a wise, holy, humble, and courageous man of God
As a preacher whose godly relationships with others are only surpassed by your relationship with God