Our Distinctives

Purpose Institute fulfills a unique role in Apostolic training and education. As such, it seeks to stay true to its mission and vision. PI provides a unique educational experience for both the trainer and the student.

 

PI IS NOT A BIBLE COLLEGE

 

To better understand the mission of Purpose Institute, it is important to understand what PI is not. Because PI provides curriculum and systems that are being used to train Apostolic minsters and leaders with great success around the world, it is assumed by many that PI is a college.

Even though PI is an education-based ministry, its primary function is very different from a college for several reasons. Here are the reasons:

  • PI is available to learners at all levels.  PI learners range from those who did not complete high school, all the way through to those who have obtained a graduate degree. (Several PI campuses have students who have never graduated from high school as well as doctors and attorneys.)
  • PI campuses, as well as those under the PI District Model, are able to select their own instructors based on Apostolic ministry criteria. Since PI does not adopt a college identity, campus faculty does not have to meet certain academic qualifications required by state and national education boards to teach the courses. For example, faculty at a state-recognized four-year college would need at least a master’s degree in their discipline.
  • PI campuses are not subject to the same regulations at the state, federal (US or Canada), or foreign government levels as their college counterparts. Some states and provinces in North America as well as countries outside of North America would exclude PI from operating within their borders if PI made the claim to be a college.
  • PI does not attempt to compete with colleges at any level. Many PI students are actually enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree while pursuing their ministry training education through PI.
  • PI does not need to expend energy defending its position from within the framework of colleges and universities.

 

OUR EDUCATIONAL DISTINCTIVES

 

Here is a list of educational distinctives that communicate our uniqueness.

  • PI provides a proven ministry tool (systems and curriculum) where training is done at the local level.
  • PI instructors and students most often know each other outside of the classroom and many of them have existing relationships. Mentoring and training takes place within the needs of the local congregation and/or the district.
  • PI students do not need to leave their home church, move their families, or change jobs. Studying at home helps students of all ages take advantage of the many PI opportunities made available through the local campus.
  • PI students and instructors maximize classroom time in a very adaptable and flexible way. Because of that flexibility, many more people are able to make a place for training in their normal schedule who otherwise could not.
  • PI’s systematic approach to learning also enables the student to sustain the necessary momentum needed to earn the two diplomas offered. PI students completing their first four semesters will be eligible to earn a Foundational Diploma in Ministerial Studies. PI students completing all eight semesters will be eligible to earn an Advanced Diploma in Ministerial Studies.
  • PI instructors are men and women of Apostolic faith and ministry experience. Students get to hear from multiple Apostolic leaders. Local campuses or districts prayerfully select their faculty based on local needs as well as ministerial experience.
  • PI curriculum cycle provides the unique opportunity for students to enroll at the beginning of any semester currently being taught. Campuses do not need to maintain multiple levels of study at one time, since courses will have both Foundational and Advanced level students studying together.
  • PI students develop their giftings, understand their personal calling, and engage in ministry placement within the local church as directed by their local leadership.
  • PI students gain exposure to a wide range of reading resources in a safe context of Apostolic instructors.
  • Churches and districts that take advantage of PI’s local adaptability can develop leaders from within as they fulfill Jesus’ call for workers in the field.  By doing so, they reduce the potential for conflict that frequently occurs when leaders are imported from other places and need an adjustment period to grasp the heart, mission, and values of the local church. Pastors and leaders are trained and equipped to begin new preaching points, daughter works, and church plants.
  • PI students learn reflective practices where they evaluate their own development, in light of the lessons learned and varied ministry involvement through the field experience credits required. Learning is not separated from doing.
  • PI is extremely cost-effective and is affordable for anyone who desires training.
  • PI graduates have the opportunity to transfer their work to a variety of degree programs, where such study opportunities will assist them in meeting their long-range goals.
  • PI instructors continue in their current ministries while training others to become field-ready. PI instructors faithfully transmit their years of experience to another generation of leaders. (1 Timothy 2:2)