Statement of Faith

A Bible open to the Book of Psalms, with black text on white pages, placed on a gray surface.

Bible Training Centre for Pastors affirms the broad, mainstream, conservation evangelical tradition. This tradition is consistent with the teachings of the Bible, which has stood the test of history and experience. We accept students from independent churches and from a wide range of denominations. However, student applicants are required to affirm in writing their substantial agreement with this statement of faith. Where differences are indicated, the student may be conditionally accepted for training upon his agreement not to teach, promote, or exercise such doctrinal differences or practices while he/she is an active student.

Official Statement

Bible Training Centre for Pastors specifically affirms the following doctrinal truths:

  • We believe that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very words of Scripture. The Bible is therefore without error (inerrant) in its original manuscripts. God has supernaturally preserved the Bible and it is the sole and final authority for faith and life providing encouragement, guidance, comfort and instruction for training in righteousness (2 Ti. 3:16-17; 2 Pe. 1:20-21).

  • We believe in one true God eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) each of Whom is fully and equally God; possesses all of the divine nature and attributes, and is totally worthy of our worship and service (Dt. 6:4; Mt. 28:19; Jn 1:14; 10:30; 2 Co. 13:14).

  • We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity and is the eternal, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, completely just and perfectly holy, sovereign Ruler and Sustainer of the universe. He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Father of all true believers (Gen. 1:1; Eph. 4:6; Jn. 1:12-13; 5:19-21; 17:1-5; Isa.40:21-28; 43:10-13;46:8- 11; Ro.8:14-16).

  • We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and is the only begotten eternal Son of God Who became flesh to reveal God to man, to fulfill prophecy, and to become the Savior of the lost world. In becoming man Jesus did not cease in any way to be God so that He is fully God and fully man inseparably united in one person forever. Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the Virgin Mary; lived a sinless life; died on the cross as the substitutionary, all-sufficient atoning sacrifice for all of the sins of all men of all time; was buried; bodily rose from the dead; physically ascended into heaven in His glorified, resurrected body; is seated at the right hand of the Father performing His ministry of intercession; will return in the air to claim His bride the church; and will come again to earth in bodily form, personally and visibly, to conclude human history and consummate God’s eternal plan by executing judgment and ushering in His Millennial Kingdom reign to be followed by the eternal state (Jn. 1:1, 14, 18; 3:16; Lk. 1:30-35; Php. 2:5-8; Col. 2:3, 9; Mk. 10:45; Ac. 2:22-24; Jn. 1:29; Ro. 3:25- 26; Heb. 10:5-14; 1 Pe. 2:24; 3:18; Jn. 20:20; Php. 3:20-21; Heb. 1:3; Ro. 8:34; 1 Jn. 2:1; Ac. 1:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Th. 4:13-18; 2 Th. 2:7; Mt. 24:44; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 21-22).

  • We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity Who specially came into the world on the day of Pentecost to glorify Christ and to enable men to appropriate the salvation wrought by Christ. He is the primary agent for the conviction of sin and for regeneration. Simultaneously with salvation, the Holy Spirit imparts new life, baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (His church), permanently indwells the believer, and securely seals the believer unto the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit fills (directs and controls) those believers who are yielded to Him, enables believers to bear fruit, and empowers believers to live a life free from sin’s dominion. We also believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers for the purpose of edifying the church in accordance with the teachings of scripture (1 Co. 13:8; 14:22; Jn. 16:7-15; 1 Co. 6:19; 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; Gal. 5:16-17, 22-23; Ro. 8:5-13; 1 Pe. 4:10-11; Ro. 12:3-8).

  • We believe that man was created in the image of God by direct act of God and did not come into being as the result of evolution. Man was created to glorify God, worship and serve Him, and have fellowship with Him. Man fell through sin by disobeying God, thus incurring both physical and spiritual death, which alienated him from God. Man’s nature was thus corrupted and he is utterly lost, “dead in trespasses and sins,” and totally incapable of saving himself and coming back into right relationship with God by his own merit or effort (Ge. 1:26; 2:6,17; 3:17-24; Isa. 59:1-2; Ro. 3:9- 19, 23; 5:6-8; Lk. 18:26-27; Eph.2.1-3).

  • We believe that Satan is the instigator of evil and a real spirit being, not simply the personification of evil. He is a fallen angel who, under the sovereign permission of God, has been given temporary rulership of the earth. He was utterly defeated at the cross, but the execution of his judgment has been postponed by God until after the Millennial Kingdom when he will be cast into the eternal lake of fire. In the meantime, he deceives the world and seeks to establish his counterfeit kingdom on earth to discredit and blaspheme God and to tempt, accuse, attack and destroy believers. He can be resisted by the believer through faith and reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit (Ge. 3: 1-5; Isa. 14:12-17; Eze. 28:11-19; Job 1-2; 1 Jn. 5:19; 2 Co. 11:14; 1 Ti. 3:6; 1 Pe. 5:8-9; Jas. 4:7; Rev. 12:9; 20:1-3, 7-10).

  • We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for forgiveness of sins and salvation, which is the free gift of God’s grace. Salvation is effected by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and cannot be secured by man’s works or personal merit. Salvation is only appropriated by a person placing his faith in the finished work of Christ. Repentance is a turning toward God and away from sin and is a part of but not separate from believing faith. “The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” and those who receive Jesus Christ by faith are born again, have their sins forgiven, become children of God, are a new creation in Christ, and “are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption”, being kept by the power of God (Eph. 1:7, 13-14; Jn. 1:12-13; 3:1-7, 14-16; 2 Co. 5:17; Ro. 1:16; 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10; Ro. 8:14-17, 31-39; Jn. 10:27-29; 14:6; Ac. 26:20; 1 Pe. 1:3-5).

    You may also reference the Plan of Salvation here.

  • We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself and should, by the power of the indwelling Spirit, allow Christ to manifest His life through him to God’s glory. By ever increasing obedience to the Word of God, each believer should mature and progressively become more like Jesus. In the power of the Spirit, each believer should live a holy life; not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; exercise his spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ; witness for Christ; be personally involved in making disciples to fulfill the great commission; perform good works and bear fruit to the glory of God (Gal. 2:20; 1 Pe. 1:15-16; 2:11; 2 Co. 5:14-15; Ro. 6:11-13; Eph. 2:10; 4:11-12; 4:22-24; 1 Pe. 4:10-11; Ac. 1:8; Mt. 28:18-20; Col. 1:10; Jn. 15:8, 16).

  • We believe that the church is the body of Christ of which Jesus is the Head and whose members are those who have truly received Christ by faith. The local church is a tangible expression of the body of Christ in a particular location. Since all members of the body of Christ are united in Christ by the same Spirit, they should live in love, harmony and unity, being intent on the same purpose and accepting those sectarian or denominational practices which are based on a sincere interpretation of the Bible, which do not relate to substantive doctrinal matters, and which do not in practice cause disunity or hinder the ministry. The purpose of the church is to make Christ known to lost men, to make disciples, and glorify God on earth (Ac. 1:8; 1 Co. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:20-23; 4:1-6, 4:12-16; Mt. 28:18-20; Jn. 17; Col. 1:24-29).

  • We believe that the only two ordinances of the church recognized by Scripture are water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water baptism by immersion is an act of obedience following salvation which symbolically pictures the believer’s death to sin, burial of the old life, and resurrection to new life. The Lord’s Supper celebrates fellowship and communion with Christ, symbolically commemorates His death, and anticipates His second coming (Mt. 28: 19; Ac. 10:47-48; Lk. 22:19-20; 1 Co. 11:23-28; Ro.6:3-4).

  • We believe that at death every believer consciously and immediately enters into the presence and fellowship of the Lord to wait for the physical resurrection and glorification of his body at Christ’s return. The believer will thus enjoy life eternal with God – fellowshipping, serving and worshipping Him forever (2 Co. 5:6; 1 Co. 15: 12-58; Lk. 23:39-43; 1 Th. 4:13-18; Jn. 3: 16; Rev. 21-22). We believe that at death every unbeliever consciously and immediately enters into separation from the Lord to wait for the physical resurrection of his body to everlasting condemnation, judgment and punishment (Lk. 16:19-31; Jn. 3:18, 36; Rev. 20:5, 11-15; 2 Th. 1:5-10).

  • We believe the next prophetic event will be the rapture of the Church when the Lord Jesus Christ will return in the air to receive unto Himself all Church Age believers (Jn. 14:1-3; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Co. 15:51-52; 1 Th. 4:13-18; Php. 3:20-21). The rapture of the Church will be followed by the seven-year Great Tribulation period in fulfillment of Dan. 9:24-27 and as described in Rev. 6:1-19:21 during which Israel will be purified, the whole world tested, and the wrath of God poured out against sin (Jer. 30:7; Mt. 24; Rev. 3:10; 1 Th. 5:9-11). We believe that at the end of the Great Tribulation the Lord Jesus Christ in His second coming will personally and physically return to the earth just as He ascended with great power and glory to execute judgment and usher in the Millennial Kingdom, during which He will reign on earth for 1000 years with righteousness, justice and peace to fulfill God’s covenant promise to Israel (Ac. 1:8-11; Rev. 19: 11-21; Eze. 37:21-28; Isa. 11:9; Rev. 20:1-6). We believe that the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth will be followed by the final judgment of Satan when he is cast into the lake of fire forever; the Great White Throne Judgment and bodily resurrection for unbelievers; the creation of a new heaven and new earth; and the eternal state (Rev. 20-22; 2 Pe. 3:1-14).

Additional statements

Training women with the BTCP, BTCL or BTCI curriculum:

We at BTCP are aware of the controversial nature of issues regarding women who serve as pastors. We recognize that many women are serving or functioning in this capacity. This issue is one of the reasons that the Bible Training for Church Leaders (BTCL) track was developed. 

In accordance with the qualifications of elders given in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1, BTCP as an organization does not train women specifically to be pastors or elders, we do, however, provide training through BTCL/BTCI classes, which allows both men and women to be adequately trained for ministry. 

Our position concerning women as pastors is in no way a statement which seeks to devalue women. Women are equal before the Lord in terms of salvation (Gal. 3:26-29), value (Gen 1:27; Matt. 19:4-6), and future inheritance (I Pet. 3:7). The difference presented in Scripture is one of role not of value (I Cor. 11:3; Titus 2:3-5). 

Women were vital in the ministry of the Lord Jesus (Matt. 28:8; Mark 15:41; Luke 1:42) and the apostle Paul (Acts 17:4; Rom. 16:12; Phil. 4:3). Scripture is clear that women are spiritually gifted and are to be a vital part of any new testament church. Just as men should be trained in order to serve most effectively, so too should women be trained in order to be most effective in their ministry. 

The BTCL general curriculum was developed for those men and women who would not necessarily go on to be pastors and/or elders but would serve in other areas of ministry within the church. It includes 8 of the ten courses of the BTCP curriculum with the remaining two of those courses treated as electives. We made this adaptation in order to serve all those who wish to be trained, including women, while stopping short of certifying with a certificate that BTCP has trained them to be pastors. Upon graduation women are given a BTCL certificate rather than a BTCP certificate. 

Our preference is that women be taught in a class that is designated as BTCL rather than BTCP. If this is not possible a woman may attend a BTCP class but would receive the BTCL certificate upon completion. Women also should not teach a BTCP class. We would be delighted for a qualified woman to teach a BTCL class, however, if all the students are women. 

We realize the significance of this issue and its potential to create a divisive situation. That is why we have sought to reach the best possible solution for providing training while stopping short of compromising what we understand the Scriptures to teach on this issue of qualifications for church leadership. The subject is also discussed in the BTCP/BTCL Doctrine Manual (#5) objectively from Scripture so that each student can determine what the text communicates on the subject. 

BTCP cannot be used to train men who have been divorced, or women to be pastors. Anyone other than a pastor may be trained and equipped through the BTCL program and receive a BTCL/BTCI certificate of completion rather than a BTCP/BTCI certificate.

For BTCL/BTCI students, the above qualifications regarding character and motivation should be true as well, even though the biblical qualifications for pastors would not directly apply.

BTCP’s stance on divorce, relating to pastor qualifications:

We are aware that the issue of divorced men in the role of pastor is a difficult one. We realize that some within the body of Christ may have differing views on how divorce affects the eligibility of an individual for pastoring a church and/or serving as an elder. 

It is the official position of BTCP that we do not certify men to be pastors who have been divorced. We base this on the stated position of God in Malachi 2:16, on the Lord’s prohibition of divorce in the gospels, and the specific requirements for elders and deacons as given in 1 Tim. 3:2,12 and Titus 1:6. 

While we do not intentionally train men who have been divorced in order that they may pastor, we do allow all men and women to attend the training as BTCL students. The only difference between BTCP and BTCL is in the fourth course: In BTCP the course is “Preaching Biblical Messages and Pastoral Ministry” (4P). In BTCL, the fourth course is simply “Communicating Biblical Messages” (4L). The pastoral ministry portion is not included in the BTCL track. A man who has been divorced should not go through the entire BTCP curriculum with other men who are training to be pastors. He should instead attend a class that is designated as only for BTCL students. We take this approach in order to serve all those who desire to be trained, including divorced men, while stopping short of certifying with an official certificate that BTCP has trained them as a pastor. 

We want to emphasize that we do not believe the divorced man is unqualified for ministry in general but only seek to affirm the biblical requirements for the specific positions of elders and deacons. This is with the understanding that all pastors would also be considered to be acting in the role of elder. We want to enable all believers to be effectively equipped to undertake the ministry to which God is calling them and for which they are biblically qualified. 

In both the “Pastoral Ministry” component of course #4P and in “Bible Doctrine Survey” course #5 the issue of qualifications for church leaders and the relevant biblical passages are presented and the students are challenged to determine for themselves what the text communicates on the subject. 

Questions

For questions regarding the BTCP Statement of Faith and/or Acceptance Policy, please fill out this form. Someone from the BTCP team will get back to you shortly.