A Standing Honor
School of Theology · Marianna, Florida
The Proclamation
The School of Theology hereby sets apart its first cohort — the Founding Class — for a standing honor in the life of this school, to remain for as long as the school continues forward.
The Founding Class is the first class of the Certificate in Pastoral Counseling: no more than twelve students, taught personally by the President, one course at a time. They are the first to sit under this teaching, the first to be proven by it, and the first to carry it into the work of the ministry.
This school stands upon the Apostolic Pentecostal Holiness faith: one God revealed in Jesus Christ; every lesson taught from the King James Version; and meat in every lesson — nothing shallow and nothing watered down, that students may be strong, solid, and unshakable in the Word of God. The Founding Class receives that education first, and by their faithfulness they help set the standard for every class that follows after them.
Therefore it is ordered: the names of the Founding Class shall be inscribed in the school’s founding record; they shall be named with honor at their graduation; and this page shall stand upon the school’s website as their permanent memorial — not for a season, but for the life of the school.
Rev. Dr. Charles A. Shopher, Sr.
President, School of Theology
“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;”1 Peter 5:2 (KJV) — the charge over the Founding Class
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”
Isaiah 28:16 (KJV)
The school is built upon the foundation God Himself laid — and the Founding Class is the first to stand upon it.
How the Founding Class Is Honored
Three honors belong to the Founding Class alone, and they do not expire. No later class can receive them, because no later class can be first.
Inscribed in the Founding Record
Each name is entered into the school’s founding record — the permanent record of its first students, kept by the school for as long as it continues.
Named at Graduation
At their graduation, the members of the Founding Class are recognized by name before all — the class that was here when it began.
This Page, Permanently
This page stands on the school’s website as their lasting memorial. Classes will come after them; the Founding Class stands first, and this page remains.
The Founding Record
An inscription kept by the school itself. When the first class is seated, their names will be set into this wall — and they will not be taken down.
Certificate in Pastoral Counseling · The First Cohort
The Founding Class
The names of the Founding Class will be inscribed here.
This wall awaits its first names. When the class is formed, each member will be inscribed here — the name, the Certificate in Pastoral Counseling, and the year — to remain permanently.
What the Founding Class Is
Small on purpose, not by accident. The first class of the school is kept to twelve students, taught thoroughly, one course at a time.
The Certificate
Certificate in Pastoral Counseling — 21 credits · 7 courses · taken in order
- PCC-310 — Foundations of Pastoral Counseling
- PCC-320 — Grief, Loss & Bereavement Counseling
- PCC-330 — Marriage & Family Counseling
- PCC-340 — Addiction & Bondage Counseling
- PCC-350 — Financial Stewardship Counseling
- PCC-360 — Crisis & Trauma Counseling
- CHP-310 — Chaplaincy Ministry
The Class
How the Founding Class is formed and taught
- No more than twelve students. The class is capped at twelve seats; when the twelve are filled, the class is closed.
- One course at a time, in order. No rushing and no skipping — every student proven in every course.
- The President teaches every class. Rev. Dr. Charles A. Shopher, Sr. teaches the Founding Class himself.
- Certificates that are earned. The School of Theology has not sought accreditation. What it offers is a strong, solid, Apostolic education in the Word of God.
The cost, stated plainly. The standard cost of the certificate is tuition of $4,200 (21 credits at $200 per credit hour), a $25 application fee, and a $100 graduation fee.
The Founding Class Rate
For this first cohort only, the Founding Class rate is set apart: tuition of $3,780, the application fee waived, and the $100 graduation fee — $3,880 in all. The same rate stands for every one of the twelve seats. See Tuition & Fees for the school’s standard rates.
The Founding Class Is Coming
The first students of the School of Theology will be a class of no more than twelve — the Founding Class of the Certificate in Pastoral Counseling, taught personally by the President, one course at a time. Their names will be kept in the school’s founding record, honored at graduation, and inscribed on this page permanently.
Applications are not open yet. The school has filed for its Florida religious exemption, and enrollment begins after the exemption letter arrives. Join the Interest List, and you will be the first to know the day applications open — the Founding Class will be filled from the people who were ready first.