Course Syllabus

Course title: ST 801 Church

Course description: A comprehensive overview of the nature, identity, origin, institution, authority,
government, mission, ordinances, and destiny of the Christian church.
Course instructor: Greg Nichols was ordained as a pastor in 1978. He is a graduate and former professor
of Trinity Ministerial Academy, Montville, NJ, and holds a Master of Divinity
(M.Div.) from Reformed Baptist Seminary. He is the author of Covenant Theology: A
Reformed and Baptistic Perspective (Solid Ground Books). He is a pastor of Grace
Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Greg and his wife
Ginger have 5 children.
Course credit: 3 credit-hours
Course requirements: Student must satisfactorily complete the following course requirements:
(1) Lectures The student must listen to all the audio lectures by Greg Nichols on the doctrine of the
church either live or via audio/video format. We highly recommend the student acquire
the lecture manuscript. (The student may purchase a hard-copy through the RBS online
store or download an electronic copy on RBS Virtual Campus.)
(2) Reading In addition to reading completely the lecture manuscript (available in PDF format on
RBS Virtual Campus), the student must read from the following textbooks related to
the doctrine of the church and related to baptism.
(1) Read the selected pages from the following works that provide an overview of
the doctrine of the church. The student can access this reading in PDF format on
RBS Virtual Campus:
Bannerman, James. The Church of Christ. 2 vols. 1869; reprint, Still Waters
Revival Books, 1991.
Volume 1, pages 5-118, 187-210 [total = 136]
Volume 2, pages 186-244 [total = 58]
Murray, John. The Collected Works of John Murray. Vols. 1, 2. The Banner of
Truth, 1976.
Volume 1, pages 231-287 [total = 56]
Volume 2, pages 321-384 [total = 63]
Total reading: 313 pages
(2) Read one of the following books on practical ecclesiology:
Dever, Mark. 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. Crossway Books, 2004. [243 pages]
OR
Mack, Wayne, and David Swavely. Life in the Fathers House: A Members
Guide to the Local Church. Presbyterian & Reformed, 1996. [191 pages]
Total reading: 191 to 243 pages

(3) Read one of the following books on the doctrine of believer baptism:
Jewett, Paul K. Infant Baptism and the Covenant of Grace. Eerdmans, 1978. [250
pages]
OR
Malone, Fred A. The Baptism of Disciples Alone: A Covenantal Argument for
Credobaptism Versus Paedobaptism. 2nd edition. Founders Press, 2008. [291
pages]
OR
Schreiner, Thomas R., and Shawn D. Wright, eds. Believers Baptism: Sign of the
New Covenant in Christ. Broadman & Holman, 2006. [352 pages]
Total reading: 250 to 352 pages
Total overall reading: 754 to 908 pages
The substitution of another work for those listed above in the first three categories will
be considered. But the student should submit a request for substitute reading and wait
for the instructors approval before proceeding.
(3) Exam After completing the lectures and reading, the student will take a midterm exam and a
final exam based on the material in the lectures and/or notes. Study guides for the
exams will be provided on Virtual Campus in PDF format.

The student should direct any questions about the exam to Greg Nichols (616-249-
7336; ggbrown2006@mac.com) or the seminary dean (dean@rbseminary.org).
Course grading: Lectures and reading = 10% / Midterm Exam = 45% / Final Exam = 45%