Program

Overview

Academic Coursework

At Chicago School of Leadership, we understand the value of quality education and the career opportunities it will provide in the future.

Chicago School of Leadership has partnered with North Central University (NCU) to provide students with a fully accredited, highly affordable college education all while being in the heart of Chicago, IL. North Central University is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and was founded in 1930. North Central University has a long heritage of raising up students for lives of service and leadership both locally and globally. Students within CSL will carry all of their course work online through NCU.

Integrated Learning Experience

We have combined the top-shelf education of North Central University with the leadership experience of a dynamic, prayer-centered church in the heart of Chicago, IL to develop a fully immersive and holistic program where students are able to integrate the theory of their academic courses with practical leadership training and real-world experiences within the context of both the church and the marketplace.

The Integrated Learning Experience is designed to equip students for service, leadership and ministry effectiveness. Each student is required to fulfill 120 hours of services per semester within a ministry (as defined by the assigned practicum or internship).

In addition, students will receive training from the DNA of a Leader, a world-class leadership program developed by Chicago Tabernacle Lead Pastor Al Toledo used by pastors and ministry leaders all over the world, as well as specific skills training to support the assimilation of the leadership development. Students meet weekly to dive into these training, facilitated by our designated CSL staff members.

Along with these class trainings, students engage in discussions, projects, and case studies that help to crystalize these leadership principles and facilitate integration into their lives and their assigned areas of service and leadership. Each student will have an opportunity to engage in a leadership or oversight role in generally assigned events as well as their ministry-specific role.

Full-Time (Daytime) Student Overview

Full-time students will have the opportunity to be fully immersed within the Chicago Tabernacle church culture. For the first two years, all degree-pursuing students’ Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) will be focused within the Chicago Tabernacle church, where students go through the DNA of a Leader class (year one) and skills training (year two).

All full-time students are required to be apart of the Chicago Tabernacle church during their time in the program. During years three and four, the focus of the ILE will be specific to their degree and internship placements, along with their serving hours. The exact number of hours required for their internship will be defined by their placement (whether inside the church or outside the church).

In the first year of practicum, students will have the opportunity to observe four different departments within the church (Next Generation, Creative Department, Operations, and Welcome Ministries). Students will be assigned a ministry to be a part of for an

8-week period of time. This gives students the ability to have a broad overview of the differing ministries. The expectations of their time within each ministry will be defined by the ministry leader. At the end of year one, the student will select which ministry they would like to be paired with for their Year Two practicum. In Year Two, students will engage within one specific ministry in which they will serve their 120 semester hours.

FULL-TIME STUDENT DAILY SCHEDULE

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

9:30a-10:30a

Chapel (Staff)

Chapel (Student)

Open / Study Hall

11:00a-12:30p

12:30p-2:00p

DNA

Lunch

Open / Study Hall

Facilitated Class / Study Hall

2:00p-5:00p

Open / Study Hall

Practicum (hours depend on ministry placement)

Flex Track (Nighttime) Student Overview

Flex-Track students meet weekly during Year One, and bi-monthly during Year Two. In the first two years, students will engage in the same ILE format as defined for Full-time students (see above). However, Flex Track students will not engage in in-office practicum hours. Their service hours will be specifically defined by the ministry they serve in. Students will also be able to participate in internships based on their degree, and are still responsible for fulfilling the 120 hours per semester ILE requirements.

FLEX TRACK STUDENT SCHEDULE

YEAR ONE (WEEKLY)

Monday

5:00p-7:00p

Open / Study Hall

7:00p-9:00p

DNA

FLEX TRACK STUDENT SCHEDULE

YEAR TWO (BI-MONTHLY)

Monday

5:00p-7:00p

Open / Study Hall

7:00p-9:00p

Skills Training

All classes will take place on-site at Chicago Tabernacle. Year One Students will meet at 3227 N Cicero Ave.

Year Two students will meet at 3229 N Cicero Ave.

Student Chapels

Our desire, first and foremost, is to help students to cultivate their walk and relationship with God. Our prayer is that through this journey, students gain a strong sense of their identity in Christ and find deep intimacy with Him. It is through this that they will be able to truly operate in the authority of their calling.

Each week, Full-time students will participate in both a student chapel and a staff chapel. The heart of both chapels is to create a space where students are able to engage in the corporate altar consistently with each other and with our staff. Flex-track students are also invited to participate in student chapels, depending on their schedules. All students will participate in a quarterly combined chapels on the scheduled Monday evening.