Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have a conflict with the start of a course at Reasons for God?

Every course at Reasons for God lasts for multiple weeks. For instance, the First Love course is a twelve week experience. I expect most participants will have conflicts, both known and unknown, over such a long period of time.

Unlike a university or seminary course, where there may be mandatory deadlines for papers, quizzes, and exams, the sole purpose of courses at Reasons for God is to create space for you to encounter God, make friends, and grow to maturity in Christ.

I've designed these courses so that you can enroll with confidence, knowing that there will be time and space for you to 'catch up' if you miss a lecture or two, whether that happens at the start, middle, or end of the course.

How much time do courses take each week?

Participants can choose to invest whatever amount of time they feel is best for their own growth and their desired level of engagement with other participants.

For instance, the primary training content will be released at the start of each week, but you might choose to watch it later in the week, see the comments from others, and then join in with your perspective. There will be a variety of learning prompts released each week. You can choose to engage with the ones that you find most helpful for your spiritual growth. 

I recommend setting aside 1-2 hours a week to fully engage with the community and course materials.

Is the teaching live or pre-recorded?

Because I want to facilitate the participation from a global community, the primary teaching will be available via pre-recorded content. This approach allows each participant, in time zones around the world, to engage with the content whenever that is convenient for their schedule.

In addition, I will also offer participants the opportunity to join Zoom calls. These will be an optional add-on to the primary teaching content.

Why don't your courses have quizzes and tests?

Graded assignments are an important element of a credentialing process. It is understandable that when you go to a surgeon, you want to know if they did well in their courses in medical school.

At the same time, my feeling is that we often bring a performance mentality to our spiritual journeys. To create space for participants to engage with these courses in a different posture — just to encounter God and respond in worship — I have decided not to include graded assignments in courses at Reasons for God.

I've joined Reasons for God - is that enough?

On the Teachable platform, the school name is "Reasons for God."

You can create an account with the Reasons for God "school" for free.

However, to enroll in a course is an additional step.

How did you decide on the pricing for your courses?

For context, I earned an M.Div. degree at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS). Currently, to take a three-credit course at the seminary, such as Spiritual Formation for Ministry, costs $2,175. To audit the same course would still cost $350. In addition, GCTS’s mandatory “Service Fees” add up to $215 more to the cost of auditing a single course, for a total of $565.

As an alum of the school, I strongly recommend the formation experience offered by Gordon Conwell. It would be the first place I would encourage someone preparing for full-time ministry to apply.

However, just because we want to go deeper in our faith with God doesn't mean that a seminary course is the right choice for everyone.

My desire is to provide a spiritually enriching and high-quality training experience in a more convenient and affordable manner. Instead of papers and exams — which have their place! — we will focus on connecting with God, building strong friendships, and taking steps that lead us to maturity in Christ.

As I discussed the value of this experience with many people, I decided that $149 was a reasonable price for the twelve week First Love course.

Do you offer scholarships?

As a business, Reasons for God is not supported by donations.

Nevertheless, I want to be generous and provide scholarships. To facilitate this, I've provided an application you or your friends can complete.

Please visit http://bit.ly/RFG-scholarship to request a scholarship.

Can I provide a scholarship for other participants?

It is very generous for anyone to consider providing a scholarship for other participants.

As Reasons for God LLC is a small business, and not a non-profit, any decision to donate a scholarship for another participant is not tax-deductible.

If you would like to provide a scholarship regardless of this situation, please reach out to me at [email protected]. In your email, please let me know what scholarship amount you would like to make available.

What else does Reasons for God offer?

In addition to providing online courses, I also offer a newsletter.

You can subscribe here: https://reasonsforgod.substack.com

Paid newsletter subscribers gain the ability to comment on posts and the satisfaction of making the newsletter available to a wider readership.

I have another question...

Please email me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!