Business Courses

Christian Leaders Institute offers several business focused classes, for students interested in enterprise, marketing, finance, and possibly -bi-vocational ministry work.

BUS 101 Christian Leaders Enterprise 101 (3 credits)

The course is about Enterprise for Christian Leaders. This introductory class gives students a firm foundation of enterprising thinking for personal life, family, and ministry or business endeavors. This class is recommended for Christian Leaders in many situations. This class is inspired by the Apostle Paul. This Biblical person was completely fine with pastors getting paid, but he also realized the fact that bi-vocational leaders enjoy this posture as Christian leaders. 

Outcomes:

  1. Learn the basics of starting a business/enterprise endeavor
  2. Understand concepts of finance and money management for enterprises
  3. Learn basics of managing and marketing an enterprise

BUS 151 Financial Liberty 101 (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to transform the mindset of society so that each individual recognizes the great wealth that God endowed each person with at birth.  We are all equal before God. We were all given the same gifts – a mind, a will, a heart, a conscience, a body and 24 hours every day – and thus each person has the same opportunity to generate wealth during his/her lifetime and live the life of his/her dreams. What we choose to do with each of these gifts is up to us.

Outcomes:

  1. Understand basic principles to help achieve financial freedom.
  2. Understand the importance of dreaming in regard to financial goals
  3. Learn how to prepare personal financial spreadsheets
  4. Learn principles for getting out of debt.
  5. Understand concepts of managing cash flow and investments
  6. Discover why giving is an important part of financial freedom.

BUS 230 Principles of Accounting I (3 credits)

Principles of Accounting I (3 credits) is an introduction to financial accounting concepts and financial reporting, with the focus being on how decision-makers analyze, interpret, and use accounting information. Emphasis is given to how accounting measures, records, and reports economic activities for corporations and on the relationship between accrual and cash flow measures in interpreting accounting information. 

Outcomes:

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, the student will: 

  1. Apply the fundamental concepts and assumptions that underlie financial accounting principles 
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the steps of the accounting cycle and of the basic elements of the four financial statements 
  3. Identify, record, and report transactions in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

BUS 310 Business Management for Every Enterprise (4 credits)

A comprehensive survey of the principles of management as they are currently being applied in the United States and abroad. The two continuing themes throughout the course: (1) the never-ending effort by managers and organizations to meet or exceed the consumers needs (2) the need for effective leadership in organizations. Emphasis is placed on determining the role of a manager through the leadership process.

Outcomes:

  1. Identify major insights of contemporary leadership and management theory that apply to leadership in ministry settings.
    2. Know key biblical stories and principles for leadership and management.
    3. Apply principles of team building, motivation, delegation, communication, and integrity.
    4. Discern how to be a godly change agent while being aware of existing power structures and decision-making processes.
    5. Understand and practice tactful leadership as displayed in the book of Philemon.

BUS 320 Business Finance for Every Enterprise (4 credits)

This course provides a brief introduction to the fundamentals of finance, emphasizing their application to a wide variety of real-world situations spanning personal finance, corporate decision-making, and financial intermediation. Key concepts and applications include: time value of money, risk-return trade-off, cost of capital, interest rates, retirement savings, capital budgeting, asset valuation, discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis, net present value, internal rate of return, payback period, etc.

Outcomes

  1. How to value any asset
  2. Decide which projects to take out of the many a corporation might be considering
  3. Compute the return on any project
  4. Compute the value that a project adds
  5. Value a bond and compute its yield
  6. Value a stock using a simple model (i.e., determine the fair price of a stock)

BUS 321 Management by the Book (3 credits)

This class integrates biblical insights on leadership with contemporary principles of management, applying best practices for ministry contexts. It includes in-depth study of leadership insights found in the book of Philemon.

Outcomes:

  • Identify major insights of contemporary leadership and management theory that apply to leadership in ministry settings.
  • Know key biblical stories and principles for leadership and management.
  • Apply principles of team building, motivation, delegation, communication, and integrity.
  • Discern how to be a godly change agent while being aware of existing power structures and decision-making processes.
  • Understand and practice tactful leadership as displayed in the book of Philemon.

BUS 325 Biblical Standards for Businesses (3 credits)

Marketplace Christians are called to “set the standard” in the business world, and our ultimate standard is Jesus Christ. By setting Christ-centered standards in every aspect of business, Christian business professionals can fulfill the Great Commission—that is, to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:16-20)—by making disciples of their companies, industries, and communities. 

In this course, students will learn the biblical foundations and standards for each of the major disciplines of business in order to help them and their companies spread the awareness of God’s glory, Jesus Christ, in the marketplace. 

Outcomes:

As a result of successfully completing this course, students should be able to…

  1. Understand the primary purpose of business from a biblical perspective.
  2. Articulate the biblical foundations for each of the following disciplines of business: profitability and profit management, innovation, marketing, customer care, management, human resources management, accounting and accountability, business law, and risk management.
  3. Understand the role of business in fulfilling the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20).
  4. Understand the current state of the “Marketplace Christianity Movement” and how to engage his/her local church in this movement.

BUS 330 Enterprise Marketing (4 credits)

This course is going to teach the techniques, skills, and tools needed to take a faith-based education and begin articulating it in ways that will make people respond.

People often confuse marketing with advertising and sales. In this course students will learn about the “real” nature and scope of marketing management of which advertising and sales are simply two facets. 

Outcomes

  1. Learn marketing fundamentals and how to engage those fundamentals to successfully understand how to sell and market a business or a ministry to the public.
  2. Learn how to create perceived and tangible customer value. 
  3. Be exposed to real world applications of marketing techniques, and how to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
  4. Understand how to comprehend marketing metrics as well as how to conduct marketing research
  5. Understand how to develop a target market and how to segment markets, while positioning to market effectively
  6. Learn how the marketing mix influences price, products, and services
  7. Understand the impact of email marketing and social media marketing on the potential growth of an organization
  8. Gain understanding on how to use search engine marketing and how to market that content effectively

BUS 410 Christian Entrepreneurship (3 credits)

Christian Entrepreneurship is foundational for bi-vocational ministers, new business leaders, church planters thinking like a business owner, business leaders, team members of a company, leaders of ministries, non-profits or churches. 

If you are effective in your thinking as an Entrepreneur, you will likely thrive in whatever you do within our community. 

Outcomes:

  1. Learning the basics of starting your own business.
  2. Learn about business or enterprise opportunity. 
  3. Learn some of the critical aspects of team building.
  4. Gain valuable insights into entrepreneurial leadership.
  5. You will learn how to set up a simple business plant.
  6. You will learn the basics of setting up a company.
  7. You will engage alternative ways to structure your venture.
  8. You will be exposed to the wisdom of successful practitioners.
  9. You will learn the basics of money as a resource for your new enterprise. 

BUS 420 Enterprise Finances 1 (4 credits)

Christian leaders are called to take responsibility for the enterprises that fit their situations. Some will receive their support from a ministry, others will need to work at or start a business. All leaders need to know finances, whether they are leading a local ministry or supplying their own needs so they can lead at a local ministry. 

This two-part class covers the essentials of finance as understood in a western globalized locale with many principles transferable in our global environment.  

Outcomes:

  1. Understand basic principles of enterprise finance, including interest, debt, and present value.
  2. Understand basic principles regarding mortgages and property/home ownership
  3. Grasp concepts of convexity and compound interest
  4. Learn concepts of IRAs, Roth IRAs, and 401(k)s.
  5. Discover potential financial dangers and how to avoid them.
  6. Learn principles of currency and the foreign exchange market

BUS 430 Online Enterprise Marketing (3 credits)

This course teaches the basics of online enterprise marketing. You will learn the essential principles that online marketers use. These skills are important for most enterprises. 

Outcomes: 

  1. Understand basic principles of marketing online and SEO.
  2. Learn concepts of email and social site marketing
  3. Learn principles of well-designed websites