A Free Online Seminary for Serious Bible and Ministry Training
Welcome, and thank you for joining us. Chapala Theological Seminary is a free online seminary offering complete, Christ-centered self-study courses in Bible, theology, preaching, pastoral ministry, counseling, missions, and related fields — in English, Spanish, and French, at no cost, and at your own pace. Whether you are preparing for ministry, deepening a lifelong walk with God, or simply hungry to study His Word more carefully, there is a place for you here.
Each course is a complete, self-study program you can work through entirely in your browser. Every lesson is offered in English, Spanish, and French, with built-in review and a certificate at the end. Begin with any of the seven foundation courses, in whatever order suits you; the rest of the catalog opens once they are complete, and your progress is saved as you go.
A Word from the Faculty
Dr. Ted Rogers
Dr. Rogers serves as Director of Chapala Theological Seminary and as a co-pastor alongside Dr. Cook. He holds a Ph.D. and brings years of teaching and pastoral leadership to the seminary, guiding its vision and curriculum. His passion is to see the church strengthened by sound doctrine and faithful, well-trained servants.
Dr. Wayne Cook
Dr. Cook is the author of the seminary's self-study curriculum in English, Spanish and French, and a co-pastor alongside Dr. Rogers. He holds a Th.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and has given decades to preaching, pastoral ministry, and teaching, including a book on preaching. He has prepared these courses so that what he has been given might be entrusted to others who can teach as well.
Certificates & Degrees
Every course you finish earns a Class Certificate. As your courses add up, you earn the seminary’s higher recognitions — at the certificate level, or, with the added written work, at the master’s level. Choose the path that fits your calling, and aim as high as you wish.
Every student begins with the same seven foundation courses — Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Systematic Theology, Evangelism, Pastoral Ministries, Church History, and Preaching. Once those seven are finished, the entire catalog opens. The counts below are the minimums for each recognition — you are warmly encouraged to keep going and complete every course in the library.
Before You Begin — Program Requirements →
A certificate for each course you complete — finish its lessons and pass the multiple-choice review.
Twelve courses at the certificate level — the seven foundation courses plus five of your choosing — the lessons and multiple-choice review in each.
Twenty-five courses, including the seven foundation courses — the rest are yours to choose — with the multiple-choice review and the ten fill-in-the-blank questions in each unit.
Fifteen courses at the master’s level — the seven foundation courses plus eight of your choosing — adding the ten fill-in-the-blank questions and the written short-answer work in each unit.
Thirty courses at the master’s level, with the written work in each — the fullest preparation. The M.Div. has a 20-course required core: the seven foundation courses plus Hermeneutics, Language Appreciation, Genesis Intensive, Psalms, Matthew Intensive, Romans, Acts, Apologetics, Counseling, Administration & Leadership, Worship, Christian Education, and World Missions. The remaining ten courses are electives.
Certificate of Ministry — Progress & Certificate → M.Div. — Progress & Degree → Th.M. — Progress & Degree → Associate of Divinity — Progress & Diploma →
Earn Certificate and Associate Awards With Honors
Alongside the degrees above, every course has a Supplemental Reading Room — a curated shelf of works. Read any three in full and record it on your honor, and that class counts toward your degree being awarded with honors. Complete enough classes and you earn the With Honors distinction on the Certificate and Associate awards. Master’s students complete the required readings and their separate exams instead.
Open the Reading With Honors Page →Study Resources
Beyond each course’s reading room, we’ve gathered the best free resources for study and preaching — Strong’s concordances and Bible translations, apps that work offline with no internet, free video seminaries, sermon illustrations, and the Christian classics — all in one place, in English and Spanish.
Explore Study Resources →Register Here — for Every Course
Enter your name and choose your track — you only register once. Your progress is saved in this browser as you study, and kept with the seminary under your student code, so you can continue on any device. Email is optional. Add one so we can return your student code, send reminders, and deliver a certificate. You can enroll and keep studying without it.
Start a Study Group
Are you a pastor or church leader? Start a free CTS study group in your church or community. Members study together, and each one takes their own tests and earns their own certificate. If some members have no phone or email of their own, write to us and we will help.
Write to us about a group →How to Proceed
- Start with the foundation, and register. Open the first lesson of any of the seven foundation courses. Enter your name and select your track (Certificate, Associate, Th.M., or M.Div.) — saved automatically and carried across every course. The rest of the catalog unlocks once the seven foundation courses are complete.
- Study each unit in order. Read the lesson in English, Spanish, or French — use the language toggle on each page to switch at any time.
- Complete the review. Each unit ends with a multiple-choice review. Associate, Th.M. and M.Div. students also answer ten fill-in-the-blank questions, and Th.M. and M.Div. students ten short answers as well. Pass every part your track includes, at 90%, to unlock the next unit.
- Learn it, and try again if you need to. Our examinations are designed to help you learn, not to trick you. Our goal is mastery of the material. If you do not reach the required score on your first attempt, review the lesson and try again — after a short wait, you may retake an examination as many times as you need. We care more about what you eventually learn than about how many attempts it takes.
- Earn the certificate. When every unit is passed, the course certificate unlocks. On the M.Div. and Th.M. tracks, a course with a textbook or required readings is complete when its test is passed as well; Certificate and Associate students are not held by it. Enter your name and print or save it as a PDF.
- Keep your student code. Your progress is saved under your student code. Write it down — entering it on any device or browser brings your work back, so you can continue where you left off.
Course Catalog
Sixty-five courses, each complete, in English, Spanish, and French. Click any course to begin.
Bible Survey & Books
Theology, Doctrine & Discipleship
Preaching & Evangelism
Church & Pastoral Ministry
Biblical Languages
Pentecostal–Charismatic Electives
Baptist–Congregational Electives
Methodist–Wesleyan–Nazarene Electives
Reformed–Presbyterian Electives
Master's Textbooks
Each of our 45 core courses has a textbook and a separate required-reading test. Both tests are required for new M.Div. and Th.M. course completions after activation; valid earlier master’s completions remain valid. The books and tests are open to every student and optional for Certificate and Associate students.
Elective Textbooks
Textbooks for the denominational electives, listed as each is ready. Their textbook test is optional on every track.
Required Readings
All 45 core courses have assigned readings with their own test, separate from the textbook test. Pass each test separately. The optional honors reading attestation is a different activity. Textbooks and assigned readings for the 20 denominational electives are being prepared.
Elective Readings
Assigned readings for the denominational electives, listed as each is ready. Their reading test is optional on every track.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chapala Theological Seminary completely free?
Yes. Every course at Chapala Theological Seminary (CTS) is 100% free, with no tuition, fees, or hidden costs, for pastors and lay leaders anywhere in the world.
Where can I study seminary online for free?
Chapala Theological Seminary (CTS) is a free online seminary offering 65 complete self-study courses in English, Spanish, and French, in Bible, theology, preaching, pastoral ministry, counseling, and missions, with Certificate, Th.M., M.Div., and Associate of Divinity tracks — unlike sites that publish free theological articles or lectures but are not structured as an actual academic program.
What free seminary courses does CTS offer?
CTS offers 65 self-study courses across six volumes, covering biblical studies, theology, church history, and practical ministry — available in English, Spanish, and French.
What credentials can I earn?
Students can pursue a Certificate of Ministry (12 courses), an Associate of Divinity (25 courses), a Master of Theology, Th.M. (15 courses), or a Master of Divinity, M.Div. (30 courses). Every student studies the same teaching content and begins with the same seven foundation courses. The programs differ in the work required in each unit: the Certificate takes the multiple-choice review; the Associate adds fill-in-the-blank questions; the Th.M. and M.Div. add written short answers and, in courses that have them, a textbook or required-readings test. The M.Div. also requires a specific 20-course core.
Is CTS accredited?
No. CTS is not accredited. Its Certificate, Associate, Th.M. and M.Div. recognize ministry study completed at CTS; they are not official academic degrees. CTS is currently pursuing formal recognition as an educational institution in Mexico. The seminary’s teaching faculty have themselves taught theology at an advanced level, and CTS was built to bring that same rigor to pastors and lay leaders who cannot access traditional, accredited institutions — particularly where cost, location, or language are barriers.
Who is CTS for?
CTS was built primarily for pastors and lay leaders who lack access to traditional seminary education — including many in Cuba and Mexico, among other places — but the courses are open to anyone, anywhere, who wants free, serious theological training in English, Spanish, or French.
What theological perspective does CTS teach from?
CTS teaches from a non-denominational evangelical perspective while presenting differing views (such as Calvinist vs. Arminian, differing understandings of perseverance and security, and the major millennial positions) fairly and even-handedly rather than requiring one denominational system.
Is CTS Baptist?
No. CTS is non-denominational and is not affiliated with or presented as a Baptist institution.
In what languages is CTS available?
CTS teaches in English (NKJV), Spanish (RVG), and French (Louis Segond 1910).
Contact Us
If a certificate isn’t working, you run into any other problem, or you simply want to send a comment, we would be glad to hear from you. Write to us at info@chapalaseminary.org.