Q: Is it possible to Cornerstone School of Ministry if I attend another church (not Calvary Chapel Corvallis)?
A: Yes. By all means! We desire to build up believers wherever God has placed them. Our purpose is to build Christ’s Kingdom, not only one specific local church. Truly, we want to stress that our initiative is not to strengthen one local church but rather the whole Body of Christ. We trust that flavor comes across in our instruction and discussions in class. To this end, some of our teachers either attend or are members of other local churches as well. We are thankful for spiritual oversight, use of facilities and the financial accountability of Calvary Chapel Corvallis, without which we could not continue to offer these learning opportunities.

Q: Can I attend CSOM part-time?
A: Yes. Although we would relish the opportunity to have join our community of learning full-time, we understand you may have some other time and financial commitments. You may want to also take one class this Winter or Spring term to see if a year-long commitment is right for you in the coming school year.

Q: I cannot afford the tuition. Does CSOM offer scholarships?
A: Yes. We have a limited scholarship program based mostly on financial need. For a form, click here to go to the scholarships page. We have an application and an interview to qualify. Learn more about CSOM Financial Aid

Q: How much does tuition cost?
A: For full-time students tuition is $77 per credit hour; part-time students pay $80 per credit hour.

Q: Is Cornerstone accredited?
A: We are not accredited and have deliberately chosen to not seek that specific path. Our program is not meant to be an all-encompassing career preparation school, as if an alternative to secondary education (college). While our curriculum is college-level, taught by teachers who by and large are pursuing graduate degrees, it is not meant to be an alternative to a college degree. In the future we trust God to reveal His will if the school should seek accredidation both within the state of Oregon and regionally. We are not pursuing that path at this time.

Q: How long has Cornerstone been around?
A: The school began as a “pastor’s college” of sorts (at the time for men only) in 1998, as the School of Ministry of Calvary Chapel Corvallis. In 2000 the school was opened more widely to both men and women and aimed at training Christians to be servant-leaders in Christ’s Kingdom. In the Fall of 2004 the name change to Cornerstone was made, with a season of exploration into if Cornerstone would become a Bible College. The decision was made over the ensuing months to remain a one-year ministry training school: Cornerstone School of Ministry.

Students have become missionaries, pastors, sunday school leaders, teachers, homemakers, businessmen and businesswomen, and virtually left their mark in nearly every field imaginable. We seek to make room for God to do His leading as the creative Sovereign of the universe. As a loving Father, He will direct the willing son or daughter into His perfect will. Building a deeper foundation in God’s Word, and providing a platform to learn life and ministry skills in a healthy grace-filled environment has always been a primary focus of the school.

Q: I just got saved? Would CSOM be a good fit for me?
A: We believe so. The specifics of your calling in life we will leave up for you and God. The students who attend CSOM have various degrees of spiritual maturity. Some have been saved for only a short time; others have walked with Christ for years. The great part about our Christian walk is that we never “arrive.” And it seems like we’ve only “just begun.” It is a trajectory of godliness, ever growing and becoming more inwardly righteous, by the Spirit, into the image of Christ. On this journey we want to be God’s children like Abraham who “by faith … went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). He has the plan. Follow Him and He will guide your path.

Q: I’ve been a Christian for a long-time; would CSOM be a good fit for me?
A: We believe so. Again, the specifics of your calling in life we will leave up for you and God. Our teaching is college-level and meant to both challenge the learned and train those who are less mature in understanding the Christian faith. Each year we have students from various life situations and God meets each one of them on the path and does His work in and through them.

Q: Can I still attend college (OSU/LBCC) at the same time as CSOM?
A: Yes, but in that case we do not recommend enrolling in the full-time CSOM program. The human mind has a vast ability to comprehend many subjects, but two full-time school programs at once would surely be overload. We desire for you to get the most out of the CSOM. Squeezing too much into one 9-month period would be robbing God, the other students, those you will be ministering to, and yourself. This is also true of working too much, which leads us to our next question …

Q: How many hours do you recommend I work while attending CSOM?
A: A few of the students hold full-time jobs (and have a spouse and children!). Needless to say, for them, this year has been one of diligence, hard work, and often, sleeplessness. The workload at the CSOM, while being college-level, is not insurmountable. But working every day not in school and each afternoon after class would likely lead a student to be exhausted, unfocused and not ready for all God desires to do in and through them. We suggest budgeting to work 15-20 hours a week. If you plan on working more, talk to the leadership to get our input and pray about God’s provision.

Have a question we did not answer? Drop us an email at info@CornerstoneSOM.org.