COPP
History
The Certificate of Progress (COP) Program, organized at the Sunday School Publishing Board in October 1937, is designed to produce qualified church leaders that will lead church members into the twenty-first century. National Baptist members are in dire need of gaining biblical knowledge for training and for acquiring profound experiences that will shape their growth and development. The COP Program has an impact on church leaders as they interact with other members in the community of faith.
Dr. Marshall A. Talley has been credited as the person that instituted the CERTIFICATE OF PROGRESS PROGRAM. The COP Program was organized on a five-year trial basis. Between the years 1939 and 1953, boards of Christian Education were implemented in local churches, and advanced studies were added to the curriculum. The certificate of achievement was awarded to those students who exceeded the requirements of the COP Program and who had advanced in studies beyond its scope.
In 1978, Dr. Amos Jones, Jr., newly named director of the Christian Education Department of the Sunday School Publishing Board, undertook the leadership of the COP Program to take it to heights previously unknown in the National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. During Dr. Jones' administration, certification of leadership education schools was established at all levels of convention work. The certification of deans and instructors was implemented as a part of the department's work.
Eventually, the idea for increasing and nurturing new standards led to the expansion of the curriculum and changes in the entire format of the certification process. With these ideas in mind, Dr. Jones recreated the four-phase Certificate of Progress Program. He challenged the Christian educators of this convention by requiring more writing assignments, course cards and course evaluations for successful completion of each class.
Objectives
The objectives of the Certificate of Progress Program, which are the same as those introduced by Dr. Talley in
1939, are:
1. To increase biblical knowledge;
2. To create an understanding of the Baptist church;
3. To provide an educational structure that will develop candidates qualified for teaching and leadership positions;
4. To provide incentives for the candidate to complete the program;
5. To produce trained church leaders.
Persons currently enrolled in the COP Program are challenged to meet new objectives and to prepare their skills for teaching.
Policies and Procedures
Persons wishing to enter the Certificate of Progress Program must follow specific procedures for
enrollment:
1. Participant must complete and submit application.
2. Participant must have a Dean of Record. The Dean of Record is responsible for giving guidance to the COPP applicant
throughout the program. All applications, assignments and forms for COPP should be submitted to the Dean of Record.
The Dean of Record will communicate with participants and forward all correspondence to the Department of Christian
Education in Nashville.
3. Participant should purchase the 2003 edition of the Student Handbook. This manual may be purchased from the Sunday
School Publishing Board or a local Christian bookstore that carries materials from the SSPB.
4. Subscribe to the Christian Education Informer, a Christian educational journal published quarterly by the Christian
Education Department of the Sunday School Publishing Board.
5. If an enrollee has received any religious credits from colleges, universities or seminaries, submit this validated information
to the COP Program office for evaluation and possible substitution for required courses listed in the COP Program.
6. Insure that all applications for each of the four phases have the required signatures from the candidate, local minister and
a local dean.