What is SBS?
The School of Biblical Studies, or SBS for short, is a nine-month program for students who want to deepen their understanding of the Bible and who want to learn how to discover and apply God's truths from this ancient collection of books to our present-day society. During the school you will read the Bible at least five times and study each book of the Bible: learning how to interpret, explaining the meaning, and applying this to your own lives.
Why should you do an SBS?
The Bible is the foundation of our faith, yet we all struggle at times to understand what this book is all about. It is easy to miss God's love in the Old Testament or to feel lost in the deep and impactful theologies of the New Testament. During the SBS we read and study the Bible together and go through the entire Bible more than five time as you discover for yourself what shapes our beliefs as followers of Christ.
This school will give you a solid Biblical foundation that will impact your life and will serve you well, whether you continue in ministry, want to study or will work.
Studying the Bible in Amsterdam
Our SBS is located in the heart of Amsterdam, where you will join a community of passionate Christians who are called to serve in Amsterdam and Europe. Here we spend most of our time studying the Bible, but living and studying in Amsterdam also means that we have a unique chance to explore how the Bible shaped our culture and society through Interactions.
Our Interactions focus on showing how the Bible shaped Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Europe through relevant examples, illustrations or cases. Some examples include exploring Rembrandt's and Van Gogh's Biblical worldview through their art, the Amsterdam slavery tour, visiting the International Court of Justice in The Hague, meeting with a Christian politician, a reformation tour and many more. Through these we will emphasize the importance of a Biblical worldview as we go from the garden of Eden in the past, the city of Amsterdam in the present and The New Jerusalem as our hope for the future.
Course Information
Prerequisites
Discipleship Training School with YWAM
Dates
September 18 2024 - July 4 2025
Languages
English*
This includes lectures, studies, and homework
*If you have any questions or concerns about your English proficiency then please feel free to contact us. We would love to help you figure out what might be the best school for you.
Dates
Cost
T.B.A.
Tuition fees, food, and housing included
More information
Click here if you would like to download our information package
School of Biblical Studies
Discipleship in our SBS
A common concern about SBS is that because the program can be intense academically and require self-study for a large portion of the week, then it can often feel like the SBS is merely just teaching head knowledge.
This, however, is not the goal or intention of the SBS. Our vision in Amsterdam is to not learn merely about God but to get to personally know Him as you are discipled by the Holy Spirit as you study God’s story but also discipled by those around you in our community. If studying God’s word doesn’t lead us to worship Him, if it doesn’t lead to us growing deeper in love or reverence for him, then it is all in vain. This is the last thing we want here in Amsterdam. Because of this, we have added several things to our school to create more space for discipleship throughout the school year. This includes:
Ministry
We believe that it is crucial to read and study the Bible not only for you to be blessed in your relationship with God but ultimately for you to be a blessing to others as you get to share your relationship with God with others. Because of this, we plan to join YWAM Amsterdam’s different ministries once a week.
Weekly small group times
We believe that we are incredibly blessed to be able to study the Bible in community. This allows us to not only learn from one another but also team up with each other as they are on their journey of getting to discover God’s truth.
Training in learning how to teach and lead small groups
We believe that we are incredibly blessed to know the good news found in God’s Word, therefore we should look to be a blessing to others as we can share the good news of joy and freedom found in his Word. Because of this, we have created a couple of activities to help students to learn how to share what they have learned from the Bible with others. This includes practicing how to teach, preach, and lead small groups.
Accreditation
Three individually accredited semesters for the University of the Nations
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Citizens from the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland: If you are from one of these nations then you do not need to apply for a visa to attend. Therefore, your deadline for SBS in Amsterdam is September 4, 2024
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Citizens from nations with a work-holiday program: Citizens from Canada, Australia, Argentina, South-Korea, Hong-Kong and New Zealand, aged between 18 and 30 years, can come on a Working Holiday Program. This visa is can normally be processed and received very easily. Therefore the deadline to apply for SBS in Amsterdam is September 4, 2024
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Citizens from the USA, or citizens of category 2 but are above the age of 30: Citizens from these nations will need to apply for a work permit in order to stay beyond 3 months in the Netherlands. Because of how long this takes too receive the permit, we recommend that you apply for SBS in Amsterdam by June 1, 2024. This gives you enough time to receive your visa before arriving in the Netherlands. If you are still interested in applying but have missed this date, then still apply and we can see if you can arrive on a different visa and then switch to a work permit while being here.
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All other nations: If you are not from one of the nations listed in the 3 categories above, then your visa application process is longer and therefore your deadline is much earlier. Because of this, your deadline is March 1, 2024.