Conscious Connections, 3124 Lariat Ridge Dr, Wake Forest, NC 27587, US

Apex School of Theology was founded in 1995 as Apex Academy School of Religion and later changed its name to Apex School of Theology (ASOT). The school was founded by the Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Perkins at the historic Apex First Baptist, NC Apex, where he is the pastor. ASOT outgrew the church facilities and moved to 5104 Revere Road, Durham, NC in 2002. In 2006, the school relocated to the heart of Research Triangle Park, 2945 South Miami Boulevard, Suite 114, Durham, NC. Apex is approved to offer its degree programs on campus and online by Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, (TRACS), located in Forest, Virginia, which is accredited by the United States Department of Education. Apex offers Federal Pell Grants, Federal loans, Veterans Administration Educational Benefits, Presidential Scholarships, and interest-free payment plans to qualified students. The school also offers the Master of Arts in Christian Counseling and Doctor of Ministry Degrees, which are being required by Christian professionals across the nation. Apex is one of the few private, freestanding theological undergraduate and graduate schools to offer its degree programs online. There are a number of excellent religious and divinity schools in the North Carolina Research Triangle Park area. However, several reasons motivated the founding of ASOT: To reach and serve area clergy who wanted formal theological training, and to meet the educational needs of lay leaders in the faith community who could not afford the tuition of other seminaries. Our students are from a number of denominations in the faith community. They serve small, medium, and large churches as pastors, Christian educators, teachers, chaplains, and nursing/rest home providers of ministry. Many of them are bright and brilliant adult learners who are destined to use the training they receive here to enlarge the Kingdom of God in the earth (Matthew 6: 10). ASOT provides them an opportunity to fulfill their "call" to Christian service. Our motto is "Training Church Leaders for the 21st Century." The faculty and staff of ASOT have benefited from the faith community and we serve here at a minimal stipend as a way of giving back something to the community that nurtured us. This is how we keep the tuition affordable for those who wish to receive a Christian-based education from an accredited school. We achieved accreditation with all of its cost while holding tuition at a bare minimum. Most of our staff and faculty have been here from the beginning and there is a long list of qualified people who wish to be associated with ASOT. All of our faculty members have either a master's or terminal degree from an accredited institution. Our students are serving in many capacities in the faith community. A formal education allows them to sharpen their skills and/or learn new skills. We believe we have been effective in filling our niche in theological education. Apex School of Theology offers Distance Education (ApexDE). Through ApexDE, you can earn your theological degree 100% online. You can complete your coursework at your own convenience. Apex has articulation agreements with Seminary Extension of the Southern Baptist Convention and several other educational institutions. ApexDE offers students the opportunity to acquire the same levels of knowledge and competencies as those students completing its regular on-campus degree programs. Programs that we offer on-campus and online are: (Associate Degree in Christian Education, Bachelor of Theology, Master of Christian Education, Master of Arts in Christian Counseling, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry Degrees). Off-campus extension continuing education programs, independent study programs, and life-long learning opportunities are also available. The Doctor of Ministry Program was approved and started in January 2008. The program is designed to enhance ministry skills of practicing clergy-persons in areas of Christian ministry.