To See Biblical Christianity Take Root in Johannesburg
Rosebank Union Church School of the Bible
The RUC School of the Bible aims to help Christians know, understand and apply the Scriptures to their daily lives.
This is no simple task! The Bible is a majestic collection of sixty-six divinely-inspired, yet humanly-authored books, spanning a millennium and a half, and comprising narrative, poetry, song, annals, genealogy, lament, law, letter, testament, wisdom, history, teaching and prophecy, all of which coheres around the storyline of Jesus the Messiah!
Continuous immersion in the Scriptures is therefore a thrilling exercise at the least, not to mention being the prescribed way that believers will grow in their faith.
The School of the Bible will assist believers at any stage of their Christian journey, whether you are building your foundation of faith, or building on it.
The outcome of these courses is therefore not for any formal accreditation or training in vocational ministry (there are other Bible and Theological Colleges that do that!), but rather to equip Christians in the context of their daily lives.
There are three tracks on offer at the School of the Bible for 2026:
Systemic Theology
The study of various biblical doctrines.
Biblical Theology
The study of books of the Bible.
Practical Theology
The study of theology in practice.
There are various courses on offer in each track, and students can pick & choose courses from the tracks as they wish, and as time permits.
2026 Courses
All classes will run from 19:00-21:00 on Monday evenings at RUC
In-Depth studies
Fundamentals of the Faith
Track: Systemic Theology
2 Feb – 27 Apr 2026 OR
24 Aug – 23 Nov 2026
Accreditation: None, but students will work through a participants guide, which will include written exercises.
Lecturer: Zwai Zulu
Fundamentals of the Faith is a 13-week course designed to ground you in the essential truths of Christianity. Through a blend of biblical teaching and practical application, this course covers topics such as the character of God, the person and work of Christ, and what it means to live as a disciple of Jesus.
Whether you are a new believer seeking to deepen your understanding or simply looking to revisit the foundations of your faith, this study provides a solid framework for spiritual growth. Classes are held every Monday evening, with groups meeting to explore these truths in a personal and interactive way.
Overview of the Bible
Track: Biblical Theology
2 Feb – 23 Nov 2026
(with holiday breaks)
Accreditation: None, but voluntary exercises and assignments will be made available. Participation is highly encouraged!
Lecturer: Megan Braithwaite
Over the course of ten months students will gain an overview of every book of the Bible. The course starts with a three-week block exploring the over-arching narrative of Scripture and its key themes, as well as the historical and cultural settings of the Bible.
Thereafter the student will move sequentially through the canon of Scripture gaining insight into the general content, themes and contribution to the overall storyline.
Students can choose to participate only in certain sections of the course if need be (i.e. students don’t have to commit to the whole year, although that would be more beneficial)
Immersive study of Isaiah
Track: Biblical Theology
9 Mar – 23 Nov 2026
(with holiday breaks)
Accreditation: None, but weekly self-study of the following weeks’ texts will be encouraged.
Lecturer: Michael Van Andel
Isaiah is the current major book being preached at RUC, though this course will explore the prophet in greater depth, and equip students to be better readers of biblical texts. In part, this will involve learning to see the structure and flow of passages and reflecting on how to apply the Hebrew Bible to our lives today. The goal of this is to know God more deeply by knowing his word, and to strive to live lives that are more pleasing in his eyes.
Along with working through the text carefully and unpacking major themes and emphases, we will consider how Isaiah prophecies events that stretch to the final days of this world, and beyond. Isaiah is one of the two books from the Hebrew Bible that the New Testament quotes most frequently, so we will look at how the New Testament uses Isaiah as well as explore various Messianic prophecies that stretch across both his first coming and his return.
short courses
Faith @ Work
Track: Practical Theology
2 Feb – 16 Feb 2026 (3 weeks)
Facilitator: Murray Brown
For many people, work is simply a means to an end. However, we spend roughly a third of our adult lives at work! This means there must be a greater purpose to our vocations than simply providing financial support.
This is what this short course will do: explore our kingdom purpose in the workplace. Using Timothy Keller’s ‘Every Good Endeavour’ participants will find greater meaning in their work, and learn how to be ‘Salt & Light’ (Matthew 5:13-16) in this major area of our lives.
The Marriage Course
Track: Practical Theology
2 – 30 Mar 2026 OR
12 Oct – 9 Nov 2026 (5 weeks)
Facilitator: Kerry Sinclaire
Marriage is an institution that represents the relationship Christ has with his Church (Ephesians 5:31-32) and is thus endued with the greatest possible dignity & purpose. However, as any couple who has been married longer than a few months knows, this is not always obvious, nor the experienced daily reality!
This practical course will involve teaching on marriage that will help couples orient their relationship according to God’s purpose for marriage. Some of the topics that will be discussed are Foundations of marriage; Conflict and communication, Stewardship; Intimacy and leaving and cleaving as well as Prayer in our marriage. There will be an opportunity to have a meal together, “Date night” where you can start to discuss some of the teachings and how that applies to your own marriage.
There will also be testimonies and practical insights from other couples in our church that will ensure practical application of the teaching.
The Faith Journey
Track: Practical Theology
11 – 25 May 2026 (3 weeks)
Facilitator: Richard van Lieshout
This short & simple course explores the basic principles of the personal faith journey. This is aimed at those exploring the Christian faith, new to Christianity, or perhaps even those looking for a refresher on these basic building blocks.
Over the three weeks participants will:
- Get the Gospel
- Get Growing
- Get Going
Topics like Bible reading, prayer, the role of serving & community will be explored.
Sharing Your Faith
Track: Practical Theology
8 – 22 June 2026 (3 weeks)
Facilitator: TBC
The subject of personal evangelism is daunting to most Christians, especially in our secular culture. However, we realise that being a personal witness to Jesus and his kingdom is fundamental to our purpose as believers.
This course is designed to not only help us understand this purpose, but also equip & encourage us to be able to share our faith with friends, family, co-workers and our community.
Personal Disciple-Making
Track: Practical Theology
27 Jul – 10 Aug 2026 (3 weeks)
Facilitator: Caroline Mandlein & Zwai Zulu
‘Making Disciples’ is the core of our Great Commission as followers of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20), and therefore a lifelong purpose & practice. Personal disciple-making is something that
is done on a deeply personal level, over a long period of time, but within the larger community of discipleship (i.e. the church!).
This course explores the principles & basic practices of personal disciple-making, and will enable believers to facilitate meaningful discipleship relationships in their lives.
Subsequent to the course, participants will have access to ongoing coaching & mentoring as they begin their journey of discipling others.
Formed by Faith or Feed
Track: Practical Theology
24 Aug – 7 Sep 2026 (3 weeks)
Facilitator: Ansuné Schoeman & Zwai Zulu
The rise of the digital age, and associated media & social media platforms, has created significant challenges in our spiritual formation. While technology and technological development
is not inherently harmful, the appropriate use of the digital space in a Christian’s life has to be carefully discerned and appropriately limited.
This course will discuss these challenges, and provide practical solutions for healthy engagement in the digital world. The course will also discuss these challenges as it pertains to parenting & family life.
A Biblical Perspective on Gender & Sexuality
Track: Practical Theology
14 – 28 Sep 2026 (3 weeks)
Facilitator: Richard van Lieshout
One of the biggest clashes between a Christian & Secular worldview of late is the around the subject of gender & sexuality. Understanding this topic from a Biblical perspective requires careful study of key scriptures, as well as clear reflection on major topics & themes of the Bible.
This course will do exactly that, whilst aiming to equip Christians to be sensitive & pastorally effective in engaging with this subject in their homes, workplace and community.
Venue allocations will be according to class size, emails with details will be sent to all registered students
* The cost for all our short courses is R400, while the longer courses are R800 per semester (see the above details for cost for each course).
This covers the costs of tuition, materials, facilities and refreshments. Semester based courses run four semesters over the course of the year.
Our lecturers may also recommend further reading, which will be at the student’s own expense.
Bursaries are available, so please contact us to apply. We don’t want any interested student not to have the opportunity to study due to financial constraints!
Faculty
Zwai Zulu
Zwai is the Pastor of Discipleship at Rosebank Union Church, where he has served as Pastor for five years. He has a bachelors degree in Theology, with special interest in teaching and discipleship. Zwai served as a Director of Campus Outreach for 9 years prior to joining the staff at RUC
Megan Braithwaite
Megan has a Masters of Theology and is currently completing her PhD in Bible Translation. Having lectured at the Baptist Theological College for 13 years, she is currently serving the global church through various organisations such as the Lausanne Movement, Re-Forma, and Wycliffe.
Michael Van Andel
Michael is a founder of Truthwalk - a biblical discipleship ministry that seeks to encourage the equipping and training of all believers, including leaders in both suburban and township contexts. Michael is passionate about helping people grow in their knowledge and application of God’s Word, irrespective of their starting points, so they can more effectively serve God where He has placed them. At present, Michael is furthering his studies in Biblical Greek and Classical Hebrew through the Polis Institute in Jerusalem.
Murray Brown
Kerry Sinclaire
Richard van Lieshout
Caroline Mandlein
Ansuné Schoeman
ONLINE LEARNING
A similar overview of the Bible Course (called ‘Theology 101’) was presented by Dr Gerhard Venter, then Discipleship Pastor at RUC, under the banner of ‘Rosebank Bible College’.
These lectures are freely available here
REGISTER
To register for one of our courses please fill out the form below:
The cost for all our short courses is R400, while the longer courses are R800 per semester (see the above details for cost for each course). This covers the costs of tuition, materials, facilities and refreshments.
Our lecturers may also recommend further reading, which will be at the student’s own expense.
Bursaries are available, so please contact us here to apply. We don’t want any interested student not to have the opportunity to study due to financial constraints!
For any queries please contact us