A five-phase, accredited leadership academy for the next generation of ministry leaders in Hampton Roads.
5
Accredited Phases
4 yrs
To Bachelor's + Residency
100%
Onsite Practicum
90%
Students Receive Scholarship
"A church does not rise higher than the leaders it raises."
For the past several years, our community at One City Church has watched God do something unmistakable — He has been calling out leaders. Pastors. Marketplace influencers. Worship leaders. Missionaries. The OCLA is our answer to that calling.
Pastor Jared Fabac
Lead Pastor, One City Church · President, OCLA
Our Vision
One City Leadership Academy exists to raise leaders who are Spirit-empowered, scholarship-supported, and shaped by the local church — not produced in isolation, but formed in the soil of real ministry.
We have partnered with Ascent College, an ABHE-accredited institution, to deliver a hybrid leadership pathway that combines weekly onsite formation at One City with rigorous, accredited coursework delivered online by practitioner-scholars.
Our Mission
OCLA exists to equip people to lead like Jesus and transform the world around them — in their homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and the broader Hampton Roads community.
Our Approach
Anchored in Pastor Jared's Leading Lazarus framework, we form leaders who hold grace and truth simultaneously — building empowered cultures where both people and performance flourish.
Our Outcome
Every graduate completes onsite practicum at One City Church and is prepared to be sent into ministry, marketplace, missions, or church-planting placements with confidence.
Five Competency Outcomes — Every OCLA Graduate
Scripturally Grounded
Spirit-Empowered
Skillful Multipliers
Sowers of Generosity
Sent Into the World
The OCLA Difference
OCLA is not another bible school. It is a leadership pipeline — designed specifically for the local church, accredited by Ascent College, and built around the rhythm of One City. Students never leave the community that called them.
01
Every phase combines accredited online coursework with weekly, in-person formation at One City. Students don't sacrifice rigor for community — they get both.
02
100% of practicum hours happen at One City Church. Students lead, serve, fail, recover, and grow inside the very ministry environment they are being prepared to serve.
03
Ascent's faculty are not theorists. They are credentialed pastors and ministry leaders with graduate degrees who have built what they teach.
04
Every student qualifies for Partner Site scholarship (25% off), and most stack 25%–50% institutional aid before FAFSA. Our goal is graduates who finish debt-free.
05
From an 8-week onboarding cohort to a 4-year degree and a ministry residency — OCLA is one continuous pipeline. No starting over. No transferring out.
06
Phase I is built on the Leading Lazarus framework — eight proven leadership tools tested in churches, businesses, and nonprofits across Hampton Roads.
The Journey
The OCLA pathway moves a leader from an 8-week onboarding cohort to a fully credentialed bachelor's degree and ministry residency. Select a phase below to explore it in detail.
Phase I · Onboarding Cohort
The onboarding cohort that turns leaders into culture-shapers.
Duration
8 Weeks · 40 Days of daily practice
Format
Weekly onsite cohort at One City · Daily devotionals + frameworks
Eligibility
Open to all approved One City leaders. Required for ALL OCLA candidates.
Program Summary
Phase I is built on Leading Lazarus — the eight-framework leadership system authored by Pastor Jared Fabac and tested in churches, businesses, and nonprofits across every industry. Grounded in Jesus' model of leading with grace and truth simultaneously, this 8-week cohort moves candidates through scripture, reflection, prayer, and battle-tested frameworks.
Outcomes You'll Gain
The 8 Frameworks / 40 Days
Next: Phase II — Diploma in Ministry Leadership
Admissions Pathways
Your pathway is determined during the application process. Every candidate is personally informed of their placement track when their admission decision is delivered.
Pathway A
No prior degree or ministry experience
Begin at Phase I and progress through all five phases. The full OCLA experience.
Pathway B
Degree in a non-ministry field, limited ministry experience
Complete Phase I and II to build the ministry foundation, then move directly into the Residency.
Pathway C
Candidates with an associate's degree
Complete Phase I, then apply directly to Phase IV. Phases II and III may be waived.
Pathway D
Candidates with a bachelor's degree
Complete Phase I, then apply directly to Phase V Residency. Move quickly into placement.
Credentialed
Every degree credential is issued by Ascent College — giving our students accredited education that transfers, qualifies for federal financial aid, and is recognized for ministry credentialing.
18
Accredited academic programs
65
Faculty practitioner-scholars
25–50%
Institutional scholarships before FAFSA
Title IV
Federal Financial Aid approved
Delivered as One City Leadership Academy
All degrees credentialed by Ascent College
The Investment
OCLA is committed to graduating ministry leaders with little or no debt. Every student qualifies for the Partner Site Scholarship — and most stack 25%–50% in institutional scholarships before applying federal financial aid.
Sticker Price · 2026/27
$400 / credit hr
$12,000 / year
After Scholarships
$6K–$9K
Per year — before FAFSA
Scholarships Available
Partner Site Church
All OCLA students at One City qualify.
Pastor / Missionary
Credentialed pastors and missionaries.
Child of Pastor / Missionary
Age 25 or under.
Spouse of a Pastor
Spouses of credentialed ministers.
Married College Students
For one spouse; both must be enrolled.
55+ Scholarship
Students age 55 or older.
Presidential Scholarship
Cumulative GPA of 3.8+.
Merit Scholarship
Cumulative GPA of 3.5–3.79.
Women's Leadership
Enrolled in cohort classes.
Dream Scholarship
FAFSA + financial circumstances.
Formation Happens Here
Every accredited practicum in the OCLA pathway is completed onsite at One City Church. This is not an internship arranged elsewhere. It is real ministry, in real time, inside the community that called the leader.
16 Weeks
Per practicum course
8 hrs/wk
Serving in local ministry
3 Credits
Each, fully accredited
4 Total
Through the Bachelor's degree
Application Process
Your journey starts with one step. We'll walk the rest with you.
01
Submit your OCLA application at One City. Share your story, calling, and which pathway fits you best. The OCLA team will follow up within five business days.
02
A guided conversation with the OCLA team to walk through your application, clarify your calling, and confirm the right pathway and entry phase for you.
03
Meet with One City's pastoral team for relational interviews and complete leadership and spiritual-formation assessments that shape your development plan.
04
Final review by OCLA leadership. Approved candidates receive their acceptance, cohort assignment, and scholarship determination.
05
Step into Phase I (Leading Lazarus) at the next available cohort start and begin the next chapter of your leadership.
Cohort Start Dates · 2026
Aug
Fall A
Oct
Fall B
Jan
Spring A
Mar
Spring B
May
Summer A
Jul
Summer B
What's Next
In the next decade, we believe God is going to raise from One City a generation of leaders who change Hampton Roads — and beyond. The classroom is our church. The teacher is the Holy Spirit.
This is our moment. Let's build it together.