Are you starting an MDIV?
Do you want to ace Greek in seminary and keep your Greek for life?
Here's how you can do it!
🚨 Of the few people who learn New Testament Greek, most never master it.
🚨 In fact, most people abandon their Greek right after seminary.
✅ There is a way to succeed, on this page learn:
- Why seminary graduates never master Greek
- Why you should start mastering Greek before seminary
- How you can master New Testament Greek
☹️ Why Seminary Grads Never Master Greek
Many people want to learn NT Greek. But everyday christians, seminary students and even pastors never fulfil this goal. They get tripped up on common problems…
1). They Don’t Have a Step-by-Step Plan
If you don’t have a beginning to end, step by step plan, you will never know how well you are progressing. You will always be confused about what to learn next, and you might miss core details about the language.
Unfortunately, after you have gone through beginning and intermediate Greek courses at seminary, you will have limited vocabulary, you can’t actually read the GNT, and so you don’t have a clear way to progress your reading skills.
Some estimate that 90% of seminarian’s lose their Greek after an MDIV.
2). They Burn Out on Memorization
If you use a beginning Greek grammar to learn Greek you WILL be memorizing words and ‘paradigms,’ which reflect the inflections of Greek words. These are great training wheels for the language. Unfortunately, most grammars do not offer support for you to learn these charts of Greek endings. Without good support from your learning materials you can easily burn out and give up.
3). They Get Overwhelmed by the Intensity of Seminary Pacing
Most grammars are designed for seminary environments. This means that the lesson content is compressed into a handy number of chapters to fit in with a semester. But for you, the student using the grammar, trying to learn with that compression of information is like drinking from a fire hydrant! There are better ways to structure a beginning Greek grammar. You can learn Greek in smaller, bite sized steps, at a longer manageable pace.
Dr. Darryl Burling
Darryl created Biblical Mastery Academy to provide a better way for everyday people to learn the original languages of the Bible. With a mission to help ordinary, busy people read and study the Bible in biblical Greek and Hebrew, Biblical Mastery Academy has attracted hundreds of members into a thriving community.
Along with a staff of experienced Greek and Hebrew instructors, Biblical Mastery Academy is ready to provide you a better outcome for your Greek studies. Not just Greek to pass seminary, but Greek for life.
Without a step by step plan, the right resources to help with learning, and a manageable pace of information, most seminary students never master and maintain their Greek.
Biblical Mastery Academy offers an alternative to rushed seminary Greek programs. In the Greek Mastery Membership we will provide you with accredited Beginning Greek classes that set you up for a lifetime of reading and studying Greek.
In 60 bite sized lessons, with the support of instructors, fellow students, and a myriad of resources, you can complete your seminary’s Beginning Greek prerequisite. More importantly, you can become a lifetime master of New Testament Greek.
I don't think Mounce had been bettered until Darryl's Small Step process. Darryl's course includes more essential detail, and also, where there is extra detail, it is to remove the confusion present in other Beginning Greek grammars.
Completed reading the entire GNT with Biblical Mastery Academy
🕒 Why you should begin to master Greek before seminary
Step into the future for a moment.
It’s a morning before your seminary classes, time for a devotional. You pick up your Greek New Testament and read through 1 John in Greek, with no helps from lexicons or interlinears.
You go to class, but instead of taking Greek I & II with the rest of your cohorts, you’ve been let straight into a Greek exegesis course, saving an elective for something you’re passionate about.
In this class, people are struggling to read from Greek, they can do the exegesis okay, but have to pick through the text, decoding it while looking in a lexicon.
You however, have already learned the words for the passage your class is reading through, it makes it easy to follow the flow of the biblical authors argument.
You’re taking more advanced Greek classes, and making the most out of your time at seminary. The scriptures are opening up before you as your skill with the language compounds.
You can have an experience with Greek like this at seminary.
But you need to start mastering Greek now.
If you take Beginning Greek in Small Steps, you can learn the skills of mastering the language, before you go to seminary.
While your classmates try desperately to cram words and concepts, you can know the power of consistency, and have the habits to learn the language.
Do you want to make advanced seminary Greek manageable, and enjoyable? Start learning Greek now!
🪧 How to master New Testament Greek with Small Steps
We’ve simplified learning Biblical Greek.
Beginning Greek In Small Steps is designed for busy people with jobs, families, and ministry responsibilities.
Beginning Greek in Small Steps expects you to have no knowledge of grammar, but anticipates that your goal is to read and study the Greek New Testament.
That means before you even start seminary, you will have read from three New Testament epistles in Greek, and have the vocabulary to read much more.
Hit seminary ready for advanced Greek classes.
Want a step by step plan? Take these Small, Consistent Steps!
Where most grammars pack everything into 36 or even 24 hefty chapters, Beginning Greek in Small Steps breaks solid explanations and details of Greek into 60 small lessons that are designed to be completed in around 30 minutes each day (exact time required varies between individuals).
Each lesson introduces one or two main ideas with clear explanations, clarity on what you need to know, and lessons to help you learn, review, and practice what you’ve learned to this point.
Designed with complete beginners in mind
Most of us don’t have a very good handle on grammar. Beginning Greek in Small Steps provides you with a clear explanation of what you already know about English first. Then we use that to explain new concepts that map to this in Greek.
Start with zero knowledge of Greek. Get everything you need as you need it.
Want your Greek to last? Designed for Reading Greek
Colleges and seminaries focus on teaching students to do exegesis. It’s assumed reading is too hard. But reading is the foundation for good exegesis! Without the ability to read, students are likely to lose their Greek.
Beginning Greek in Small Steps uses the last three lessons to help you move from translation to reading. Then, you can be propelled into our comprehensive system for mastering each book of the Greek New Testament.
Let’s make this clear, after Beginning Greek in Small Steps, you can just keep following the same system and learn to read and study every single book of the Greek New Testament, from easiest to hardest.
Hundreds of Biblical Mastery Academy’s Greek Mastery Members are working their way through books of the GNT right now. You can be learning one new book in NT Greek about every two months.
Don’t wait for seminary Greek. Start your journey now!
Compare that with your common seminary pathway where you simply learn exegesis to tick a box – Do you want your prerequisite box ticked AND to read New Testament Greek for the rest of your life? Then take Beginning Greek in Small Steps!
You can start acing Greek right now, or learn more...
Watch the Beginning Greek in Small Steps Introduction Call
Learn more about how you can ace Greek before seminary in this live lesson call recording.
In this video:
✅ Clarity on how Biblical Mastery Academy helps you study the Bible with Greek—even as a busy adult
✅ A guided tour of the course structure, support system, and learning tools
✅ Motivation tips for sticking with Greek, even if you’ve struggled before
✅ Practical strategies to fit Greek into your weekly rhythm—no exams, no pressure
✅ A Christ-centered vision for how Greek can transform your Bible reading and deepen your walk with God
"I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this in-house developed BMA course in terms of pace, content, and format."
FAQ
What will I learn in the Beginning Greek in Small Steps Course?
Beginning Greek in Small Steps is comprised of five parts, each containing four modules or twelve lessons (three lessons per module).
At the end of each part, there is a review (including a short quiz) to enable you to review how far you’ve come and consolidate what you’ve learned before moving on.
Part 1 explains the basics of sentence structure, starting with the alphabet, how English works in comparison to Greek. We’ll also introduce you to the basics of Greek verbs and the worker verb form along with the basics of Greek nouns in various cases.
Module 1: Symbols and Sounds
- The Greek Alphabet
- Pronouncing Words
- Learning Vocabulary
Module 2: Basic Sentence Structure
- Simple Building Blocks
- Types of Verbs and Person
- Number and Predicates
- Bonus: How to Build the Grammar in Logos
3. Aorist Verbs
- Time and Aspect
- Aorist Tense Forms
- Contractions
- Bonus: How to use Mounce’s Morphology of Biblical Greek
4. Genitive and Dative
- The Genitive Case
- The Dative Case
- Other Noun Endings
Part 2 expands on what you learned in part 1 by adding present verb along with second aorist verbs. You’ll also learn the major sentence modifiers such as pronouns and prepositions.
Module 5: How Verb Roots Change
- Present Verb Forms
- Root Variations
- Second Aorist Verbs
Module 6: Pronouns
- Personal Pronouns
- Demonstrative Pronouns
- Other Pronouns
Module 7: Prepositions
- Single Case Prepositions
- Two and Three Case Prepositions
- Improper Prepositions and Compound Verbs
Module 8: Imperfect and Relative Pronouns
- Imperfect Verbs
- Relative Pronouns
- Relative Clauses and Indefinite Relative Pronouns
In part 3, we fill out your knowledge of verbs, nouns, and modifiers by explaining the verb voices and third declension.
Module 9: The Third Declension
- Third Declension Nouns
- Third Declension Pronouns
- More Third Declension Morphology
Module 10: Passive Verbs
- Aorist Passive Verbs
- Present Passive Verbs
- Imperfect and Other Passive Forms
Module 11: Adjectives and Adverbs
- Attributive Adjectives and Adverbs
- Substantival and Predicate Adjectives
- Comparative Adjectives
Module 12: The Middle Voice
- What is the Middle Voice?
- Aorist Middle Verbs
- Present & Imperfect Middle Verbs
Part 4 completes your knowledge of finite verbs by introducing you to the remaining forms you’ll find in Koine Greek.
Module 13: Future & Reduplicate Verbs
- Future Verbs
- Perfect Verbs
- Pluperfect Verbs
Module 14: Indicative Athematic Verbs
- Aorist Athematic Verbs
- Future and Perfect μι Verbs
- Present and Imperfect Athematic Verbs
Module 15: Moods Less Certain
- Mood and the Subjunctive Mood
- Subjunctives in Dependent Clauses
- The Optative Mood
Module 16: Imperative Verbs
- Introduction to Imperative Verbs
- Imperative Verb Formation
- Prohibitions
This last module focuses on the last forms you’ll find regularly in the Greek New Testament including participles and infinitives. We use the last module to get you reading a variety of Koine Greek texts.
Module 17: Adverbial Participles
- Introduction to Participles
- Perfective (Aorist) Adverbial Participles
- Imperfective (Present) Participles
Module 18: Infinitives
- Adverbial and Aorist Infinitives
- Adjectival and Present Infinitives
- Other Infinitive Forms
Module 19: Adjectival Participles
- Adjectival Participles
- Perfect, Future, and Athematic Participles
- Periphrastics and Genitive Absolutes
Module 20: Learning to Read
- Clauses and Reading (1 John 1)
- Reading Pauline Texts (2 Thessalonians 1)
- Reading Unfamiliar Texts (Didache 1:1-6)
Throughout Beginning Greek in Small Steps we provide you with all that you need to know for careful exegesis directly from the Greek text. The main uses of various Greek constructions are explained clearly and comprehensively enough that you’ll be able to identify them when you find them in the Greek text. When you’re done, you’ll be able to follow the arguments in technical commentaries.
How long will it take? 30 Minutes per Day...
Beginning Greek in Small Steps is designed for people with jobs, families, and ministries. We know you’ve got a lot on, which is why we provide flexibility and clarity. Lessons are designed to be finished in around 30 minutes per day, though some people will take more time than others (which we think is just fine! As you progress, we’ll let you know how to pace yourself based on which lessons are easy, and which to spend more time on.
Overall, the Beginning Greek in Small Steps course can be completed in 6 to 12 months of bite sized pacing.
How do I get Beginning Greek in Small Steps? Join the Greek Mastery Membership...
You could go and buy a grammar to try learn Greek, but very few people can learn Greek that way.
Beginning Greek in Small Steps (BGSS) is available as part of the Greek Mastery Membership.
You join the membership, download our app, and you access BGSS from that app (web browser access works too).
What is included in this Greek Mastery Membership is all that you will need to thrive in your mastery of Greek.
This includes video explanations for every lesson by the author. You can download the written grammar for every lesson.
We also provide you with the slides from the video, downloadable (and printable), exercises (a physical workbook of these exercises is available for purchase), electronic vocabulary (and instructions), and more!
How old is this grammar? It's new!
Grammars don’t always keep up with the latest scholarship, but Beginning Greek in Small Steps incorporates the latest scholarship, including verbal aspect (rather than tenses), and prioritizes modern Greek pronunciation. This grammar has only been out for about a year now, and will be updated with the latest scholarship thanks to the digital medium it is available in.
What is the Greek Mastery Membership?
Beginning Greek in Small Steps is integral to the Greek Mastery Membership. Inside the membership we start a new beginning Greek course (we call them cohorts) every quarter. These cohorts use the recommended pacing inside Beginning Greek in Small Steps to complete the course in less than a year, though our instructors are flexible and seek to work with you. If you get behind, just jump into the next cohort (there’s no cost or registration for members).
In the membership we provide weekly Office Hours calls to answer any questions or problems you have. But there’s also an online community of hundreds of learners who are eager to answer questions and share insights to help each other grow in your knowledge and love of the original languages.
The membership also provides a path to reading the entire Greek New Testament without help. As you progress, new and more advanced courses become available taking you to the level where you’re able to interact with scholarly works with confidence.