Built by someone who had to work for every step. For people who are willing to do the same.
Biblical Mastery Academy exists because its founder wanted to read the Greek New Testament and struggled by himself. In seminary he discovered the learning process focused primarily on exegesis, and not reading. As a result he noticed most students lost their Greek, rather than improved it. So he developed a complete, supported, and structured system for ordinary working Christians who love Scripture to learn to read and study the New Testament in the original languages.
Dr. Darryl Burling: Founder
Darryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Counselling from The Master's University, a Master of Divinity from The Master's Seminary, and a Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Counselling with a minor in Biblical Spirituality from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
What drives Darryl is a love for the Word of God and a desire to read and study it faithfully. He wants to read what Paul wrote rather than read what someone says Paul wrote. To evaluate the grammatical arguments in commentaries carefully. To build his theology on the text itself. He is not a linguistic prodigy. Greek did not come naturally to him. But by taking small, consistent steps, he has deepened his knowledge and love of Christ through the original languages and teaches others to do the same.
Every feature of the membership exists because a real learner needed it. The grammar, the exercises, the success path, the Consistency Score, the cohort review system: all of it reflects a single integrated logic, built from the inside by someone who understands what language learning actually requires for an ordinary working Christian.
Darryl preaches and teaches regularly, develops and leads the advanced Greek and exegesis courses, co-hosts the weekly Office Hours call with Neil, and oversees the day-to-day operation of Biblical Mastery Academy.
Neil: Community Lead and Advanced Greek Instructor
Neil tried to learn Greek on his own for twenty years. Then he learned it through BMA. He is now one of the most technically precise Greek instructors on the team, leading the Advanced Grammar Workshops and Cohort Reading Calls for Premium Languages Members, and co-hosting the weekly Greek Office Hours with Darryl.
His story is not unusual at BMA. It is, in many ways, the whole point of what BMA is for. Neil also leads the community, handles member support, and keeps the day-to-day of the membership running.
Frank Hartmann: Hebrew Instructor
Frank is completing a PhD in Hebrew Linguistics. He wrote Beginning Hebrew in Small Steps, the grammar text at the heart of the Hebrew Mastery Membership, specifically for the kind of learner BMA is built for: serious about Scripture, not a specialist, willing to take the slow steps.
He leads the Hebrew cohorts, hosts Hebrew Office Hours, and runs the Readings in Genesis calls that take members through the Hebrew Old Testament together.
Daniel Pye: Marketing Technical Lead
Daniel handles video editing and technical production, keeping the recorded content that members rely on clean, accessible, and well-organised. He works tirelessly keeping the production side of BMA running.
Stephen Hackett
Stephen is one of our Beginning Greek instructors. He has achieved Level 2 Certification in Biblical Mastery Academy and has a passion helping people appreciate the beauty and richness of Scripture.
He serves his local church in various ways including preaching occasionally. He runs a YouTube channel called Biblical Studies & Reviews where he discusses the Bible, theology, and Greek.
Why we exist
Most serious Christians, however devoted, engage Scripture entirely through translations and commentaries. Their understanding of the Word is mediated through other people's readings of it. That is not wrong. It is, in many ways, necessary. But it has a ceiling.
Biblical Mastery Academy exists to help serious Christians move beyond that ceiling. Not by becoming linguists or scholars, but by developing the Greek and Hebrew competency that makes first-hand engagement with Scripture possible. Reading the text. Thinking with the authors. Evaluating the arguments of commentators on their own terms.
This is achievable for ordinary working Christians. It takes time. It takes consistency. It does not take exceptional talent. BMA was built to prove exactly that, and every member who walks the path is further proof.
If you are ready to take the next step, the path starts with finding where you are.
Find your starting point