Accelerated B.C.M. Christian Ministry + M.A. Christian Ministry

The B.C.M. Christian Ministry + M.A. Christian Ministry is a 148-hour accelerated program that combines undergraduate and graduate coursework, reducing time to completion by up to two years through an integrated, academically rigorous, and cost-effective curriculum. This structure avoids duplicated courses and maximizes academic and experiential learning opportunities.

Additional information regarding accelerated programs can be found under DEGREE INFORMATION .

Program Overview

Full-time students transition from bachelor-level coursework to master-level coursework after completing at least 60 undergraduate credit hours. Time to completion is based on a student beginning with no transfer hours and completing 30 - 32 credit hours per year.
A maximum of 6 graduate hours (or 12 graduate hours for thesis track) can be shared between the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Graduate courses may also be taken concurrently during the final undergraduate term if needed for financial aid purposes.
A minor is not required in the professional development block.

Graduate Coursework and Requirements

Shared graduate courses are integrated into the bachelor’s degree plan.

To remain in good standing for accelerated program, students must:

Achieve a grade of C or better in all major coursework
Achieve a grade of C or better in all graduate coursework
Maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA

B.C.M. Christian Ministry

The Christian ministry major focuses the student’s ministerial training on cultivation of leadership skills, understanding of the various ministries of the church, acquisition of basic skills in conflict resolution and pastoral counseling, and effective teaching of biblical and discipleship concepts. To complement the major, the student will complete a minor as a portion of the professional development hours in the degree unless the student enters the university with substantial ministry-related transfer credit, as determined by the dean of the school.

Bachelor of Christian Ministry Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Christian Ministry Degree (B.C.M.) is a minimum 124-credit hour degree designed to afford both academic and professional depth for individuals who express a call to ministry. The degree integrates university degree requirements with appropriate experience. A minimum of 36 credit hours must be upper-level credit (courses numbered 3000 and above).

No additional degree specific general education courses are required for this degree. Students pursuing the B.C.M. degree will complete the Unified General Education Core requirements.

Academic Major

Students seeking the B.C.M. degree will complete the appropriate major requirements as outlined in the School of Christian Studies section.

Professional Development

The Professional Development component of the B.C.M. consists of 36 credit hours selected to provide depth or breadth to the major and to provide substantive developmental knowledge for the student’s career or personal goals. Depth and breadth can be met through a major, a specialization, a minor, or ministry-related courses. Student completing Christian ministry or theological studies majors will complete a minor or second major as a portion of the professional development hours unless the student enters the university with substantial ministry-related transfer credit, as determined by the dean of the School of Christian Studies, or they are accepted into an accelerated program that does not require a minor. Students in the co-vocational ministry or recreation ministry majors will complete a second major or a specialization as part of a composite major in lieu of a separate professional development component. Co-vocational ministry and recreation ministry specializations may require additional hours beyond the 36 credit hours, in which case hours will be reduced from the electives block or added to the degree. Students not pursuing a minor or second major must ensure all upper-level academic and cumulative hours are met for the degree.

Up to 12 credit hours of experiential professional development may satisfy this requirement. Experiential learning must be evaluated and approved by the university. Students who have work experience in full-time, part-time or co-vocational ministry positions may have the work experience evaluated if the ministry position is a paid staff position with formal job requirements. Practicums and internships may be placed in this area if they do not relate to the major.

Electives

Students may complete the minimum of 124 credit hours required for the degree with courses which complement or extend career preparation or pursue subject fields which hold special appeal. However, before using elective credit hours, students should check with their advisor to ensure that the hours are indeed elective and that upper-level credit hour requirements for graduation are being met.

Christian Ministry - 36 hrs

The Christian ministry major requires a minimum of 36 credit hours from the following courses, of which 6 hours may be shared for non-thesis track and 12 hours may be shared for thesis-track M.A. Christian ministry (indicated in parenthesis):

Christian Studies Common Core - 18 hrs

The School of Christian Studies seeks a holistic approach to ministerial training, preparing the head (knowledge), the heart (devotion), and the hands (service). This holistic approach begins with a common core for all Christian Studies majors.

MNST 3300 - Introduction to Ministry 3 hrs
THST 3300 - Biblical Interpretation 3 hrs
THST 4302 - Christian Theology 3 hrs (or THST 5302 - Christian Theology 3 hrs)
MNST 3301 - Spiritual Formation 3 hrs or THST 3301 - Christian Spirituality 3 hrs
MNST 3302 - Principles of Biblical Teaching 3 hrs (or MNST 5302 - Principles of Biblical Teaching 3 hrs); or MNST 4303 - Preaching 3 hrs (or MNST 5303 - Preaching 3 hrs)
THST or MNST Elective - 3 hrs (replacing MNST 3260 and MNST 4100 )

Christian Ministry - 18 hrs

MNST 3311 - Family Ministry in the Church 3 hrs
MNST 4320 - Christian Leadership 3 hrs (or MNST 5320 - Christian Leadership 3 hrs)
MNST 4330 - Principles of Pastoral Counseling 3 hrs (or MNST 5330 - Principles of Pastoral Counseling 3 hrs)
Upper-Level Bible Elective - 3 hrs
MNST Elective - 3 hrs
MNST or THST Elective - 3 hrs

M.A. Christian Ministry

The M.A. in Christian Ministry is an advanced degree for persons interested in furthering their ministerial education, primarily in the practical and educational disciplines of leadership and administration, age-related ministries, pastoral ministry and counseling, evangelism, and missions. The non-thesis track allows students who elect not to complete a Master of Divinity the opportunity to gain additional ministry training while actively serving in a local Christian ministry. It may also provide interested students an avenue for additional study in the practical ministry disciplines.

The thesis track substantively prepares the student for work on more advanced degrees, such as the Ph.D. or Th.D. in practical ministry discipline, with the addition of a research thesis. (Note, however, that the Doctor of Ministry degree requires a Master of Divinity.) Students considering a career teaching at the college or seminary level should understand that the M.A. in Christian Ministry is a step toward the academic credentials required for college or seminary teaching positions.

Program

The non-thesis track is 30 hours for students with undergraduate work in Christian studies. The thesis track includes an additional 6 hours of graduate work.

Christian Ministry Core - 15 hrs

MNST 5260 - Practicum 2 hrs
MNST 5100 - Capstone 1 hrs

Praxis - six hours from:

MNST 5303 - Preaching 3 hrs
MNST 5320 - Christian Leadership 3 hrs
MNST 5321 - Issues in Co-vocational Ministry 3 hrs
MNST 5322 - Evangelism 3 hrs
MNST 5323 - Christian Worship 3 hrs
MNST 5324 - African American Pastoral Leadership 3 hrs
MNST 5325 - Hispanic Pastoral Leadership 3 hrs
MNST 5326 - African American Pastoral Care and Nurture 3 hrs
MNST 5327 - Hispanic Pastoral Care and Nurture 3 hrs
MNST 5330 - Principles of Pastoral Counseling 3 hrs
MNST 5331 - Understanding Christian Marriage 3 hrs
MNST 5332 - Psychology of Religion 3 hrs
MNST 5340 - Cultural Exegesis 3 hrs
MNST 5341 - Contemporary Christian Missions 3 hrs
MNST 5343 - Urban Ministry 3 hrs
THST 5354 - History and Theology of the Black Church 3 hrs
THST 5355 - History and Theology of the Hispanic Church 3 hrs
MNST 5371 - Topics in Ministry 3 hrs
MNST 5372 - Topics in Pastoral Counseling 3 hrs

Educational Ministry - three hours from:

Spiritual Formation - three hours from:

MNST 5301 - Spiritual Formation 3 hrs
THST 5301 - Christian Spirituality 3 hrs
Combination of three courses (if one of the above courses was completed as an undergraduate):
MNST 5160 - The Practice of Spiritual Disciplines 1 hrs (may be repeated as topic varies)
THST 5160 - Readings in Christian Spirituality 1 hrs (may be repeated as topic varies)

Electives - 15 hrs (at least 9 hrs MNST)

Fifteen hours of electives, of which at least nine must be MNST

Specialization (Optional)

Students may designate 12 of the 30 hours as a specialization in Practical Ministry or Educational Ministry. These hours are neither added to nor deducted from the required hours listed above. Students considering doctoral study should select a specialization in consultation with a faculty mentor.

Thesis (pre-doctoral) track - 6 additional hours

In addition to the 30 hours above, students who wish to prepare for doctoral work in an area of practical or educational ministry are encouraged to complete the thesis (pre-doctoral) track. Students should complete the appropriate specialization for their field of interest in consultation with a faculty mentor.

The thesis requires a student to demonstrate the ability to do independent research. Students should be aware that many doctoral programs require competency in additional modern research languages, and perhaps biblical languages, so advance exploration of doctoral programs is suggested as is consultation with a faculty mentor.

Thesis (pre-doctoral) track additional graduate courses: