Courses

Engages students in a supervised field-based ministry experience that integrates academic study with practical service in a church or ministry setting. Students complete mentored ministry activities while engaging in structured reflection on ministerial practice, vocational identity, and spiritual formation. The course emphasizes experiential learning, guided mentoring, and reflective assessment to support the development of professional competence and Christian character. Field education may be taken as an elective within graduate programs and may be repeated with approval.

Engages students in a supervised practicum designed to foster ministerial identity and vocational formation through guided field experience. The course integrates mentored ministry practice, theological reflection, reflective writing, and communal discernment within an approved ministry context. Students complete supervised ministry hours, participate in structured reflection, and develop a growing philosophy of ministry while engaging the joys and challenges of professional ministry.

Provides an additional supervised practicum that builds on an initial ministry placement through continued mentored engagement in the same approved ministry context. The course emphasizes advanced theological reflection, ethical discernment, reflective practice, and communal learning.

Examines the relationship between Christian mission and cultural context by integrating theological, historical, and social-scientific perspectives. The course analyzes how cultures shape belief and practice and how the church engages diverse social, political, and religious environments in local and global settings. Students explore biblical and theological foundations of mission, historical patterns of cross-cultural witness, and contemporary challenges such as pluralism, secularization, migration, and globalization. Emphasis is placed on contextual analysis, cultural discernment, and the development of informed ministry practices responsive to complex cultural realities.

Cultivates holistic Christian formation through guided communal practices within theological education and ministry preparation. Integrates reflection on Scripture, theology, and church history with sustained engagement in formative Christian practices, including prayer, worship, and disciplined attention to Scripture. Encourages reflective engagement with personal, vocational, cultural, and sociopolitical questions in light of Christian faith. Emphasizes relational formation through mutual accountability, shared discernment, encouragement, and service within a learning community. The course supports spiritual maturity, vocational clarity, and relational wisdom as integral dimensions of graduate theological formation.

Examines the theological foundations and core practices of pastoral ministry within the life of the church. Explores pastoral identity, spiritual care, worship leadership, and key ministerial responsibilities, including prayer, preaching, administration of the sacraments, and congregational shepherding. Integrates pastoral theology with practical engagement in ministry practices, attending to biblical, historical, and cultural dimensions. Emphasizes the formation of pastoral judgment and competence for faithful leadership in contemporary ecclesial contexts.

Examines the theological foundations and methodological practices of biblical preaching with emphasis on genre-sensitive preaching, sermon development, and effective delivery. Students integrate biblical and theological reflection, contextual awareness, and homiletical skills to develop sermons. The course includes in-class sermon presentations with structured peer and instructor evaluation to support growth in preaching competence.

Examines pastoral counseling as an integral dimension of pastoral care and congregational shepherding. The course develops competencies in empathic listening, reflection, and discernment while addressing key pastoral counseling concerns such as crisis intervention, suicide prevention, premarital counseling, family systems dynamics, ethical practice, and appropriate referral. Students engage common mental health challenges encountered in ministry contexts, including depression, anxiety, substance misuse, and chronic mental illness. Emphasis is placed on experiential skill development and theological reflection on personal formation, relational systems, and emotional health within the life of the church.

Examines biblical, theological, and practical foundations for evangelism, discipleship, and spiritual formation in contemporary ministry contexts. The course emphasizes personal spiritual formation and disciple-making. Students engage models of evangelism, pathways of discipleship, and practices that foster Christian maturity and mission within diverse and pluralistic settings. Attention is given to forming leaders who embody faithful presence, cultivate spiritual habits, and equip others to follow Jesus within local church and ministry contexts.