The Master of Arts in Applied Ministry

The Master of Arts in Applied Ministry is intended for persons called to specialized vocational ministry areas such as the chaplaincy (both military and civilian), cross-cultural and intercultural ministries, specialized church-based ministries, social agencies, as well as spiritual formation and direction. The program is based on a balance of academic
study and practical application of the insights of scholarship from the fields of biblical studies and Christian theology. This curricular approach is designed to:

1. Provide a biblical-theological framework for the practice of ministry in general and an Applied Ministry in particular.
2. Familiarize students with emerging theoretical and research methodologies in the field of Ministry Studies.
3. Promote a culturally sensitive understanding and practice of ministry.
4. Promote awareness of and dialogue with the current debates as well as ethical and theological issues relevant to ministry praxis.

The Master of Arts in Applied Ministry seeks to graduate people who have knowledge and experience of the Christian faith, who give evidence of emotional and spiritual maturity, who relate to others with integrity, and who possess applied skills for a specialized ministry area. Specifically it seeks to develop individuals who are able to:

1. Synthesize information or ideas from various disciplines and create appropriate ministry responses.
2. Solve problems in ministry contexts with confidence and autonomy.
3. Understand and function within complex organizational systems.
4. Minister in different cultural settings and in multiethnic contexts.
5. Engage confidently in academic and professional communication with others.
6. Reflect regularly on one’s own spiritual and professional formation in order to facilitate ongoing growth.
7. Lead groups and work with or within a group toward defined outcomes.
8. Demonstrate capacity for autonomous study and the use of resources for learning.

While the curriculum provides excellent preparation for specialized ministry in the church, it is not designed to provide an abbreviated period of graduate study leading to the pastorate. Those desiring to serve as senior pastors or in other senior leadership positions are encouraged to enroll in the seminary’s Master of Divinity degree program. Students must declare a concentration in one of three areas: chaplaincy, pastoral care, or global and contextual studies. Each of these concentrations consists of a minimum of 20 credits and provides preparation for specific areas of applied ministry as explained below.

Chaplaincy. This program will enable chaplains (and those preparing for chaplaincy) to train for ministry in such diverse chaplaincy contexts as health care services, educational institutions, businesses and corporations, correctional facilities, and the military. In addition to theological and ethical training, the graduates of the program will be knowledgeable of the ways in which pastoral care is put into practice in non-church/parish settings.

Global and Contextual Studies. This concentration focuses on preparing individuals for ministry as either a vocational missionary or for non-traditional missionary efforts such as the non-resident missionary, “tent maker,” and independent contractor. Students in the latter category may include recent retirees, international business people, NGO employees, educators, and medical personnel.

Pastoral Care. This concentration enables students to prepare for the counseling tasks common in ministry settings as well as for preventive educational efforts in the church. The curriculum provides preparation in pastoral care and counseling that would enable those involved in local church as well as agency ministries to enhance health and wholeness in the variety of organizational and social contexts served by these ministries.

The seminary confers a Master of Arts degree in Applied Ministry upon students who satisfactorily complete the prescribed program-related requirements. These include the completion of course requirements with a minimum of 96 credits, participation in the assessment and evaluation program, participation in the supervised ministry program, the writing of a satisfactory personal statement of faith, achieving a grade point average of C (2.0) or above, financial clearance from the business office, and participation in graduation ceremonies. Graduation is not automatic when academic requirements have been met. Since the seminary aims to graduate men and women who qualify as Christian leaders, the faculty and administration will evaluate a student’s qualifications in terms of spiritual, doctrinal, and professional standards as well as academic standards.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts in Applied Ministry

BI501	Hermeneutics	4
	One of the following two:	4
	HS650 Christian Lives in History (PC/Chaplaincy) HS708 History of World Missions (GC Studies)	4 4
NT501	The Gospels	4
NT502	Acts and Pauline Letters	4
OT501	Genesis - Ruth	4
OT502	1 Samuel - Song of Songs	4
OT503	Isaiah - Malachi	4
PC501	Introduction to Pastoral Care	4
TL510	Celebrating Diversity and Embracing Unity	4
TL726	Theology of Ministry	4
TS501	Systematic Theology I	4
TS502	Systematic Theology II	4
TS503	Systematic Theology III	4
TS505	Christian Social Ethics	4

Concentration Courses and Electives

Chaplaincy

PC729	Chaplaincy in Contemporary Society	4
PC703	Christian Use of Counseling Theory	4
PC720	Cross-Cultural Counseling	4
PC721	Crisis Intervention	4
PC745	Family Systems	4
	Two free electives	8

Global and Contextual Studies

GC501	Intro to Global and Contextual Ministry	4
GC610	Cross-Cultural Communication	4
GC661	Facilitating Community Development	4
GC703	Religion in Anthropological Perspective	4
GC713	Linguistic Theory and Practice; Language Learning	4
	Two free electives	8

Pastoral Care

PC500	Principles of Counseling	4
PC746	Small Groups in the Church	4
PC713	Pastoral Care of Children and Families	4
PC721	Crisis Intervention	4
	An additional PC Elective	4
	Two free electives	8

Supervised Ministry and Other Requirements

SP501	Disciplines of Spiritual and Personal Formation	4
TL551	Field Education Practicum	0
	Professional Internship	4
	PC705  Clinical Pastoral Education (Chaplaincy)
	GC671  Cross-Cultural Experience (Global and Contextual Studies)
	PC704  Supervised Counseling Practicum (Pastoral Care)
	Assessment and Evaluation program	0
	Statement of Faith	0
	Comprehensive Integrative Project	4

A minimum of 96 credits is required for graduation from an M.A. program.  Concentration electives must be taken at the advanced (600+) level.  The student is responsible to meet all graduation deadlines and requirements.  The associate registrar will be happy to answer questions and offer guidance.

The Bethel Seminary Catalog is provided online as a convenience for those who desire course information in electronic form. The printed version of the Bethel Seminary catalog is the official version, and it will be treated as the document of record in all seminary business.