Bethel Seminary St. Paul
M.A. in Community Ministry Leadership Program Details
The Master of Arts in Community Ministry Leadership (M.A.C.M.L.) prepares
and builds capacity among churches, mission agencies, public and private
Christian organizations, and their leaders for high-quality, effective community leadership and development.
M.A.C.M.L. Prepares Students to:
- assess and address holistic and developmental needs of individuals, families, youth, and children in an urban context;
- identify and evaluate the explicit and implicit theological and theoretical components of Christian ministry and its appropriateness;
- apply community organizing and development principles for community building and comprehensive ministry initiatives in an urban context;
- facilitate church- and community-level strategic program planning and implementation for transformational ministry;
- articulate a practical theology of
ministry that communicates Christian values and the role of faith
and
spirituality in public ministry; and - develop essential features for
management and mobilization of an effective faith-based organization
for
Christian ministry.
Program Outline
Students complete 96 credit hours developing basic skills for biblical interpretation and theological reflection as they engage in:
- Classical disciplines (biblical studies, systematic theology, and church history)
- Introductory courses in transformational leadership, cultural awareness, and spiritual and personal formation
- Seven courses specific to church-based community outreach and mission agency professional ministry
- Eight
credits in course electives
In the final program year, students participate in a four-credit-hour, mentored leadership development course over two quarter terms, during which they will write a thesis project integration paper supervised by the program director and reviewed by a committee to ensure proper integration and mastery of important theological and biblical concepts.
Faculty
Mark G. Harden
Growing up
in Detroit and later patrolling its streets as a law enforcement officer,
Mark Harden, Ph.D., is intimately acquainted with the challenges of urban
life. While serving as both an ordained pastor and policeman, Harden founded
Streetwise and Detroit Love, Inc., two Christian outreach organizations
dedicated to nurturing the potential of urban youth. Now on faculty at
Bethel Seminary, he has developed the M.A. in Community Ministry Leadership
program, which teaches a deep and proactive approach to ministry in the
city. “It’s not just about feeding the poor. It’s about
equipping seminary students to empower individuals and families through
transformational ministry in the urban context,” Mark says. “Jesus
met human needs as He traveled from city to city. Life experience ignited
my passion for city ministry, but Jesus’ life and ministry are what
fuel it.”