Bethel Seminary
Master of Arts in Community Ministry Leadership
Traditional and Certificate
Programs
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.
Specifically, the 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.
Traditional Program
Students complete 96 credit hours developing basic skills for biblical interpretation and theological reflection as they engage in the 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; and 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.
Certificate Program
The Community Ministry Leadership program also is offered in six courses as a hybrid certificate. Participants will gain practical skills with theological training while in ministry through convenient, intensive, and distance learning opportunities that include a cohort format that fosters peer-learning and interaction.
Core Required Courses
• Hermeneutics
• Church History
• Intro to Transformational Leadership
• The Gospels
• Acts and Pauline Letters
• Genesis – Ruth
• I Samuel – Song of Songs
• Prophetic Books
• Spiritual and Personal Formation
• Culture and Ministry
• Survey of Systematic Theology I
• Survey of Systematic Theology II
• Survey of Systematic Theology III
• Christian Social Ethics
Required Courses and Electives
• Facilitating Community Development
• Creating Faith-Based Organizations
• Strategic and Tactical Planning for Ministry
• Implementing Change Strategies in Ministry**
• The Church in the Urban World or Missions in the Global Urban Context*
• Compassionate Urban Ministry
• Methods in Practical and Contextual Theology (cross-listed)
• CFM or MFT or a course in team leadership as elective
• SPF Elective
* Taught on an alternating-year schedule on odd-numbered
years.
** Equivalent with Change Agency (GC241) is optional.
Formation, Mentorship, and Other Requirements
• Mentored Leadership Development (2 quarters)
• Thesis Project Integration Paper
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.”
To Learn More
For more information about the Master of Arts in Community Ministry Leadership, contact the Office of Admissions & Recruitment at:
Phone: 800.255.8706, ext. 6288
Email:bsem-admit@bethel.edu