2024-2025 Catalog

 

Master of Arts - Ministry - Specialization in Pastoral Ministry

Wesley Seminary offers a 42 hour Master of Arts in Ministry degree with a specialization in Pastoral Ministry that provides graduate-level training for working ministry practitioners seeking to satisfy the competencies required for ordination in The Wesleyan Church.

Wesley Seminary strives to promote the following key learning outcomes in the MA program. A student who has completed the MA degree with a major in Ministry and a specialization in Pastoral Ministry should, with graduate-level competency, be able to:

  • Integrate Christian History, Scripture, and Theology in the practice of ministry.
  • Contextualize the gospel for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom.
  • Personalize spiritual formation for sustainable ministry.
  • Deploy the basic competencies and skills essential to the work of pastoral ministry.
  • Cultivate a faithful and sustainable framework for pastoral ministry.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ministry major begins with completing application forms and submitting them with official transcripts and two personal recommendations. The Wesley Seminary shall determine admission status from the completed forms and student file and notify the applicant in writing of the admission status granted. Regular admission to the seminary constitutes admission to candidacy for the master’s degree. The basic criteria for regular admission to the MA program within the seminary are as follows:

  • A baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by a member agency of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education (ICETE) or by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
  • A minimum grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 from the degree granting institution.
  • An official transcript from the degree granting institution.
  • Two recommendations including:
    • One from a pastor or denominational supervisor.
    • A general recommendation.
  • A completed Ministry Context Form.
  • A three to four page autobiography and statement of ministry purpose. The statement of purpose should reflect one's sense of God's direction in relation to Christian ministry or service.
  • A criminal history background check must be completed before acceptance into any Wesley Seminary degree program if a felony was disclosed by the student on the application form.

Transfer Credit

  • A maximum of nine hours may be transferred from another accredited master's program, provided it falls within seven years prior to admission.
  • Students who have taken equivalent courses in their undergraduate program to BIBL-500 The Bible as Christian Scripture, THEO-500 Introduction to Christian Theology, and CHST-500 Global Christian History will be allowed/encouraged to substitute and an advanced Bible, theology, or church history elective.

Program Requirements

  • Students must have completed all required courses before enrolling in the MA Capstone course (MIN-691). Registration in the MA Capstone will be cancelled for any students who fail to satisfactorily complete all required MA courses.
  • All requirements for the degree must be completed within ten years of enrollment.

Graduation Requirements

  • Completion of core requirements.
  • Minimum grade of "C" in each core and elective course.
  • Cumulative grade point average of 2.5.
  • Successful completion of the Bible Content Exam with a 70% or higher.
  • All requirements for the degree must be completed within six years of enrollment.
  • Payment of all tuition and fees is required to receive a diploma.

MA Program of Study (42 Hours)

Core Courses

Pastoral Ministry - 3 Hours

WSEM-501Pastor, Church, and World

3

Biblical Studies - 3 Hours

BIBL-500The Bible as Christian Scripture

3

Church History - 3 Hours

CHST-500Global Christian History

3

-
or

CHST-510History of Christian Missions

3

Theological Studies - 3 Hours

THEO-500Introduction to Christian Theology

3

Intercultural Competency - 3 Hours

MISS-500Cultural Contexts of Ministry

3

-
or

MISS-510Cultural Anthropology

3

Spiritual Formation - 4 Hours

SPIR-500Spiritual Formation: Change & Transformation

1

SPIR-520Spiritual Formation: Self Awareness & Appraisal

1

SPIR-540Spiritual Formation: Goal Setting & Accountability

1

SPIR-560Spiritual Formation: Mentoring & Spiritual Direction

1

Capstone - 2 Hours

MIN-691MA in Ministry Capstone

2

Specialization in Pastoral Ministry

Preaching - 3 Hours

Choose one.
PROC-520Transformational Communication

3

PROC-525Effective Communication With Children And Youth

3

PROC-610Narrative Preaching

3

PROC-615Wesleyan Homiletics

3

PROC-620Preaching With Empathy: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Incarnational Homiletics

3

PROC-630Africana Preaching

3

PROC-650Preaching the Life of Christ

3

Pastoral Care - 3 Hours

Choose one.
PCNS-510Introduction to Pastoral Care

3

PCNS-520Crisis Counseling for Ministry

3

PCNS-610Marriage and Family Counseling for Ministry

3

PCNS-620Cross-Cultural Counseling for Ministry

3

Christian Education - 3 Hours

Choose one.
CONG-520Building a Multi-Generational Ministry

3

CONG-525Newcomer Integration

3

CONG-530Family Ministry in the 21st Century

3

CONG-540Programming and Management in Family Ministry

3

CONG-550Child and Adolescent Development

3

CONG-555Diagnosis and Prescription for a Healthy Church

3

CONG-560Church Revitalization Field Study

3

CONG-570Teaching for Transformation

3

Leadership - 3 Hours

Choose one.
LEAD-510Introduction to 21st Century Leadership

3

LEAD-515Leadership and Personhood

3

LEAD-520Communication and Leadership

3

LEAD-530Change Agent

3

LEAD-540Non-Profit Management

3

LEAD-542Modeling and Teaching Personal Finance

3

LEAD-545Strategic Leadership and Management

3

LEAD-550Intergenerational Leadership

3

LEAD-558Missional Growth and Multiplication

3

LEAD-560Power, Change, and Conflict Management

3

LEAD-565Emerging Trends in Church Multiplication

3

Integrated Ministry Topics - 3 Hours

Choose one.
WSHP-520Space and Time in Worship

3

WSHP-560Media and Technology in Worship

3

THEO-520Christmas: the Mystery of the Incarnation

3

THEO-530Easter: The Resurrection of the Crucified

3

THEO-525Theology of Prayer

3

THEO-545Holiness and Christian Ethics

3

THEO-546Popular Culture and Christian Imagination

3

BIBL-610Torah Engagement: The Formation of Worship

3

Wesleyan Church - 6 Hours

Required for ordination.
CHST-536Wesleyan Church History and Polity

3

THEO-543Theology of Holiness

3

 

Indiana Weselayan