United Theological Seminary

Master of Divinity in Church Leadership

The Master of Divinity in Church Leadership program will prepare you for pastoral ministry. It is designed for students who are pursuing ordination by a denomination with rigorous church leadership curricular expectations but which does not fall under any of the designated denominational concentrations (e.g., MDiv in Presbyterian Studies).

If you are seeking a ministerial position in a non-denominational congregation or an ordination with flexible curricular requirements, the MDiv General Studies may be the better program for you.

This program may be a good fit for you if you plan to pursue:

  • Ordained ministry in a local congregation
  • Chaplaincy (with the addition of chaplaincy certification)
  • Other ordained positions from denominations for which we do not have a denominational concentration

 

UNITED’S MDIV AT A GLANCE

  • 72 credits
  • Twenty-four 3-credit courses, including one field experience
  • Final thesis or project not required, but you can use an elective to pursue either
  • Can be completed in three years if you take a full-time course load (24 credits per year)
  • Most concentrations, including Church Leadership, can be completed entirely via distance learning

Program Guide Sheet

LEARNING OUTCOME
 NUMBER OF COURSES COURSES
Formation 2 Intro to Spiritual and Personal Formation

Organizational Leadership and Administration
Religious Texts 4 Hebrew Bible 1: Orientation

Hebrew Bible 2: Contextualized Interpretation

New Testament 1: Epistles, Acts, and Revelation

New Testament 2: Four Gospels
Theological Tradition 4 Religious and Theological Interpretation

History of Christian Theologies

History of Modern Theologies

Constructive Theology
Ethics/Justice 2 Christian Ethics

Choose one:

  • Comparative Religious Ethics
  • Theology for Social Transformation
Cultural Contextualization 1 Choose one:

  • World Religions
  • Global Christianities
Arts and Theology 1 Choose one:

  • History of Arts and Theology
  • Theological Interpretation of the Arts
Social Transformation 1 Leadership and Strategies for Social Change
Integration 1 Capstone Seminar
CORE SUBTOTAL
 16
Vocational Contextualization & Skills 8 Interreligious Pastoral and Spiritual Care

Preaching and Your Public Voice

Three Practices of Ministry Electives*

Two Electives*

Choose one:

  • Church Internship
  • Ministry Practicum
  • CPE Ministry Practicum
CONCENTRATION SUBTOTAL
 8
DEGREE TOTAL
 24

* Consult church/denomination ordination recommendations and/or requirements for optimal elective course selections.

 

Learn More

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