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

CONCENTRATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

In addition to achieving the core MDiv degree learning outcomes, a graduate of the MDiv in Church Leadership program will be able to:

• articulate strategies for effective, professional, ethical, and compassionate pastoral and spiritual care to a diversity of persons;
• craft, deliver, and reflect on a sermon or public address that demonstrates effective speaking form/style and content based on a selected context;
• effectively apply specialized practices of ministry to their ministerial or vocational context according to their religious tradition; and
• achieve their self-defined practice of ministry goals that are appropriately based on the requirements of their denomination or other vocational path.

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 MDiv concentrations, including Church Leadership, can be completed entirely via distance learning