Find the full schedule on our Academic Calendar.
All course descriptions are available in the Catalog.
Term 4
March 20 – May 14, 2023
Making Biblical Decisions (THE513 – 3 credit hours)
Christian morality has always been challenged and rejected by unbelievers, but today even many believers have lost their moral footing. Moreover, believers who want to live ethically are frequently confused by the complexities of ethical decisions. Based on the lecture series, Making Biblical Decisions, produced by Third Millennium Ministries and presented by Dr. John M. Frame, this course incorporates graduate level readings, spiritual formation activities, faculty tutorials, and engagement with a local mentor to build on both parts of the Foundations of Interpretation series. We cultivate biblical wisdom by studying the Bible’s own system of covenantal ethics, and learning to apply its evaluative framework and practices to approach present challenges, temptations, and problems in ways that lead to biblical solutions.
The Heart of Paul’s Theology (BIB514 – 2 credit hours)
Paul passionately proclaimed the good news of individual salvation in Jesus Christ, but this wasn’t the heart or scope of his gospel. According to Paul, salvation is not primarily about individuals being saved; rather, it is the triumph of God over evil and the reality of Christ’s kingdom taking root in communities of renewed image-bearers amidst all nations. This course unpacks Paul’s missional hermeneutic and missionary method. By studying Paul’s letters to the Galatian, Thessalonian, and Corinthian churches, you will gain a deeper understanding of the kingdom of God and rejoice in Christ’s plans for his people and his world. Based on the lecture series, The Heart of Paul’s Theology, produced by Third Millennium Ministries and presented by Dr. Reggie M. Kidd, this course employs graduate level readings, spiritual formation activities, faculty input and oversight with local mentor engagement to explore the message, missionary methods and church-forming mission of the Apostle Paul.
Discipleship Practicum: Nurture (MIS502 – 1 credit hour)
This practicum develops your ministry practices of spiritual care, taking into account the emotional dimension of ministry, which is often omitted in traditional discipleship programs. The gospel changes our whole being, including our emotions. This course uses graduate level readings, discussion forums, faculty tutorials, mentor meetings, and ministry activities to cultivate an emotionally healthy spirituality that is consistent with the teachings and practices of Jesus. This course is not intended to treat issues of pastoral care exhaustively, but aims at an understanding of how transformation occurs through the Spirit’s work in each of us through the means of grace.
Term 5
June 5 – July 30, 2023
Your Kingdom Come: Eschatology (THE511 – 2 credit hours)
The topic of eschatology, or the end of history, has fascinated people for centuries. What does the Bible say about the goal of history? How have various branches of the global church described the Day of the Lord and the Millennium? In this course, students examine what the Scriptures teach about the last days, including a variety of challenging topics, such as the general resurrection, the final judgment, and the consummation of Christ’s messianic kingdom in the new heavens and new earth. Incorporating the lecture series, Your Kingdom Come: The Doctrine of Eschatology, produced by Third Millennium Ministries and hosted by Dr. Matt Friedman, this course requires graduate level readings, spiritual formation activities, faculty tutorials, and engagement with a local mentor to understand and apply eschatology to Christian missions and ethics.
Capstone Portfolio and Project (MIS600 – eligible students only)
This cumulative assessment is designed in two parts: the Portfolio and the Project. The Portfolio requires you to revisit earlier assessments that were designed to demonstrate mastery of one of five program learning outcomes, each of which is tied to a key resource for sustainable ministry. The Project celebrates your learning by applying your findings to your current or future ministry in the form of a philosophy of ministry and strategic plan. The fifth resource for sustainable ministry is your own sense of your pastoral identity, ministry calling, spiritual gifts, personal wounds and weaknesses. Your Capstone Project appropriates the other four resources—Scripture, Theology, Discipleship Practices in the Church, and the cultural resources of your local context—through your own awareness of your pastoral identity, calling, gifts, and weaknesses. This depth of self-awareness only comes through consistent appropriation of the other resources in ongoing relation to a mentor, spiritual director, or other ministry colleague, who will encourage you, pray for you, and tell you the truth in love.