Ministry, M.Min.
Program Coordinator: Michael G. VanZant, Ph.D.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Master of Ministry program is designed to meet the needs of those currently in ministry, pursuing ministry, or exploring bi-vocational ministry. With an emphasis on practical theology, the Master of Ministry program focuses on equipping students with the education, skills, and training useful in all aspects of Christian ministry, and does so in an exclusively online format that meets the educational needs of busy, non-traditional learners. Credits earned in this program can be transferred to graduate programs at other universities, including the Master of Divinity program offered by Nazarene Theological Seminary. Students who desire to pursue the Master of Divinity program will be required to apply separately to NTS before the commencement of the program and must transfer credits to that program before the conclusion of their Master of Ministry program at MVNU.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the Master of Ministry program, students should be able to:
- understand the biblical, theological, and historical foundations for the practice of ministry;
- apply classical disciplines to the tasks of pastoral ministry and other forms of service;
- enhance skills for the practice of ministry in the areas of leadership, communication, pastoral care, counseling, and education;
- practice the art of proclamation, including interpretation of scripture, application to human need, and communication for evangelism, Christian nurture, and moral challenge;
- identify the purpose and goals of ministry and develop the disciplines of planning, implementing, and assessing progress toward those goals.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Admission requirements for the Master of Ministry program include the following:
- submission of official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work completed to date;
- a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 (on a 4.00 scale);
- completion of an online application and Registration Agreement Form.
Applicants from foreign countries and U.S. territories must also provide recent evidence of proficiency in English by: 1) scoring 80 or above on the Internet-based TOEFL with subscores in writing, reading, speaking and listening of at least 20; 2) scoring 550 or above on the written TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) with subscores in writing and reading of at least 50; or 3) scoring 6.0 or above on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System). All tests of English proficiency must have been taken in the last two years to be considered for acceptance.
Applicants who do not meet one or more of the admission requirements above may be granted conditional admission if approved by the Program Coordinator.
PROGRAM CONTINUATION
A student who enters the Master of Ministry program on conditional admission must achieve a grade of at least "B" in each of the first two courses in order to continue in the program and achieve full acceptance.
A student with full acceptance will be placed on academic probation at any time that his/her graduate program GPA falls below 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale). Any Master of Ministry student who is placed on academic probation must achieve a program GPA of at least 3.00 at the completion of an additional nine (9) graduate credit hours. The student will be removed from academic probation once his/her program GPA meets or exceeds 3.00.
A student may be dismissed from the Master of Ministry program if s/he:
- receives more than six (6) credit hours of grades below a "C";
- fails to achieve the required GPA at the end of any probationary period;
- fails to remit payment for an outstanding financial balance; and/or
- fails to comply with the policies set forth in the "School of Graduate and Professional Studies" section of this Catalog.
TRANSFER CREDIT PROVISIONS
Up to six (6) credit hours of graduate work may be transferred from regionally accredited colleges, or universities. Credit is transferred on a course-by-course basis as applicable to the degree. Transfer credit is granted only if grades of "B" or better were earned, and provided the course is a reasonable equivalent to one required in the program. No credit for prior learning is awarded. Equivalence of course content and transfer of credit is determined by the Program Coordinator.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Graduate students must meet the degree requirements as stated in the Catalog under which they first enrolled. Students must earn their degree within a maximum of six (6) years from the first date of enrollment at MVNU. Students who withdraw from MVNU for more than six (6) months will meet the graduation requirements as stated in the catalog under which they resume enrollment. Students changing majors or programs must meet requirements as stated in the Catalog that is current at the time they make such changes. A student who receives a grade of less than a "C" will be required to repeat that course until a grade of "C" or better is earned.
A minimum program GPA of 2.50 is required for graduation.