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MA in Pastoral Ministry

Mission Statement:

The MAPM offers effective graduate education for experienced English and Spanish-speaking NAD pastors who seek a deeper walk with God, a greater knowledge in the practice of ministy and a continuing commitment to the message and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist faith.

Program Description:

The Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry (MAPM) degree is a collaborative arrangement between North American Division Union Conferences and the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary to provide advanced theological education via field-based intensives. It is specifically designed for experienced pastors whose ministerial functions and employment responsibilities make it impossible to engage in an extended study program at the Seminary. The program is also open to tuition-paying lay people who want to prepare for ministry or wnt to be more effective in their role as a leader in their local congregation. The goals of our program are to deepen the understanding, reflection, and skills of the pastors in the core qualities of character, evangelism/discipleship, leadership, management, relationship, scholarship, and worship. While admission to the program is similar for all groups of applicants, the curriculum reflects emphases for English or Hispanic ministry tracks (for details, see below). The program can be completed in 4 years. A full course load is 6 credits per semester.

This program is offered at designated locations within each Union of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. For information about the MA in Pastoral Ministry (Hispanic Track) visit their website at andrews.edu/sem/ihm-spa.

The MAPM prepares students for some advanced degrees. If a student later wishes to pursue other advanced degrees in the seminary, they may need to do additional courework on the masters level. 

Program Requirments:

The MA in Pastoral Ministry degree is awarded upon completion of a minimum of 48 credits of formal course work.

• Course work in North America is offered off campus twice annually at . Each teaching module usually includes two back-to-back classes thus conserving time and travel expenses. Students should expect pre- and post-class assignments as part of the total academic requirements of each course. The intensives generate the equivalent of 12 credits annually.
• All students must participate in supervised ministerial experience as part of their degree requirements.
• Students are required to take 6 credits on the 老司机传媒 campus during their first year in the program. “This residency requirement is offered as an approved exception to the Association of Theological Schools larger residency expectation stated in Degree Program Standard B, section B.3.1.3.”
• Lay people must take two additional courses which are currently only offered online:
  1. PATH 552-Foundations of Pastoral Ministry (2 cr) and
  2. GSEM 515-Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics.

Courses covered in the MAPM delivery mimic those included in the MDiv program. In other words all applicants will be required to accumulate certain credits in each of the Seminary's major departments. Annual progress reports (check sheets) allow pastors to track their journey through each of the following disciplines; Church Ministry (CHMN), Discipleship & Religious Education (DSRE), Church History (CHIS), Old Testament (OTST) & New Testament (NTST), Theology and Christian Philosophy (THST), and World Missions (MSSN).

Program Outcomes

Deliver effective biblically-based sermons
Demonstrate proper biblical interpretation skills
Understand the historical-theological development of the Adventist Church
Capable of training church memebers for evangelism
Demonstrate an understanding of how to empower church members for leadership
Capable of reaching specific social groups