Arizona Theological Seminary (520) 303-7261

A call to ministry is the understanding and acceptance of one's purpose in God's plan. It is the coming together of a ministry need and the gifts of a person to meet the need. The experience of being called is a powerful and awesome experience. The Religious Study degree prepares individuals for ministry leadership, in a less costly, less time-consuming fashion, and in a way that honors and supports the contexts from which leaders come and to which they are called. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38). The harvest is more plentiful than we can imagine.  Local ministry leaders are often seen as leaders in the community, and therefore have great potential to initiate change. This program explores ways in which you can be envisioned and equipped for the task of leading your ministry in integral mission.

Required courses are taught in online classrooms with an instructor and fellow students and will meet for several hours each week - usually in the evenings.

The Religious Study degree prepares you for ministry leadership in a way that honors and supports the contexts from which leaders come and to which they are called. Jesus wants His church to function effectively, so leadership is a top priority. God-given leadership provides security, motivation and direction. Leaders who know that they are genuinely anointed, called and loved by God bring peace and security to a local church.

These degree programs qualify you for ordination with the General Conference of the Evangelical Baptist Church.

Curriculum

The total ammount of credits needed for an Associate of Arts in Religious Studies degree is 62 credits.

General Education (GE) core courses are online and may be taken in your own time frame during weekdays, evenings/weekends, or in conjunction with the counseling/chaplaincy required courses. All General Education core classes must be completed by the graduation deadline.

Below is a recommended framework of GE courses for completing the degree.

Religious Studies (AA) required courses:

*all courses award 3 credits each

TH-101      Introduction to Theology
TH-102      Bibliology and Hermeneutics
REL-111H  Introduction to Ancient Hebrew
REL-111    Old Testament Survey
REL-112    New Testament Survey
REL-201    Church History
TH-210      Introduction to Systematic Theology
REL-204    Missions and Evangelism I

MIN-201    Foundations in Ministry
MIN-202    Leadership Development I
PCC-203   Pastoral Care and Counseling
COM-511  Homiletics   

Total 36 credits

Curriculum

The total ammount of credits needed for an Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies degree is 110 credits.

General Education (GE) core courses are online and may be taken in your own time frame during weekdays, evenings/weekends, or in conjunction with the counseling/chaplaincy required courses. All General Education core classes must be completed by the graduation deadline.

Below is a recommended framework of GE courses for completing the degree in two years.

Religious Studies (BA) required courses:

*Prerequisite first year Religious Study courses or equivalent

**all courses award 3 credits each

TH-202        Bibliology and Hermeneutics II
REL-112G   Introduction to Ancient Greek
PH-201       General Philosophy
PH-202       Worldview
TH-310        Advanced Systematic Theology
REL-255     Ecclesiology
REL-300     World Religions
REL-304     Missions and Evangelism II
MIN-301      Ministry Leadership
MIN-300      Leadership Development II with Lab
COM-311    Homiletics
PCC-311    Christian Counseling with Lab

Total 36 credits

Curriculum  *prerequsite Bachelor's degree

The Master of Arts in Divinity with an emphasis in ministry leadership is an academic degree distinct in purpose from the Master of Theology degree, which is a degree oriented towards scholarship and academia. The M.Div. is designed for students whose studies will focus on the dynamics of leadership, ministry, church and church offices, ministry development and effective communication. The Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) model is used in which each course will have a lead instructor who will assemble additional team instructors in an effort to provide a comprehensive learning experience using the PAL method.

Program Requirements

The M.Div. program consists of 66 total academic credits. The required coursework is 66 credits and the writing of a full-length thesis, for which 6 credits are granted.

The student writing a thesis should propose a thesis topic before the end of the first semester, and upon approval, the student should begin research as soon as possible thereafter. The thesis must be submitted within the final semester the completion of all coursework.     

The review committee evaluates the writing of the master's thesis. The committee consists of the thesis director and two professors.

All courses award 3 credits unless otherwise stated.

COURSES
              
COM501   GRADUATE LEVEL WRITING, RESEARCH AND PRESENTATION (2 credits)
TH510      BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS AND EXEGESIS
TH512      OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGY
LAN500H  ANCIENT HEBREW
TH507      NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY
LAN501G  NEW TESTAMENT GREEK   
REL509    CHURCH HISTORY AND CANON    
PHIL510   PHILOSOPHY AND CHRISTIAN THOUGHT   
PHIL511   WORLDVIEW ANALYSIS
TH512      ADVANCED APOLOGETICS
PH513      ETHICS
TH601      SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
TH602      RENEWAL THEOLOGY
REL465    HISTORY OF GCEBC (1 credits)
MIN501    PRINCIPALS AND PRACTICE OF PASTORAL MINISTRY
MIN510    BUILDING THE 21ST CENTURY CHURCH
CON611   PASTORAL COUNSELING
MIN602    SPIRITUAL WAREFARE IN EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS  
COM610   THE MINISTRY OF PREACHING AND TEACHING
RELF600   MINISTRY FIELD: LEADERSHIP (Internship)
MA600     THESIS PRESENTATION (6 credits)

Total  66 credits