CIU Today Summer 2015

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CIU SSM Launches Five-Year
M.Div. Program
By Dr. John Harvey
Dean of CIU Seminary & School of Ministry
Students who sense a call to the role of senior or solo pastor
can now enroll in a Master of Divinity program that equips them
for ministry in just five years.
The program being launched this summer by Columbia
International University Seminary & School of Ministry (SSM) is
designed for qualified high school graduates who have a clear
sense of calling to vocational Christian ministry. They complete
a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) with a major in Advanced
Biblical and Theological Studies and a Master of Divinity
degree (M.Div.) with a concentration in Bible Exposition.
Here’s how it Works
During their first two years, students complete the majority of
the standard undergraduate core of Bible/Theology, general
education, and leadership development, including designated
electives in philosophy, logic, and world religions. During their
third year, they begin courses in their major, which adds depth
in biblical languages, theology, and worldview.
Students also apply to the Master of Divinity degree during
their third year of study. If they are accepted, the fourth year
is a “bridge” year in which they complete the requirements for
their B.A. and begin their course work for the M.Div. A Senior
Seminar integrates their biblical-theological understanding and
aids the transition to graduate-level study.
Students graduate with their B.A. in the spring of their fourth
year, and engage in intensive 12-week paid internships during
the summer before their final year. Those internships include
being mentored by experienced pastors whose primary focus
is preaching. They complete their graduate-level requirements
during their fifth year and graduate with their M.Div. at the end
of that year.
Mentors and Coaches
Students will be assigned faculty mentors to guide them
through the five years of their program of study, providing
individualized academic advising, spiritual support, and ministry
coaching. In addition, SSM will call on a wealth of special guest
speakers and coaches to contribute to the program, including
CIU Chancellor Dr. George Murray, former CIU president Dr.
Johnny Miller, and author and pastor Rob Morgan, the 2011
Alumnus of the Year.
The quality of these individuals create the opportunity to
assemble a “blue ribbon” stakeholder group that can meet
regularly to provide input on the effectiveness of the program,
monitor the quality of students in the program, and provide
guidance to graduates as they seek placement in ministry.
Breadth and Depth
The end product is a program that is time- and cost-efficient.
Concerns over time and expense often lead students to choose
shorter graduate-level degrees that lack the breadth and
depth of ministry preparation provided by a Master of Divinity
degree. With the Five-Year Master of Divinity program, though,
students obtain a broadly-based undergraduate education that
is the foundation for the graduate-level knowledge and skills
needed to understand, apply, and communicate the Scriptures
effectively in a local church context — without added post-
graduation debt — allowing them to minister more effectively
right after graduation. Our goal is to create the most efficient
avenue to answering God’s call to pastoral ministry.
CIU is grateful to The Kern Family Foundation for their $500,000
grant that helps make the initiation of the program possible.
For more information on the five-year Master of Divinity
program visit:
ACADEMICS
Our goal is to create the
most efficient avenue to
answering God’s call to
pastoral ministry.
–Dr. John Harvey
Dr. John
Harvey (left)
discusses
the Five-Year
M.Div. with
student Cam
Duecker.
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ACADEMICS
CIU Today Summer 2015