The Christian Ministries Emphasis
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| An emphasis on concentrated
coursework in Christian ministries at Central is designed for three types
of students: (1) those who would like some practical experience in various
types of ministry work before firmly committing to a career in Christian
ministries; (2) those who have decided to pursue some form of Christian
ministry work immediately after graduation and who, therefore, desire to
be as prepared as possible to enter the field; and (3) those who are bound
for seminary or theological school, but who want a solid undergraduate
foundation in religion so they can move quickly to higher level graduate
courses and advanced professional training. |
| The emphasis in Christian ministries is more structured than the regular religion major,
and requires more practical experience in ministry work. A Christian ministries
student is required to take a course in Modern Christian Thought, a course
in Christian worship, a pre-ministerial seminar, and an internship in Christian
ministries. Moreover, the student is strongly advised to take a course
in the relation of Christian doctrines to ministry. The remaining academic
requirements for the Christian ministries students are identical to those
for regular religion majors, which is consistent with Central's mission
to provide a liberal arts education in the Christian tradition. Students
who follow the Christian ministries track graduate with a major in religion. |
| One of the options
within the Ministries Emphasis is called 'spiritual formation.' The
religion faculty strongly recommends this component for all ministries
students. During spiritual formation, which is designed to continue throughout
the Christian ministries emphasis, students are teamed with a pastor,
a church elder, or some other Christian professional, such as a Christian
counselor, an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship advisor, or an appropriate
faculty or staff member. They meet regularly with the professionals to
develop daily scriptural study and prayer habits, to discuss personal and
professional struggle, and to observe how to live by consistently integrating
Christian faith, intellect, practice and vocational responsibility into
their everyday lives. |
Requirements for the Christian Ministries Emphasis
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| Students must complete
all the major requirements (listed below), and the total Christian Ministries
package of courses must include: [a] Modern Christian Thought (3) or Readings
in Modern Christian Thought (4), [b] Worship in the Christian Tradition
(3), [c] The Pre-ministerial Seminar (2), [d] Ministry Internship (Arranged,
normally 2-4) or Cross-Cultural Ministry Internship (Arranged, normally
2-4), and [e] Independent Study in Religion (Arranged, normally 3). |
| The normal requirements
for the regular religion requirement which a student with a ministries
emphasis must fill are the following: |
| 30 hours from religion
with at least eight hours at the 300 level, including: |
| 1. At least three
semester hours in biblical studies; choose at least one from the following:
Old Testament History and Religion (3), New Testament and Early Christianity
(3), The Gospels and Jesus (3) or Readings in The Gospels and Jesus (4), The Prophets (3) or Readings in The Prophets (4), The Writings (of
the Old Testament) (3) or Readings in The Writings (4). |
| 2. At least three
semester hours in the history of Christianity; choose at least one from
the following: The Christian Heritage (3), The Early Church (3), American Religious Thought (3),
The Reformation (3), Medieval Christendom (3), Jesus in Christian Thought
(3). |
| 3. At least three
semester hours in comparative religious traditions; choose at least one
from the following: Asian Religions (3) or Readings in Asian Religions
(4), The Jewish Experience (3), Islam (3) or Readings in Islam (4). |
| 4. At least three
semester hours in theology, ethics and culture; choose at least one from
the following: Christian Ethics (3) or Readings in Christian Ethics (4),
Christianity and Culture (3) or Readings in Christianity and Culture (4),
Modern Christian Thought (3) or Readings in Modern Christian Thought (4). |
| 5. Complete the following
course: Independent Study in Religion (Arr). |
| 6. Complete religion
elective courses as necessary to earn at least a total of 30 semester hours
of major courses. |
| 7. Complete all requirements
for the Communication Skills Endorsement. |
| Note: up to four
semester hours of the following courses may be counted as part of the religion
major: History: Biblical Archaeology (3); Sociology: Sociology of Religion
(3); any course in philosophy except Philosophy 125: General Logic. |
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