CIU Offering Five-Year M.Div.
The Five-Year Master of Divinity program includes faculty mentors such as Dr. Andre Rogers (left).
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.
Dr. John Harvey, dean of the CIU Seminary & School of Ministry, says the goal of the program is to create the most efficient avenue to answering God’s call to pastoral ministry.
“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,” Harvey said. “But with the Five-Year Master of Divinity program, 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 without added post-graduation debt.”
In a unique feature of the program, students will be assigned faculty mentors to guide them through the program, 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 CIU Alumnus of the Year.
These individuals also create 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.
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: www.ciu.edu/5yrmdiv.