Educational Opportunities
Master of Ministry Degree Plan
Master of Ministry
Stephen T. Franklin, Ph.D., Coordinator
The MMIN in Comparison to Other Programs
Course Format
Scholarships
Admissions Requirements
Graduation Requirements
Curriculum
Purpose
The Master of Ministry (M.Min.) program is designed to resource serving ministers for effective leadership in missional congregations by equipping them and developing in them theological and practical competencies with a missional focus in the practice of ministry. The program focuses on integrating the best available resources of scholarship, ministry specialists, and contemporary ministry models with the practice of ministry.
Course of Study
The Master of Ministry program offers two study tracks, or concentrations -- the General Track and the Youth Ministry Track. Additional concentrations of study may be added in the future. The course of study requires completion of 10 courses (nine instructional courses and a culminating project course). Each course carries three credits. Thus, the entire M.Min. degree requires 30 credits for completion.
General Track: This track includes three required core courses, a final project, and allows six elective courses, selected to resource the student's particular ministry interests. Students will design a study plan to meet their learning objectives and to give focus to their culminating project.
Youth Ministry Track: This track includes three required core courses, a final project, and six elective courses. Students will design a study plan to meet their learning objectives and to give focus to their culminating project.
Detailed regulations concerning the electives, for both the general track and the youth ministry track, may be found below in the section entitled "Curriculum".
Certificate in Ministerial Studies
Students who do not wish to take courses for academic credit toward the degree may take the courses as continuing education leading to a Certificate in Ministerial Studies. The certificate may be earned by completing any five courses offered in the Master of Ministry program (with adjusted coursework expectations). Tuition for certificate participation would be at a reduced rate.
Comparison of the M.Min. with the M.A. in Christian Ministry and the M.A. in Youth Ministry
Students considering entering the General Track in the M.Min. program should also look carefully at Olivet's M.A. in Christian Ministry. Likewise students considering the Youth Ministry Track in the M.Min. program should also look carefully at Olivet's M.A. in Youth Ministry. Students should then decide whether the M.Min. or the M.A. better meets their needs.
The M.Min. is designed primarily for persons already engaged in ministry who wish to remain in their current positions while studying for a master's degree. For that reason, Olivet will offer a sufficient number of modular courses (defined below) for the student to complete the M.Min. degree. Students in the M.Min. program can complete their degree using modular courses only. In contrast, students in either the M.A. in Christian Ministry or the M.A. in Youth Ministry must be prepared to take some of their courses on Olivet's campus in semester or half-semester formats.
The M.Min. program assumes current participation in ministry, often full time. To enter the M.Min. program, the student should have at least 15 credit hours of Bible and theology at the undergraduate level. In contrast, the M.A. in Christian Ministry can serve as a "gateway" program into ministry for people without any professional or full-time ministry experience; and while requiring a bachelor's degree, it does not assume any previous academic study of Bible, theology, or ministry.
The M.A. in Youth Ministry can also serve as a "gateway" program into practicing ministry, but it does have a fairly rigorous set of undergraduate prerequisites in religion in order to enter the program.
It should be noted that while the M.Min. requires 30 credit hours (10 courses), the M.A. in Christian Ministry requires 36 credit hours (twelve courses), and the M.Min. program ends with a Master of Ministry project. In addition, while the General Track in the M.Min. and the Christian Ministry M.A. both have strong practical components, the M.A. offers additional academic content in the theory and theology that undergirds ministry.
The M.A. in Youth Ministry requires 48 credit hours (16 courses). In addition, the M.A. in Youth Ministry requires participation in a mentored youth ministry experience, whereas the M.Min. does not, being designed for students already engaged in ministry. The Youth Ministry Track in the M.Min. ends with a Master of Ministry project, whereas the M.A. concludes with an integrative seminar. Lastly, while the Master of Ministry's Youth Ministry Track and the M.A. in Youth Ministry both have strong practical components, the M.A. offers additional academic content in the theory and theology that undergirds ministry.
The M.Min. program allows students six years to complete the program, whereas all the M.A. degrees must be finished within four years.
Times and Format of Courses in the M.Min. Program
Courses are offered three times per year, in May, August, and January, on Olivet's Bourbonnais, IL, campus. The university may, on an "on-demand basis," offer additional courses at other off-campus sites.
Courses are normally taught in an intensive modular format, beginning at noon on Monday and concluding at noon on Friday. Coursework is assigned in preparation for, and following, the classroom session. To complete the work before and after the module, the student must have computer access to the internet. Assigned work following the session must be completed and submitted to the instructor for grading 30 days following the completion of the class session. Students with extenuating circumstances may request an extension - not to exceed four weeks - from the instructor.
Time Limits
A student is allowed six years from beginning the first graduate course to complete the entire M.Min. program. Coursework beyond six years is evaluated by the Program Coordinator, the Director of Graduate Studies, or the Dean of the School of Theology & Christian Ministry. Students granted permission for more than six years may be expected to meet current program requirements, and that may mean retaking one or more courses.
District superintendent scholarships are available to serving ministers in the Church of the Nazarene in the Olivet educational region. Application for these scholarships should be made directly to the pastor's officiating district superintendent. Churches are encouraged to consider a matching-funds plan to assist serving ministers in their continuing education.
For admission to the Master of Ministry program, applicants should complete the following steps:
1. Submit a completed Olivet Nazarene University graduate application form.
2. Possess a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a grade point average of 2.5 or better (4.0 scale).
3. Submit an official transcript* of the student's undergraduate college work and of any graduate work being used to support the application for admission.
* Official Transcript: A transcript with the registrar's seal from the institution granting credit sent directly to Olivet Nazarene University, School of Theology and Christian Ministry, Attn: Graduate Program Specialist, One University Avenue Box 6048, Bourbonnais, IL 60914-2345.
4. A minimum of 15 undergraduate hours in religion, Bible, or theology. Students whose undergraduate preparation in religion is deficient may apply for conditional admission, if they satisfy the other requirements. Rules and deadlines for making up the deficiency will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
5. Demonstrate the ability to succeed in the graduate-level Master of Ministry program, as evidenced by two or three recommendations -- one from a pastor or other spiritual adviser and one from a person who can speak to the applicant's academic capacity. If pastor or spiritual adviser is different from the student's supervisor in ministry, the student is encouraged to include a third recommendation from a ministry supervisor such as, in the case of a Nazarene applicant, the District Superintendent.
6. Submit a $25 application fee.
7. Possess moral character consistent with attendance at a Christian university.
8. Be actively involved in church ministry.
1. Satisfactorily complete nine classroom courses plus the culminating project, for a total of 30 hours of course credit. Please note the course plans immediately below, which describe specific courses that are to be included in each track.
2. Achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale), with no grade no lower than a B-.
3. Fulfill all general graduation requirements of the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies.
All of the following courses carry three semester hours of credit. The Master of Ministry requires 30 total credit hours for completion. Click here for a printable program checklist that lists course requirements. Click here to view course descriptions.
Master of Ministry (General Track)
Core Curriculum
THEO 607 Theology of Ministry
CMIN 631 Life Management and Personal Renewal
CMIN 635 Leadership in Christian Ministry: Committed to Serve, Prepared to Lead
CMIN 690 Master of Ministry Project
Electives
Six courses selected by the student as part of a designed plan of study in ministry, in consultation with the student's adviser and approved by the M.Min. coordinator. While the student may, with the permission of the adviser or Program Coordinator, take any graduate course in the School of Theology and Christian Ministry, providing that the student meets the prerequisites, the entire set of courses should be a coherent plan of study for the ministry. The following courses are specifically designed for M.Min. students and, therefore, taught in a modular format. All of the following courses carry 3 semester hours of credit.
CMIN 643 Issues in Ministry
CMIN 652 Principles of Management
CMIN 653 Discipling
CMIN 654 Counseling
CMIN 655 Family Dynamics and Intervention
CMIN 657 Faith in Action Through Social Work
CMIN 658 Organizational Behavior
THEO 647 Biblical and Theological Studies
THEO 648 Theology and Ministry
Master of Ministry (Youth Ministry Track)
Core Curriculum
THEO 607 Theology of Ministry
CMIN 631 Life Management and Personal Renewal
CMIN 635 Leadership in Christian Ministry: Committed to Serve, Prepared to Lead
CMIN 690 Master of Ministry Project
Electives
Six elective courses. Two of the six may be chosen, after consulting with the student's adviser, from any graduate level course offered by the School of Theology and Christian Ministry for which the student meets the prerequisites. The courses listed above as electives in the general track are, however, particularly appropriate as electives for students in the youth ministry track. In addition, at least four of the six electives must be chosen, after consulting with the student's adviser, from the following list of youth ministry (YMIN) courses. In the coming years, this list may be changed, with deletions and appropriate additions.
YMIN 612 Foundations of Youth Ministry
YMIN 614 Postmodernity, Youth Ministry and the Emerging Church
YMIN 620 Youth Ministry and the Wilderness as Renewal
YMIN 630 Developmental Theories and Adolescents
YMIN 645 Family Systems and Implications for the Local Church Ministry
YMIN 650 Spiritual Development of Students
For more information regarding the Master of Ministry, please contact the Graduate Religion office by phone at 815-928-5670 or by e-mail at onugradreligion@olivet.edu.