GOSPEL-CENTERED PREPARATION, CONTEXTUALIZED FOR MODERN URBAN CENTERS.
The MA in UM, offered at our South Chicago Regional Center, is ideally designed for the mature student with significant experience in urban ministry who desires to deepen their knowledge & skills. However, students without as much urban ministry experience but who desire to pursue this in the future are also encouraged to apply. Our MA in UM has the following objectives:
Professional competence. The program will contribute to your effectiveness as a pastor, preacher, and teacher.
Educational legitimization. The structures of a complex urban society often call on urban pastors to intercede with agencies such as the welfare department, courts, public schools, and social work systems. Adequate professional skills and academic credentials helps legitimize the urban pastor’s ministry in these contexts.
Theological integration. The integration of social and spiritual responsibilities in urban ministry often lacks a clear framework. We provide a contextualized setting for engaging the Gospel and Scripture as central to this framework.
Marketable skills. Professional competence and academic credentials enhance the opening of ministry opportunities for urban pastors.
While urban ministry-centric courses are often offered on our Deerfield campus, this program is designed to be completed primarily at our South Chicago Regional Center.
Where can this degree take me?
There are an increasing number of diverse urban ministry contexts in which Christian leaders need preparation and skills but do not need the professional credentialing of an MDiv. The settings in which you might use our MA in UM are potentially as diverse as our students’ responses to the call to be ministers of the Gospel. This degree is designed to strengthen and deepen current urban ministry practices, but it could also serve as preparation for anyone who is interested in future urban ministry involvement.
What will I study?
You’ll take courses in the following areas:
