Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

MA in Min

Master of Arts in Ministry

Focused on equipping leaders in an area of specialized, church-related ministry.

Your MA in Ministry specialization is unique to your current ministry context in a local church, parachurch, or other church-related ministry. Our broadly evangelical heritage and rich pool of faculty experience, combined with the flexibility to focus your program very specifically, make the MA in Ministry an excellent way to grow in wise stewardship of the ministry God’s given you.

Master of Arts in Ministry

Where can this degree take me?

Rather than being a bridge to a particular vocational or educational goal, the MA in Ministry is meant to enrich and deepen your current ministry context.

What will I study?

Courses you’ll take include the following:

  • Biblical, Theological, and Historical Studies - 12-15 hrs

    A minimum of one course (2 hours) each in Old Testament, New Testament, Theology, and History

  • Ministry Practice and Context* - 12-15 hours

    A minimum of four courses in ministry application, two of which (6 hours total) must be in a particular area of ministry specialization that provides a foundation for the capstone integrative experience.
    Required: PT 5000 Personal Assessment and Ministry Orientation
    *Areas of Ministry Specialization recently completed by MA in Ministry graduates or current students include those below. These areas and courses are suggested and may vary according to the needs of the student and availability of courses. While 6 hours in a Specialization are required, 6-9 additional hours plus the Capstone Experience enable a student to complete as many as 14 or more semester hours in the Specialization. Course work is also available through cross-registration into other seminaries in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) consortium. Consult your advisor for course recommendations.

  • Capstone - 3-6 hours

    ID 7465 MA in Min Capstone Experience 3-6 hrs
    A ministry-based experience that integrates the biblical/theological/historical with the ministry practice and context components of the program and provides the capacity for further specialized service in the church (ID 7465). This intensive experience may be a practicum or a project and (for 3 semester hours) will reflect a minimum of 168 hours (12 hr/wk for 14 wks) of experiential learning and be accompanied by a 7,500-to-10,000-word (25-30 page) critical analysis paper demonstrating integration of program components with the area of ministry specialization.

  • Administration and Leadership in the Church Specialization

    Several students with business, or similar, backgrounds are pursuing a specialization in church administration. Courses selected include the following:

    CM 6000 Preserving Your Ministry Family
    EM 5000 Educational Ministry in the Local Church
    EM 5210 Christian Leadership
    ME 5001 Foundations of Evangelism
    ME 6963 Principles of Discipleship
    OT 6000 Old Testament Ethics
    PT 7210 Pastoral Practices
    PT 7220 Pastoral Leadership
    PT 7410 Church History and Polity
    PT 8000 Essence of Biblical Leadership
    ST 5200 Christian Ethics

  • Age or Gender-related Ministry Specialization

    Age (children, youth, college, adult) specific ministries, or ministry to families, women, or men is the interest of other students whose course work has included the following:

    CM 5000 Prepare/Enrich Premarital Training
    CM 6572 Pastoral Counseling for Marriage and Family
    CO 5210 Counseling Skills Training
    CO 6000 Guilt and Shame from a Christian Perspective
    EM 5000 Educational Ministry in the Local Church
    EM 5210 Christian Leadership
    EM 6000 Marriage and Family Ministry
    EM 7260 Small Group Processes in Ministry
    ID 6012 Prayer and Life in the Spirit
    ME 8624 Cross-Cultural Conflict Resolution
    ST 5200 Christian Ethics

  • Formation Specialization

    Christian growth and formation includes development and group process, as well as biblical and theological course work for program participants:

    DE 5740 Spiritual Formation
    EM 5000 Educational Ministry in the Local Church
    EM 5510 Christian Formation and Journey
    EM 6000 Adolescent Spirituality
    EM 6000 Marriage Enrichment
    NT 5175 Evangelistic Bible Study: Mark

  • Worship in the Church Specialization

    In addition to TEDS courses, students may enroll in ACTS Chicago consortium courses to complete a specialization in some areas:

    ACTS Current Practices in Worship and Spirituality
    ACTS History of Worship and Spirituality
    ACTS Theology of Worship and Spirituality
    CC 5610 Cultural Hermeneutics
    CH 5010 History of Christianity
    ID 6011 NCTI The Church and Mission: New Face of Christianity
    PR 5500 Apologetics

  • Youth Ministry Specialization

    Youth Ministry courses focus on issues and development of ministry to youth in the local or parachurch and include courses such as the following:

    EM 5540 Foundations of Youth Ministry
    EM 5541 Youth Ministry Strategies
    EM XXXX Additional course work in youth ministry

Field Education

All MA in Ministry students must fulfill field education requirements. Learn more about field ed here.

Meet Your Faculty

Because of the flexible nature of the MA in Ministry, students have the potential to learn from a wide range of faculty. Here are a few you might meet:

View All Faculty

What are the prerequisites for admission to this program?

Besides the requirements for general admission, you’ll want to be aware of the following basic prerequisites (see full prerequisites for more explanation):

  • You’ll need an accredited baccalaureate degree;
  • Your GPA must be at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (though there can be exceptions);
  • You’ll need to have taken courses in Old Testament, New Testament, and theology;
  • We’ll ask for a personal ministry statement, a formal pastoral or ministry supervisor letter of recommendation, and we may request an interview.
View All Prerequisites

Master of Arts in Ministry Prerequisites

  • Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent from a recognized accredited institution. In some cases, admission with deficiencies is possible with fulfillment of these deficiencies at Trinity.
  • Your GPA must be a minimum of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. However, GPA isn’t always an accurate indication of a student’s abilities, so those with a lower GPA are encouraged to talk to an admissions counselor. If your GPA is less than 2.5, we’ll ask for scores from the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) (preferred) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
  • You’ll need to have taken a minimum of one semester-length undergraduate or graduate course in each of the following: Old Testament, New Testament, and theology (generally totaling at least 9 or 10 semester hours). You can be admitted without this, but you’ll need to make it up early in your program.
  • Along with your application, you’ll need to include a statement describing your area of ministry interest. This should be about 1,000 words long and include both your current ministry involvement as well as your future plans (to the extent that you know them). Be sure to include a note about your involvement with the church as it relates to your ministry. This is a statement you’ll want to revisit during the first half of your program in anticipation of the midprogram assessment.
  • Additionally, you’ll need a letter of endorsement (on letterhead) from your local church, parachurch, or church-related ministry that demonstrates your church-connectedness and affirms the following: (a) your interest and giftedness for church-related ministry; (b) your evident Christian life and character; and (c) the support and prayers of the ministry organization for your course of study. Since this is a church-related ministry degree program, this requirement isn’t optional.
  • We may schedule a personal interview with you.