B.A. in Christian Ministries Studies

Major requirements

Required semester hours: 36 sh

Course requirements

Notes and restrictions

All Christian Ministries Studies majors will be required to complete two supervised Christian ministry field experiences. Ministry General Practicum (CMS 1600) must be in a local Chicago city-centered church context not your own. The internships (CMS 4970 & CMS 4971) must be taken in consecutive semesters and be either a full-time summer placement or part- time, nine-month placement during the school year in a church, parachurch, or community-service setting.

CMS 1510 Introduction to Christian Ministry Studies (4 sh)

An orientation to the theology and practice of Christian ministry. The course introduces the diverse history of Christian ministry and models from the New Testament to its trajectories in the Western and Eastern and Global church. The course grounds ministry in a robust ecclesiology and prevents various philosophies of ministry. In addition, the course informs students about the essential features of ministry: discernment of vocation calling, spiritual giftedness, tasks of discipleship, pastoral care, church polity, leadership, and the spiritual life of the ministry leader. The Evangelical Covenant Church will be the case study.

CMS 1600 General Church Ministry Practicum (0 sh)

Students will integrate their classroom learning with access in a local church context in order to observe and serve in a low-level capacity. Students will be under the supervision of a ministry mentor and a faculty member. The setting of the practicum is a general church ministry experience, not one in a specialized segment of ministry. The local church will be approved by the program director. The practicum includes a summative assignment in which students consider the links between ministry principles, personal spiritual formation, and practical skills.

CMS 2110 Sacred & Embodied Habits of a Christian Ministry Leader (2 sh)

The course addresses the inner life of the ministry leader. Emphasis is placed on self-awareness and the awareness of their ways of relating to others, personality awareness, and auto- biographical storytelling for formation and selective spiritual disciplines. The basic assumption of this course is that ministry leaders must hold as sacred the ethic to “do no harm.” If a leader is to keep this code of conduct, they must affirm the principle that the degree to which they face and name their failures and traumas is the extent that they will escape the unfortunate but extensive propensity to do harm to those they serve. Prerequisite: Recommend CMS 1510

CMS 2260 Jesus, Discipleship, and Making Disciples (4 sh)

The course studies the Christian imperative to make disciples of every human ethnicity. While one can find fault in the history of this indispensable Christian task, to be Christian requires the church to be a disciple making community. Students will learn how to become and deepen in their own disciple, as well as making disciples. The approach of this course rejects the pragmaticism of twentieth century techniques of conversion for presence and curiosity. Students will cultivate a posture of authentic curiosity and attunement empowered by the Holy Spirit. Students will learn to embody and speak the truths of Jesus into everyday life with a humble and contrite posture in the post-Christian, globally informed West.

CMS 2310 Global Mission in the Bible and World (2 sh)

The course introduces the foundations of a Trinitarian mission for the world. The study of Christian mission surveys the Old and New Testaments’ unified theme of God’s mission for the whole world. In addition, historical missional movements are studied and the lived and embodied implication of these diverse ways the Missio Dei exists in the world. The underlying assumption is that God is pursuing the reconciliation of all things and He uses the people of God in the present to inaugurate his future restoration of all things. The course will pay special attention to the principle of ecclesial reciprocity in the praxis of mission. Prerequisite: Recommend CMS 1510

CMS 3000 Vital Issues of Ministry in City-Centers (2 sh)

This course examines the phenomena and effects of global city centers. Focus will be placed on the city-center's impact on global migration, ethnicity, justice, and diaspora faith com- munities. The results of globalization and the changing cultural implications are addressed. Students will be equipped to serve in a city-centered context as their imaginations are shaped by God's love for people whose social and cultural location is the city center. Also, students will see the tangible and faithful presence of Christian ministries in the city of Chicago. Engagement in the city of Chicago is transferable to any global city-center. Prerequisite: CMS 1510, 2310.

CMS 3900 Pietism and the Evangelical Movement (2 sh)

The course explores pietism and the evangelical movement. The two movements are twin sisters, having both begun in the 17th century in Europe. Pietism and the evangelical movement are intertwined but are not the same. Most Evangelicals would not know the term pietism, but their non-doctrinal perspectives, intuitions and daily habits are dependent on the pietists. The outline of the study is the identity and history of Evangelical Covenant Church. To examine the history of ECC, is to study the history of both movements. Key turning points and figures in the ECC's story will be used as teaching moments to grasp the wider stories of pietism and evangelicalism. The great contributions of the two movements for the renewal of the church in the modern period are presented alongside the perplexities and challenges of their nondoctrinal identity are presented. Prerequisite: CMS 2310

CMS 3910 Topics in Christian Ministry Studies (2-4 sh)

An intensive investigation of a selected topic in biblical studies, theology, or ministry. Prerequisite: Recommend CMS 1510.

CMS 4020 Evangelical Practical Theology (2 sh)

The course prepares students to learn to read texts broadly de- fined as anything that communicates ideology - a cultural object critically, to recognize the importance of introspection, and to learn to use incarnational evangelical theology and ethics as tools for assessing the beliefs, practices and actions of Christian individuals, movements and institutions. Cultural objects within the post-Christian consumer-oriented society we inhabit that shape the perceptions of church will also be assessed. Various methodologies for doing practical theology will be presented and assessed. In addition, a selection of the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer will be a focus of the course as an exemplar of a practical theologian. Prerequisite: CMS 3900

CMS 4250 Biblical Formation on Location (4 sh)

The course gives students a first-hand engagement with the concrete world of the Bible. It presupposes that the Bible's own self-description defines its goal: form a disciple of Jesus' way of being in the world, and not to teach ideas. Students travel to the Holy Land where the biblical characters lived out their relationship with God. No other pedagogue is capable of the level of biblical formation than having a firsthand and embodied experience with the Bible. Because the course engages both the mind and the body, it has the greatest potential for life transformation: walking with others in ancient Israel and the Greco-Roman and Jewish world in the footsteps of Jesus and the early Jewish disciples. In addition, students will present a Senior Portfolio. Along with a self-assessment of their intellectual development, their formation as a disciple of Jesus from beginning to end, and their ministry skill set. The portfolio also includes a final program integration project born from the experience of the course. Prerequisite: CMS 1510.

CMS 4500 Introduction to the Area of Ministry Specialization (4 sh)

This course is an introduction to the ministry area of specialization. The biblical and theological foundations of the specialization are introduced as well as the unique profile and demographics of those whom are served in the specialization. The theory and practice of the ministry specialization and is current models are presented and assessed. Also, the competencies of the ministry leader in the field are addressed. The particular field's current prospects and challenges are considered. Prerequisite: CMS 2310

CMS 4650 Programming for the Area of Specialization (4 sh)

A study of the foundational components of church ministries programming which includes: developing a philosophy of ministry, ministry assessment, calendar planning, budgeting, leadership development, and safety issues. Prerequisite: CMS 4500. Co-requisite: CMS 4970.

CMS 4710 Principles of Management Leadership in Ministry Specialization (2 sh)

CMS 4910 Independent Study in Christian Ministries Studies (1-4 sh)

Independent study of a topic related to Christian Ministries Studies chosen by the student in consultation with a CMS professor.

CMS 4970 Internship in the Area of Ministry Specialization I (2 sh)

This course develops a student's ability to be a practitioner in the field of ministry specialization. Course work situates students in the arena where they are both invited and challenged to integrate their learning in real life ministry contexts. Students will become practical theologians through the practice of ministry. Students will experience the localized embodiment of ministry practiced in their traditional forms. Students are required to serve an average minimum of 6 hours per week in hands on field experience. Students must also participate in small groups for reflection, mentoring, and spiritual formation. Internship application and approval is coordinated through the Office of Career and Internships. Prerequisites: CMS 4500

CMS 4971 Internship in the Area of Ministry Specialization II (2 sh)

This course is a continuation of the first semester and has a similar format in terms of classroom experience, field experience, and small groups. Students further develop their ability to reflect theologically on ministry through the employment of a method of practical theology which will produce a clarity a student’s own theology for Christian ministry. Students are required to serve an average of 8 hours per week in hands on field experience. Students must also participate in small groups for reflection, mentoring, and spiritual formation. Internship application and approval is coordinated through the Office of Career and Internships. Prerequisite: CMS 4970

B.A. in Christian Ministries Studies

Major requirements

Course requirements

Prerequisite and supporting courses

Required core courses

Ministry specialization

Notes and restrictions