Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.) | Pastoral Ministries

Credit Hours

100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | February 16, 2026 | March 23, 2026

Our Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries Degree Trains You to Provide Pastoral Care to Your Congregation

Liberty University’s 100% online Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.) – Pastoral Ministries is designed to help prepare students entering ministry with an in-depth but practical education in theology, biblical studies, and ministry practice. While completing the online Master of Arts (MA) in Religion, one of Liberty’s most popular online ministry degrees, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in a program that provides flexibility to tailor the degree plan to your passions and needs. Students who complete an online ministry degree program like our online master’s degree in religion can effectively pursue ministry in churches, parachurch organizations, and non-profit organizations while opening the door to further study at the graduate and doctoral levels.

The pastoral ministries area of study for the Master of Arts in Religion is designed to give pastors and church leaders additional training in providing pastoral care to meet the spiritual needs of their congregation and community. Students who are called to a hands-on ministry role and feel unequipped to meet people’s spiritual and relational needs will find the tools for effective, personal ministry leadership in the pastoral ministries area of study.

Your officially conferred degree name will be Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.) – Pastoral Ministries.

Accreditation

Liberty Theological Seminary, as part of Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your seminary degree is approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.

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Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

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Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries Program?

As an accredited online Christian college, Liberty University makes it easier to pursue an online ministry degree with the flexibility of a 100% online format, while holding weight as a master’s degree credential. Liberty University’s online seminary programs, such as the online master’s in religion, will give you a fully-fledged, online college degree in ministry that can equip you for ministry in a variety of fields.

Students in any specialization of the online Master of Arts in Religion can receive foundational instruction in the fundamentals of discipleship ministry, sermon preparation, and practical ministry skills. Students who complete the area of study in pastoral ministries will be further equipped to meet the spiritual needs of their church and ministry with training in pastoral care and spiritual leadership. The pastoral ministries area of study provides an in-depth study of pastoral care, spiritual warfare, and the important factors of ministry growth and success through effective pastoral leadership.

Get the Tools You Need for Ministry Success – Included with Your Program

As a student at Liberty University, you get access to the Logos Bible app at no extra cost. If you’re in a Rawlings School of Divinity program, you receive a Logos Max subscription – unlocking a robust library of biblical and theological resources while you study.

The majority of our Liberty Theological Seminary master’s programs even integrate Logos into your courses, teaching you how to use it effectively and giving you additional resources and training to help you dig deeper into Scripture and prepare for ministry.

What Will You Study in the Online Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries?

Liberty University’s online Master of Arts in Religion contains extensive, well-rounded training in ministry, administration of Christian organizations, theology studies, and biblical studies. The core of the online master’s in religion can provide in-depth topic studies of the Old and New Testament, history of Christianity, systematic theology, and the research, writing, and sermon preparation process.

The online pastoral ministries area of study provides training in the spiritual factors of growing churches, as well as the role of a pastor or church leader in strategic prayer and spiritual warfare for bringing the congregation together and meet ministry challenges.

Students in the pastoral ministries area of study will also receive pastoral counseling training to better serve their congregation and community, as well as explore the most effective ways of preventing ministry failure.

Potential Career Opportunities

Graduates of the online seminary’s Master of Arts in Religion can become prepared to tackle challenges in active, full-time ministry with churches and parachurch organizations while being well situated to continue an online pastoral care or Christian ministries degree at the graduate or doctoral level.

Since most doctoral-level religion degrees require a Master of Divinity (MDiv), students who want to pursue doctoral studies would be encouraged to pursue Liberty’s online MDiv program and will receive the maximum possible transfer of their online master’s in religion credit. In the meantime, graduates of Liberty’s online ministry degrees may be qualified for college-level and K-12 religious studies teaching (non-licensure).

Associate pastor
Church education administrator
K-12 religion teaching
Lay ministry leader
Missionary
Religion adjunct teaching
Teaching pastor

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

To continue our mission of providing affordable education, electronic textbooks are provided for many divinity courses* all for one convenient fee.

*Electronic textbooks are not provided for PACO courses or courses that fall under departments outside the School of Divinity.

Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours)	$2,850
Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (1-8.99 or over 15 credit hours)	$410/Credit
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Block Rate (9-15 credit hours)	$2,575
Military Grad & Postgrad Divinity Part Time (1-8.99 or over 15 credit hours)	$290/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Admission Information for Liberty’s Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries Degree

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.0 GPA is required for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s-level degree work. *Please note: the MA in Christian Apologetics requires a 2.5 GPA for admission in good standing.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
Admission to this program also requires:
- The School of Divinity Questionnaire (login required).
- Submission of contact information (login required) for 1 pastoral recommender.
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Unofficial College Transcript Policy

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
Cumulative GPA
A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Submit your application online or over the phone.

Start Online Application

Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

Tuition discounts – $290 per credit hour for part-time graduate and postgraduate divinity courses
Discounted divinity block rate – $2,575 per semester*
Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder **
8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Credits taken below 9 and above 15 credit hours per semester are charged at the part-time rate.

**Not applicable to certificates, postgraduate, or doctoral programs.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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Frequently Asked Questions for Our Online M.A.R. – Pastoral Ministries Degree

Is Liberty accredited?

Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your seminary degree is approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards, so you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.

What are the benefits of Liberty’s online seminary degrees?

Unlike many online bible colleges or online seminaries, Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Liberty University online seminary students can complete Institutional Challenge Exams (ICE) to get college credit for personal studies and expertise in ministry, subject to transfer limitations.
Liberty’s online degrees of divinity through the online seminary have a Liberty’s online seminary offers divinity degrees at a graduate tuition rate of just $410 per credit hour for part-time students.
Online seminary block rate: students in 9 to 15 credit hours per semester are eligible for a block rate of $2,850 per semester!*

*Credits taken above 15 credit hours for the Master of Divinity online are charged at the part-time rate.

Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries Tailor Your Ministry Path

Our Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries Degree Trains You to Provide Pastoral Care to Your Congregation

Accreditation

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Online Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries Program?

Get the Tools You Need for Ministry Success – Included with Your Program

What Will You Study in the Online Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for Liberty’s Master of Arts in Religion – Pastoral Ministries Degree

Admission Requirements

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

Ready to Apply?

Military

Frequently Asked Questions for Our Online M.A.R. – Pastoral Ministries Degree

Is Liberty accredited?

What are the benefits of Liberty’s online seminary degrees?

Are you ready to change your future?

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