MA Pastoral Counseling: Discipleship & Church Ministry
Prepare to Make a Greater Impact in Ministry with a Master’s in Pastoral Counseling and Discipleship
Are you looking for a way to combine your passion for ministry with your love for helping others? Consider a Master of Arts (MA) in Pastoral Counseling – Discipleship and Church Ministry. This degree can help provide the training to be a church planter, discipleship and life group pastor, lay leader, and non-licensed counselor.
Our pastoral counseling courses can help you develop a better understanding of how to reach hurting people. Our core pastoral counseling courses focus on marriage and family counseling and crisis counseling. In addition, our discipleship and church ministry-focused courses explore family discipleship and small group ministry training.
Get excited about impacting your church and community with a master’s degree that can help prepare you for more. As a non-clinical counseling track, this program provides you with a degree path that can be completed in as little as 1 year. Imagine walking away with a graduate degree that equips you to better serve your congregation in under 12 months!
Credit Hours
View CoursesNext start date: Aug 18, 2025
ATS Accredited
Highlights
Highlights of Our Master’s in Pastoral Counseling Degree
Finish Your Degree Faster — Without Sacrificing Quality
If you’re ready to move forward in your calling, Liberty’s MA in Pastoral Counseling is designed to help you get there. With our accelerated pathway, you can complete your entire master’s degree in as little as 1 year, all while receiving a robust, Christ-centered education that can help equip you to serve with excellence.
Earn Certifications That Add Value to Your Résumé
As part of your coursework, you’ll have the opportunity to earn multiple certifications through the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). These specialized credentials, including Crisis Response, Life Coaching, and Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS), give you practical tools and nationally recognized credentials to take straight into the field.
Learn in a Supportive, Personalized Environment
With a student-to-professor ratio of just 6:1 for residential graduate students, you won’t get lost in the crowd. Instead, you can benefit from close-knit classes where your professors know your name, understand your goals, and invest personally in your development as a counselor and Christ-centered leader.
Grow Under the Guidance of Faculty Who Care Deeply
At Liberty, your professors do more than teach, they walk alongside you. Many of our faculty members take time to pray for and with their students, creating a community of encouragement, accountability, and spiritual growth. You’ll be supported every step of the way, both academically and personally, as you prepare to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
Career Potential
What Can You Do with an MA in Discipleship and Ministry Pastoral Counseling Degree?
Liberty University’s Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling with a specialization in Discipleship and Church Ministry can help prepare you to pursue the following occupations:
- Associate pastor
- Chaplain
- Church counselor
- Lay leader
- Non-licensed counselor
- Teaching pastor
- Youth pastor
#4 Best College Campus in America
At Liberty, you’ll find an affordable, high-quality education designed to help equip students like you for the real world. Our commitment to excellence has earned us recognition as the #4 Best College Campus in America by Niche.com.
Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with state-of-the-art resources like ours can help set you apart from your peers.
Courses
What Will You Study in Our Discipleship and Church Ministry –Pastoral Counseling Master’s Degree?
Our graduate students studying pastoral counseling explore the multicultural, family, and spiritual issues most often faced in a pastoral setting. As a student in this program, you can receive training in solution-based models so you can apply various behavioral approaches and appropriate biblical teaching in your work. You will also examine the best ways to promote spiritual growth during crises, as well as in premarital and marital circumstances.
By specializing in discipleship and ministry, you can thoroughly study an important component of pastoral counseling: leading others. You will explore how to train family leaders to responsibly lead and implement healthy discipleship, including training them to create family devotions and vital teaching moments.
Additionally, our discipleship and ministry-focused degree will cover topics like church planting, early church history, and formation. These courses can help you lead small group ministries and understand church administration processes.
Featured Master’s in Pastoral Counseling Courses
DSMN 610 – Family Discipleship
DSMN 660 – Leading the Healthy, Growing, Multiplying Church
PACO 500 – Introduction to Pastoral Counseling
PACO 617 – Theories and Techniques in Pastoral Counseling
Degree Information
- This program falls under the Liberty Theological Seminary
- View the Degree Completion Plan
- Check out our course catalog
- Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Accreditation
Your seminary degree is approved by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and has met rigorous accreditation standards. You can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
BENEFITS
Why Choose Liberty’s Pastoral Counseling Master’s Degree in Discipleship and Church Ministry?
Lead with Confidence and Compassion
Stepping into a ministry or counseling role is a serious calling, and we’re here to help you lead with wisdom and heart. Liberty’s MA in Pastoral Counseling is designed to equip you with the practical skills and biblical foundation to counsel others. This degree is more than education; it’s preparation for a life of impact.
Experts Who’ve Walked the Journey
At Liberty, you’ll study under seasoned professionals who have spent over 2 decades each in the counseling field. These faculty members aren’t just educators, they’re mentors with deep ministry experience and a passion for guiding future counselors. Their insights are grounded in real-world service, and they’re eager to walk alongside you as you pursue your calling.
Apply What You Study Through Hands-On Experience
We believe that real growth happens when knowledge meets practice. That’s why our program includes a 225-hour internship in a counseling-related setting. Whether you’re working in individual, group, or relationship counseling, you’ll gain meaningful face-to-face experience while applying the principles you’ve learned in class, all under the guidance of supportive faculty.
Receive Personalized Support Every Step of the Way
You’re not in this alone. As you progress through your internship and coursework, Liberty’s faculty will be right there with you, offering feedback, monitoring your assignments, and helping you grow. Our commitment is to provide you with the support and spiritual encouragement you need to thrive as a pastoral counselor and servant leader.
Admissions
How Do You Become a MA in Pastoral Counseling Student?
Every application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and all applicants must submit the following documents and meet the minimum requirements for admission:
- Admission application
- Official transcripts showing a regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.0 GPA for admission in good standing
- John W. Rawlings School of Divinity Questionnaire
- Pastoral recommender contact information
- Self-certification form (for students who are in the final term of their bachelor’s degree)
- Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account
Have Questions?
We’ll make sure you have the information you need to take your next step.