Lead Your Congregation with Confidence With an M.Div. in Christian Leadership and Church Ministries
Do you have a passion for ministry, but find yourself wondering how you will handle the day-to-day leadership challenges that come from serving in a church or parachurch organization? Liberty University’s Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Christian Leadership and Church Ministries degree provides the training you need to lead your congregation or small group ministry.
Throughout this degree, you will gain extensive knowledge of apologetics, discipleship, evangelism, theology, and pastoral counseling. You will be prepared to lead your ministry and handle the behind the scenes ministry needs that the congregation seldom sees.
Our M.Div. in Christian Leadership and Church Ministries will prepare you for the conflicts and challenges that might arise from being a leader in various ministry settings. You will also learn important strategy skills to help you plan for the future of your church or parachurch organization. Our mission is to Train Champions for Christ, and we will make sure you have the necessary skills, knowledge, and practical experience to be a leader in your community.
Accreditation
Your divinity 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.
Award-Winning Campus
At Liberty, you’ll find an affordable, high-quality education that equips students like you for the real world. Our commitment to excellence helped us rank among Niche.com’s Top 3 college campuses in America. Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with state-of-the-art resources like ours can help set you apart from your peers.
Why Choose Liberty’s Master of Divinity – Christian Leadership and Church Ministries Degree?
As one of the largest Christian universities in the nation, we have the resources to provide you with the practical training you need to be a successful leader in your community. Whether you are leading a ministry, church, or a small parachurch group, the special leadership and management training you receive in this degree will be invaluable in the operation of your organization.
In addition to the skills you gain from this specialization, the core curriculum of our master of divinity ensures that upon graduation you will be an authority in seminary-related material. A great thing about this degree is that you have the chance to get course credit for prior ministry experience or a previously pursued accredited seminary degree through our transfer evaluation and Institutional Challenge Exams.
What Will You Learn in Our Master of Divinity – Christian Leadership and Church Ministries Degree?
Our Master of Divinity in Christian Leadership and Church Ministries provides the training you need to lead your ministry with confidence. You will learn the basic methods and best practices of pastoral counseling, including areas like pre-marital and marriage counseling.
In addition to this training, you will gain new skills in intercultural communication that can be used in your local ministry or as you travel abroad on missions. Our public theology course will teach you how to tackle the ethical dilemmas that might arise from cultural trends in current times.
Our Christian leadership and church ministries specialization provides the leadership training you need to lead your congregation and to promote further leadership within your church or parachurch organization. You will learn the skill of family discipleship and how you can use this to promote spiritually healthy families.
You will also learn how to make teams that can work autonomously and resolve any conflicts or opposition that might arise within the leadership of the church. Leading your church also means planning for the future. You will learn how to prioritize and strategize for the success of your ministry or parachurch organization.
We invite you to look at our featured courses for an exciting preview of the M.Div. Christian Leadership and Church Ministries program we offer. You can also review the Degree Completion Plan.
Featured Courses
DSMN 610 – Family Discipleship
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- This course studies the idea and practice called “family discipleship.” It presents a framework in which a family leader can disciple household members beyond spiritual comprehension to a personal appropriation of the apologetic and application of Scripture.
- Attention will be given to the family leader’s responsibilities toward spiritual leadership and biblical discipleship, specifically to responsibilities regarding the Gospel, basic doctrine, systematic theology, the Great Commission, spiritual disciplines, practical Christian living, and worldview/philosophy.
- Various techniques for family discipleship will be examined, including family devotions, drill and catechism, Scripture memory, storytelling, teaching moments, relational example, and intentional rehearsal.
DSMN 630 – Small Group Ministries
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Ministry of small groups prepares the individual to serve and equip the church to embrace, plan for, implement and evaluate small group ministry.
- In addition to helping establish a clear biblical basis for small groups, this course is divided into two distinct, but related, topics.
- The first aspect deals with the issue of organizing and ministering small group ministry. The second aspect deals with the dynamics related to small group leadership. The focus is on one leader and one group.
LEAD 610 – Team Leadership & Conflict Resolution
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- This course will focus on building and sustaining decision-making teams, mentoring, delegating, resolving conflict, and handling and overcoming opposition.
- Extensive time will also be devoted to improving the individual’s and the group’s repertoire of styles of communication skills with a view of functioning more effectively and efficiently as a team leader in handling routine and crisis situations.
LEAD 620 – Mission, Vision & Strategic Planning
Highlights
Degree Information
Careers
Admission Requirements
Highlights of Our Master of Divinity Degree
- We have a state-of-the-art homiletics/teaching lab in our School of Divinity building.
- Study under theologians and missionaries with real-world experience in the M.Div.’s web-based content developed by our John W. Rawlings School of Divinity.
- Monday-only classes for masters’ programs allow students to complete large portions of their M.Div. degree by only attending class one day a week.
- Institutional Challenge Exams (ICE) are available to test out of foundational biblical and theological studies content for the M.Div. program.
- Our Scriptorium houses the Rawlings Foundation rare books collection valued at over $1 million, a 111-long Torah scroll that dates to the 16th century, and a functioning replica of the Gutenberg Printing Press.
- We provide experiential learning opportunities through church and parachurch ministries.
Master of Divinity – Christian Leadership and Church Ministries Degree Information
- Residential
- 75 total credit hours
- Transfer in up to 50% of your credits
- This program falls under our John W. Rawlings School of Divinity
- View the Degree Completion Plan
- Find more information in our course catalog
Career Opportunities for Master of Divinity – Christian Leadership and Church Ministries Graduates
- Christian educator
- Christian school administrator
- Pastor
- Sunday school administrator
Admission Requirements for Graduate Degrees
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 bachelor’s degree transcripts with a 2.0 GPA or higher
- Self-certification form for students in the final term of their bachelor’s degree
- John W. Rawlings School of Divinity questionnaire
- Pastoral recommender contact information
- Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account
