Master of Arts in Ministry & Culture Degree (MAMC)

The MAMC is designed to meet the educational needs of persons interested in ministry in its many forms. Some of those forms might include:

• congregational leadership in denominations that do not require in all cases the Master of Divinity degree for ordination, including a Disciples Ministries program for ordination candidates on the Apprentice Track of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ);
• forms of diaconal ministry, licensed professional ministry, commissioned, bi-vocational, or lay ministry (e.g., in Christian education, youth work, hospice care, and counseling and mediation).

Additional specialized coursework beyond that required for the MAMC degree may be necessary to meet all of the educational expectations for authorized forms of ministry within certain communions. Students should include relevant denominational history and polity courses in their programs of study. Denominational formation directors are provided by the seminary for graduate professional students from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Methodist, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church (USA), Unitarian Universalist Church, and Baptist traditions. Additional formation directors may be provided as needed.

Members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who are pursuing recognition as commissioned ministers or seeking ordination on the Apprentice Track may satisfy some or all of their educational requirements through a specially configured track of the MAMC degree program outlined below. Interested candidates should consult Dr. Lisa Davison, the Denominational Formation Director for Disciples students, about their vocational aims and seek counsel about their educational options from their Regional Ministry Commissions.

Students in the MAMC program will develop their abilities to:

• Act as responsible biblical interpreters critically informed by attention to both testaments at an introductory level and to current historical, literary, and theological scholarship in the field of biblical studies;
• Articulate substantive issues in the areas of theology and ethics at an introductory level, informed by both historical understanding and awareness of contemporary cultural contexts;
• Demonstrate the skills and practices associated with ministry in conversation with student’s denominational heritage, Christian traditions, and probable ministry setting;
• Articulate an understanding of one’s own personal and spiritual formation appropriate to the practice of ministry.

Qualified applicants for the Master of Arts in Ministry and Culture program must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, a 2.7 GPA in undergraduate work, and a completed application including the following items:

• Application form and $60 application fee (fee is waived if application is submitted by November 1)
• Essay, described on the application form
• 1 Denominational reference form completed by the pastor of your church
• 3 references from the following individuals:
  • Professor
  • Professional associate
  • Lay leader in your church
• Official transcripts from any undergraduate school where you received a degree and from any graduate school where you have completed work for credit. Official transcripts are ones that have the official institution seal and are mailed directly from the institution, not by the applicant. For full admission, the undergraduate transcript must show the degree and date received.
• Authorization for criminal background check
• FAFSA for anyone interested in taking out a student loan
• TOEFL Applicants for whom English is a second language must submit an official TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) or 80 (internet-based)