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Faculty

Alan Ehler
- Dean, College of Christian Ministries and Religion
- Associate Professor of Practical Ministry
Robert Houlihan
- Professor of World Missions and Leadership
Brian Kelly
- Professor of Practical Ministries
Kenneth Archer
- Professor of Pentecostal Theology and Christian Studies
- Director of Masters of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) Program
Murray Dempster
- Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics
Steven M. Fettke
- Professor of Religion
Robby Waddell
- Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature
- Director, Center for Faith and Higher Learning
Peter Althouse
- Associate Professor of Theology
Joseph H. Davis
- Professor of Religion
Charles H. Gaulden
- Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Practical Ministry
Samuel S. Hemby
- Professor of Leadership
- Director of College of Christian Ministries and Religion Graduate Programs
Zachary Tackett
- Associate Professor of Theology
Margaret De Alminana
- Assistant Professor of Theology
Robert C. Crosby
- Professor of Practical Theology
Heather L. Kelly
- Associate Professor of Psychology
 

Mission

The College of Christian Ministries and Religion facilitates various innovative activities within the southeast region and beyond in the areas of ministerial leadership development to release the resources of Southeastern University (student, faculty, personnel, and facilities) into the Southeastern region of the Assemblies of God and to invest the resources of the Southeastern region (districts, churches, personnel, and ministry models) into Southeastern University.

Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership

Program Overview

The M.A. in Ministerial Leadership is a 36-semester-hour degree that includes the key organizational leadership elements of ethics, motivation, creativity, vision, strategic planning, and organizational development. These areas are an integral part of the master’s degree. Through the use of collaborative learning, application-based knowledge and interactive technology, students will:

• Integrate the Christian faith and learning through critical thinking, research, writing and learning from the normative base of a Christian worldview.
• Develop and exchange concepts relating to understanding and improving organizations around the world.
• Experience innovative learning situations, which enable students to acquire the knowledge, dispositions and abilities required of organizational leaders.

Throughout this program students will:

• Integrate the practice of leadership with biblically informed values.
• Demonstrate collaborative and effective problem-solving skills using multidisciplinary approaches.
• Apply acquired multidisciplinary concepts, skills and principles to actual leadership situations.
• Analyze and synthesize knowledge of leadership models, human development, and communication theories into effective systems of praxis.
• Research contemporary issues in leadership to provide practical solutions, and communicate results through clear, concise and appropriate media.

Prerequisites to the program for students entering without an undergraduate degree in religion:

Admission Requirements

 Admission Requirements for the Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership:

1. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or higher in the student’s undergraduate program. If less than a 3.0, the GPA for the last 60 credit hours will be calculated. If still less than 3.0, the applicant may be considered for provisional standing.
2. Students must fulfill several prerequisite course requirements (see Prerequisites). This will be determined at the time of student transcript evaluation.
3. Submit one academic or professional recommendation and Christian character assessment.
4. Submit a writing sample indicative of writing and research ability to interact with scholarly sources in a critical manner.

Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS)

Program Overview

The Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) at Southeastern University is a 48-semester-hour graduate degree that provides a comprehensive level of understanding of the systematic, historical, biblical, ethical, and practical theologies. Students will receive a strong foundation in the various theologies from a Pentecostal perspective, and learn to interact critically with affirming and opposing theoretical constructs in the academic field of theology. Graduates will gain a sturdy theological education for church ministry or for teaching at Christian secondary academies or at an undergraduate college level in the field of theology. For those students who desire to pursue further doctoral level study in Theology, the MATS Graduate Program also provides an option to conclude the program by writing a research thesis.

Through this program students will:

• study the development and expression of biblical exegesis and hermeneutics in relation to the social, cultural, family and faith issues confronting Christians and the Church in the 21st century;
• understand both Old Testament theology and New Testament theology in light of major themes found in biblical texts in light of their historical backgrounds and social environments;
• interact with and evaluate the foundational belief structures and major doctrines of Christian faith in Evangelical and Pentecostal theologies in relation to the broader theological tradition;
• investigate the relationship between the philosophical tradition and theology as they intersect with Christian thought and Pentecostal perspectives;
• examine the relationship between theology, ethics and moral life in the Bible and in the works of selected major theologians in nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries;
• explore the historical and contemporary relationship of Christianity and the world religions from a theological point of view involving Pentecostal perspectives;
• track the recent trends in contemporary theology and the shape of practical theology through the lens of current Pentecostal scholarship;
• integrate a missional ecclesiology with God’s mission, global awareness, holistic church ministry, and the life of the local church body;
• develop skills in leading a congregation through processes of change and situations of conflict;
• understand biblical preaching and teaching from a theological, exegetical, hermeneutical, homiletical, and communications perspective; and,
• gain an understanding of world missions, intercultural communications, and contextualization from an interdisciplinary point of view and a Pentecostal perspective.

Prerequisites to the program

For a student who does not have an undergraduate degree in religion or has not taken two theology courses and one year of a biblical language, four foundational courses are required for the MATS degree program. All required foundational courses must be completed by the time a student has earned 15 graduate credits.

• THEO   5533 – GRADUATE SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY I Credits: 3
• THEO   5543 – GRADUATE SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY II Credits: 3
• BINT   5013 – GRADUATE GREEK I Credits: 3
• BINT   5023 – GRADUATE GREEK II Credit:3

Admission Requirements

 Admission Requirements for the Master of Arts in Theological Studies:

1. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or higher in the student’s undergraduate program. If less than a 3.0, the GPA for the last 60 credit hours will be calculated. If still less than 3.0, the applicant may be considered for provisional standing.
2. Students must fulfill several prerequisite course requirements (see Prerequisites). This will be determined at the time of student transcript evaluation.
3. Submit one academic or professional recommendation and Christian character assessment.
4. Submit a writing sample indicative of writing and research ability to interact with scholarly sources in a critical manner.

Transfer Policy

Students Transferring from Another Graduate Degree Program

Students who are transferring into the MAML or the MATS graduate degree program from another regionally accredited or professionally accredited school may transfer up to twelve (12) credit hours of graduate-level coursework from their previous institution. Transferable courses are courses that meet the course requirements for the MAML or the MATS program and in which a student has earned a grade of B or higher. All transfer credit from another institution to the MAML or the MATS program must be approved by the Director of the Director of the College of Christian Ministries and Religion Graduate Programs and the college Dean.

Students Transferring from the MAML to the MATS Program

Students who are Currently Enrolled in the MAML Program at SEU

Students who are currently enrolled in the MAML Program but have not graduated from the program may elect to transfer their eligible course work into the MATS Program contingent upon meeting the admissions standards for acceptance into the MATS graduate degree program. Eligible courses are courses that meet the course requirements for the MATS program and in which a student has earned a grade of B or higher.

Policy for Acceptance of MAML Credits into MATS Degree
A graduate of the SEU Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership (MAML) may be considered for admission into the Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) program through the process outlined in the Graduate Handbook and university catalog. Once the student is accepted into the program their transcript from the MAML degree will examined by the Program Director or Coordinator in light of potential transfer credits into the MATS degree. A maximum of eighteen (18) credit hours will be considered as transferrable from the completed MAML into the MATS program. Provided the maximum allowable credits are transferred, a total of thirty (30) credit hours would remain for the completion of the new degree.

Policy for Acceptance of MATS Credits into MAML Degree
A graduate of the SEU Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) may be considered for admission into the Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership (MAML) program through the process outlined in the Graduate Handbook and university catalog. Once the student is accepted into the program their transcript from the MATS degree will examined by the Program Director or Coordinator in light of potential transfer credits into the MAML degree. A maximum of fifteen (15) credit hours will be considered as transferrable from the completed MATS into the MAML program. Provided the maximum allowable credits are transferred, a total of thirty (21) credit hours would remain for the completion of the new degree.

Programs

• Ministerial Leadership, Master of Arts
• Theological Studies, Master of Arts

• Master of Divinity

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