Master of Arts in Family Ministries

Program Overview

 

The Southeastern University Master of Arts in Family Ministry equips leaders to develop a biblically and theologically grounded family ministry within the local church and/or parachurch organizations. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the unique needs of singles and families in today’s culture, building healthy relationships, family ministry leadership, and ministering to families in difficult situations. Through this program, students will:

1.0 - Biblical Knowledge - Apply biblical interpretation and proclamation in light of social-cultural contexts, ancient and contemporary.

 

2.0 - Spiritual and Theological Formation - Formulate personal and communal spirituality informed by historic Christian theology and spiritual practices, emphasizing pentecostal theology-spirituality. 

 

3.0 - Family Ministry - Integrate a Biblical and theological view of sexuality, marriage, and family into personal values and ministry contexts.

 

4.0 - Systematic Thinking – Demonstrate systematic thinking in relation to the spiritual development of families and teaching-learning processes.

Career Options

Upon completion of the Master of Arts in Family Ministry, career opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• NextGen Pastor

• Children’s Pastor

• Youth Pastor

• Family Ministry Pastor

• Director of Family Ministries

• Early Childhood Pastor

Program Sequence

    Total Credits- 36 credit hours with two components:

• Core Courses (21 hours)

• Family Ministry Courses (15 hours)

    Program Length: 1-2 years

        Full-time students (6 credit hours per semester)

        Part-time students (3 credit hours per semester)

    Program Delivery

• Fully Online

• Traditional Evening Courses - Courses meet on either Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday evenings on Lakeland Campus

Entrance Requirements

All of the components listed below are required and will be utilized by the Graduate Program Coordinator and School of Divinity Chair in making an admittance decision.  However, failure to meet one of these standards may not immediately disqualify a candidate depending upon the strength of their other components. Applicants are considered on a case-by-case basis, and the decision of the School of Divinity Chair is final.

• Regionally accredited undergraduate degree with at least a 3.0 GPA

• One Academic or Professional Reference

• One Christian Character Reference

• Academic writing sample of at least five pages indicative of writing and research ability to interact with scholarly sources in a critical manner or a statement of purpose paper with response to a prompt.

 Transfer Credit

Graduate-level credits may be accepted if they were earned from an accredited university (Regional and/or Association of Theological Schools Accreditation), less than 8 years old, and relevant to coursework at SEU.

 

The School of Divinity Chair will evaluate and award transfer credit on a case-by-case basis.  No transient credit (future courses are taken at another university) will be allowed without prior approval.

 Residency Requirement

• Online - No residency requirement

• Evening - Classes meet on Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday evenings on Lakeland Campus

Satisfactory Progress

Students enrolled in the MA in Family Ministry must maintain a 3.0 GPA. Students can receive no more than two C family final grades in the program. Any third course or beyond that earns a C family grade must be retaken for grade forgiveness.