McKinion, Randall L

English

Digital Commons

Cedarville UniversityDigitalCommons@CedarvilleBiblical and Theological Studies FacultyPublications School of Biblical and Theological StudiesSpring 2016New M.Div. Degree Offers Affordable MinistryPreparationRandall L. McKinionCedarville University, rmckinion@cedarville.eduFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/biblical_and_ministry_studies_publicationsPart of the Higher Education CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access byDigitalCommons@Cedarville, a service of the Centennial Library. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Biblical and Theological Studies FacultyPublications by an authorized administrator ofDigitalCommons@Cedarville. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@cedarville.edu.Recommended CitationMcKinion, Randall L., "New M.Div. Degree Offers Affordable Ministry Preparation" (2016). Biblical and Theological Studies FacultyPublications. 349.http://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/biblical_and_ministry_studies_publications/349The Local ChurchWe Believe inNew M.Div. Degree Offers Affordable Ministry Preparationby Randall McKinionThroughout its history, Cedarville has excelled in preparing its graduates to make a profound contribution to the local church. By the grace of God, Cedarville graduates obey the Great Commission as laypeople and ministers in churches all over the world. With the inception of a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program, Cedarville stands to further contribute to the local church. I believe the Lord has positioned Cedarville with a biblical and theological faculty made up of experts in their fields — a faculty whose teaching has been refined within the ministry of the local church. As such, Cedarville is in an ideal position to add a professional ministry graduate degree.Students may pursue the Master of Divinity at Cedarville in one of two ways. First, students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree may enter a traditional three-year M.Div. program. These students are not required to have a Bible or ministry undergraduate degree to enroll.  With the second option, by taking advantage of the biblical studies major that the School of Biblical and Theological Studies already offers, students without a bachelor’s degree may enter an accelerated program that allows them to receive both a B.A. in biblical studies and a M.Div. at the end of five years of study. The strong undergraduate program at Cedarville allows the school to overlap its upper-level classes with courses traditionally taken in the first year of the M.Div.With the increasing costs of education, the ability for a college to compress these two degrees without forfeiting the academic excellence of either program provides a powerful benefit to the student. We believe this five-year program permits graduates to enter the ministry with less burdensome student debt, which will increase their ability to enter the ministry sooner and more efficiently. This accelerated program will be especially fitting for those aspiring to missions.Whether graduating from the three-year or five-year M.Div. program, Cedarville graduates will enter the ministry with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in any manner of full-time position. My prayer is that God would use the M.Div. to equip a generation of ministers who will lead the Church for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ.For more information about the accelerated M.Div., visit cedarville.edu/AcceleratedMDiv. To learn more about the three-year M.Div., go to cedarville.edu/MDiv.Randall McKinion is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Cedarville University and served on the team that created the Master of Divinity program. He earned his Ph.D. in biblical studies. Biblical Studies (B.A.) degreetraditional Biblical Studies (B.A.) degree Master of  Divinity (M.Div.) degree54321YEARSonly $5,000 more!34 | Cedarville Magazine

New M.Div. Degree Offers Affordable Ministry Preparation

https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1350&amp;context=biblical_and_ministry_studies_publications

New M.Div. Degree Offers Affordable Ministry Preparation

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Digital Commons