Anderson University’s Master of Ministry program – launched two years ago with the creation of the David T. Clamp Graduate School of Christian Ministry – will celebrate its first graduating class in December as 11 students receive diplomas. Among the first graduates will be South Carolina Baptist pastors, youth and music ministers, as well as lay leaders.
“These were our pioneers,” asserts Michael Duduit, Dean of the College of Christian Studies. “They started a brand new program and through their commitment and efforts helped establish AU as a premier place for ministry education in our region.”
The Master of Ministry program is designed as a 21st Century alternative to the traditional approach to theological education. Targeted at persons who are already employed full-time in ministry or other positions, students attend class one night a week – either on campus or online – in courses that last eight weeks each. (There is also a four-week term in May and two week-long summer courses.) While covering the same topics as a traditional Master of Divinity degree, the M.Min. can be completed in 42 hours versus the 90-plus hours in most M.Div. programs.
Most of those first graduates completed their degree in July with a course called Ministry in the 21st Century – a week-long class focused on applying various ministry skills into real-life situations. Part of the course required students to apply what they have learned by designing, developing, and carrying out a ministry project. Larry Baldwin, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Williamston and part of the inaugural class, embraced the practical nature of the degree in his ministry project, aptly titled “Lazarus Projects: Resurrecting Homes for the Glory of God.”
The course offered an opportunity for Baldwin to launch a ministry that had been a dream for almost five years. The Lazarus Projects mobilized members of Hillcrest Baptist to make a difference in the lives of low income families in and around their church by providing home repairs for families in need. So far they have given homes new roofs, decks, paint jobs, and ramps to aid disabled homeowners. Baldwin believes that the transformed homes are already resulting in transformed lives. He believes other churches could adopt the project in their own settings (For more information, see www.lazarusprojects.com.)
Other Master of Ministry students completed projects dealing with a wide range of issues, from mentoring troubled youth to developing a fitness program as an outreach program. The projects were a fitting conclusion to a program that emphasizes graduate ministry education that is solidly biblical and intensely practical.
Joshua Edwards, Minister of Music at Belvedere First Baptist Church in North Augusta, SC, is another member of the first M.Min. graduating class. Unlike Baldwin, Edwards completed most of his courses online. He says, “I was looking for a degree that would benefit my ministry as well as being accessible to a young father with two children and a wife who is a school teacher. The online version of the Master of Ministry fit the bill perfectly.”
If you are considering continuing your ministry education, Anderson University might be the perfect fit for you as well. For information contact the College of Christian Studies at 864.328.1809, or visit www.auministry.com.
