Program Advisors:
Dr. Dennis Lindsay, Dr. Loren Crow
Purpose and Objectives:
The vision of Bible & Christian Ministry Department: To prepare all Northwest Christian University students to serve Christ as God has gifted and called them to ministry, as career/professionals or volunteers, whether inside or outside the church.
Goals:
We focus a diverse student body on learning to think with insight and creativity about biblical studies, church vocations, and expression for ministry. We draw inspiration from long-standing Christian tradition and also from emerging church networks. We offer all Northwest Christian University students the opportunity to:
- Strengthen their commitment to Christ through a comprehensive understanding of the formation, contents, and structure of the Bible.
- Engage in a self-discovery process for discerning their God-given gifts.
- Nurture their own spiritual growth by intentionally connecting themselves to the Northwest Christian University faith community and the wider faith community through worship and service.
Bible & Christian Ministry (BCM) Majors will:
- Develop skills in exegetical and hermeneutical methods for sound interpretation and understanding of the Bible.
- Foster practical skills for ministry.
- Acquire and practice skills through internships in local congregations and/or para-church organizations.
- Gain a solid foundation for graduate level studies in Bible, theology, and ministerial vocations.
BCM offers multiple pathways of concentration in Christian Ministry. These five concentrations are divided into two strands, Bible and Theology and Christian Ministries. The first strand focuses upon the academic discipline of biblical and theological studies in contrast to the practice-oriented focus of the Christian Ministries strand. Both concentrations provide excellent foundations for graduate coursework in theology or ministry. Students navigating one of these pathways will:
- Complete a common core of course work plus the requirements of their specific focus.
- Explore their call to Christian ministry (career/professional or volunteer).
- Perform effectively in the skills required for their specific areas.
- Learn principles and methods that effectively reach and nurture the churched and unchurched.
Prerequisites from the General Education Core for all BCM Majors:
BTH 101/102 Engaging With The Bible
BTH 240 Christianity in America
CM 240 All Are Gifted, All Are Called
PSY 200 General Psychology
SOC 200 or ANTH 210
COMM 211 or COMM 212
| General Requirements for BCM |
31 |
| BTH 300 The Prophets |
3 |
| BTH 310 Acts of the Apostles |
3 |
| BTH 407 Special Topics in Christian Theology |
3 |
| HIST 330 History of Christianity |
4 |
| CM 220 Worship & Fine Arts |
2 |
| CM 320 Evangelism & Church Growth |
2 |
| CM 371 Beginning Homiletics |
3 |
| CM 470 Principles of Ministerial Leadership |
3 |
| CM 495 Internship |
6 |
| BTH 499 or CM 499 Senior Capstone Project |
2 |
CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
Pastoral Ministry Concentration
Pastoral Ministry students focus on acquiring skills essential for the called and ordained pastor of a congregation. While the church in America continues to experience great change in liturgy, sacred music, and various expressions of local church ministry, Northwest Christian University builds on more than a century of training ministerial candidates. We recognize the skills essential for tomorrow's church and foster strong capabilities in biblical studies, preaching, evangelism, teaching, care giving, and gift-based leadership. We develop the whole student, not simply dexterity or expertise in topics.
| Pastoral Ministry Concentration |
15 |
| CM 330 Introduction to Christian Education |
3 |
| CM 372 Homiletics |
3 |
| CM 450 Pastoral Ministry |
3 |
| Choose two from the following approved electives: |
6 |
PSY 320 Human Development
PSY 460 Introduction to Counseling Skills
COMM 330 Interpersonal Communication
SOC 420 Introduction to Family Systems
Any CM electives at the upper division level
Missions/Global Ministries Concentration
The Global Ministries/Missions Concentration under the BCM major is designed to give an introduction to the field of inter and cross cultural ministry. This concentration could be used for people ministering in diverse settings in or outside the United States.
| Missions/Global Ministries Concentration |
15 |
Option A: Up to 15 credits in an accredited study abroad or ministry program (CCCU is recommended). This option will include the following areas of study: Religion, Language, Economics, Communication, Culture, Politics, and Literature in a Christian context.
Option B: 14 credits from the following electives:
| RELS 220 Living Religious Traditions of the Far East |
2 |
| ANTH 430Church & Culture |
3 |
| CM 340 Cross-cultural Ethical Ministry Issues |
3 |
| SOC 410 Global Issues |
3 |
| LING 310 Introduction to Linguistics |
3 |
Option C: 8 hours of foreign language (200 level or above) plus 7 hours of focused cultural studies (upper division), as approved by the program director.
NOTE: The student's program may include a combination of all the above options upon the approval of the program director.
Youth Ministry Concentration Youth Ministry students focus on developing the skills required for ministry with young people. Middle and High School age youth comprise a dynamic audience for contemporary youth workers. Coursework develops the youth worker in Bible, preaching, teaching, and gift-based leadership. Students will become skilled at developing faithful and capable young people. Learning activities include internships, providing leadership for weekend ministry events, and travel to National Youth Worker Conventions (Northwest Christian University belongs to the Academic Support Network of Youth Specialties Ministries, San Diego, CA, http://www.YouthSpecialties.com.)
| Youth Ministry Concentration |
15 |
| CM 330 Introduction to Christian Education |
3 |
| CM 360 Youth Ministry |
3 |
| CM 450 Pastoral Ministry |
3 |
| Choose two from the following approved electives: |
6 |
PSY 320 Human Development
SOC 420 Introduction to Family Systems
Any CM electives at the upper division level
Minor in BCM
A Minimum of 21 credits are required for a Minor in Bible & Christian Ministry Studies. General Education Core courses in the area of Bible & Christian Ministry may be counted toward a minor as outlined below.
Prerequisites from the General Education Core for all BCM Minors:
BTH 101/102 Engaging With The Bible
BTH 240 Christianity in America
CM 240 All Are Gifted, All Are Called
Students may choose from any upper division courses with a BTH or CM prefix. Up to 6 credits of biblical languages (GRK or HEB) may be counted towards the additional electives requirement.
