About the Christian Ministries Program
Our program includes the Christian Ministries Major, with six areas of ministry development: Camping/Outdoor Education, Children's Ministries, Counseling/Social Services, Intercultural Ministries, Pastoral Ministries, and Youth Ministries; as well as the Christian Ministries Minor and Intercultural Studies Minor.
Courses are developed to challenge students to approach ministry with a biblical mindset, and sound developmental theory. In addition, our students are involved in ministry, providing a practical, experiential background to what occurs in the classroom.
Program Requirements
Our program requirements for the CM Major
Our program requirements for the CM Minor
Our program requirements for the Intercultural Studies Minor
Distinctives of the CM Major
1. Biblical Studies Minor
We believe that to be effective in ministry, one must have a practical working knowledge of the Scriptures, the foundation for a Christian's life. Therefore, we have built in to our major the ability to receive a Biblical Studies Minor. Each of our Christian Ministry Graduates will have completed a minimum of 24 credits in our Biblical Studies program.
2. Integrated Field Experience
We believe that one cannot really know if God is calling him or her into ministry unless one gains some experience in ministry. Therefore, we require our students to be involved in supervised ministry experiences to provide them with opportunities to have their calling affirmed or to discover that God wants to use them to some field other than professional ministry (before they have invested too much into it!).
Students will participate in 60 hours of ministry per semester as early as their sophomore year, (120 for the year). After this first year of "IFE," faculty members meet individually with each student to help students clarify their vocational direction. During one's junior year the level of experience and leadership grows so that students spend a minimum of 120 hours per semester (240 for the year) in a mentored ministry.
Thus, by the end of their junior year, our students have already accumulated a minimum of 360 hours of supervised ministry experience. By involving students in ministry, they gain practical ministry skills, AND their classroom experiences come alive as they are able to apply much of what they learn right away in ministry contexts!
3. Liberal Arts Setting
Trinity is a Christian Liberal Arts College. The goal of a liberal arts program is to provide depth and breadth to the individual. This is particularly helpful for the person that plans on being involved in full-time ministry. The liberal arts background helps one develop knowledge and skills that are beneficial in recognizing God's handiwork in Creation, being well-rounded as a human being, and in understanding the people with whom one is called to minister.
4. Customized Major
Because we use an emphasis approach to our major, a student can customize their training by doing two (or more) emphases within the major. For example, if a student is interested in doing youth ministry overseas, he or she could take both the Intercultural Ministries emphasis and the Youth Ministries emphasis within the Christian Ministries Major. Because it is not a double major (2 separate programs), it does not necessarily add time to one's stay at Trinity, yet uniquely prepares the student for God's call on one's life.
5. Character Development
We believe character matters in ministry. We have built in to our program opportunities to explore and confront issues from our past, challenges we face today, and ways to maintain a godly character in the years to come. We want our students to be knowledgeable, but we also want them to walk confidently in their relationship with God.
