God is calling the Church to mission, God is calling ministry leaders to cross local and global cultural barriers, and God is calling us to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ to a hurting world. In addition to the biblical and theological foundation offered through the core curriculum of the Master of Divinity degree structure, this degree program will utilize specific courses that give accent to the theology and practice of mission and to the intercultural dimensions of that theology and practice. Join us in this adventure of faith, to learn, to grow, and to gain crucial skills for intercultural ministry.
Students will study all core requirements of the Master of Divinity program gaining foundational theological and bibilical study for ministry leadership. In addition to these courses, students will take five electives (15 credits) of specific cross-cultural and inter-cultural ministry study. This curriculum may include the following course offerings:
- The Missional Church
- Spiritual Powers in Missional Perspective
- Care and Counseling Across Cultures
- Christianity and World Religions
- Formation of the Church Across Cultures
- Witness Among People of Other Faiths
- Ministry in a Post-Modern World
- Ministry in Urban and Rural Contexts
- History of Christian Mission
- Cross-Cultural Ministry Career
- Social Witness
- Urban Development
- Church Multiplication
- Mission-Sending Agencies
- Congregational Mission and Outreach
- Short-Term Mission Leadership
- Bible Translation and Linguistics
- Political Reconciliation
- Youth Ministry
Director of Master of Divinity in Intercultural Mission Program
george.hunsberger@westernsem.edu
616-392-8555, x127
“Seventy percent of world Christianity is no located in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Along with this dramatic change, god has brought the whole world – and many cultures – to our doorstep and into our neighborhoods in North America. An intercultural mission concentration in theological studies will greatly broaden, deepen, and enhance the formation of missional leaders. I am so glad to see Western Seminary providing this opportunity for those who lead our churches.”
Dr. Charles E. VanEngen
School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary
“Having been involved in ministry both overseas and in the States, I have come to realize how necessary it is to have an intercultural component to my theological education. Theology helps me to understand a gospel that never changes, but intercultural training helps me think about how to live out the gospel in contexts that are always changing.”
Jennifer McAlpine
Western Theological Seminary student
- 96 credit hours, minimum of three years.
- Curriculum, sequence of courses
- Formation for Ministry courses, including spiritual formation retreat and 400 hrs full-time internship
- Yearly orientations (in August for in-residence, October for distance learners)
- Intercultural Immersion trip
Application Deadlines
Fall Semester: May 1
Spring Semester: December 1
Field Legend: BF - Biblical Field; CM - Christian Ministry Field; FM - Formation for Ministry; TF - Theological Field