Christian Ministry and Mental Health (B.A.)

The Christian Ministry and Mental Health major is a four-year program designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the principles of ministry and the major theories of mental health counseling rooted in a biblical and Christian worldview and introduces students to the skills and practices essential to being effective ministers and to the process of facilitating change in human thought, emotion, and behavior.

The faculty of the Department of Christian Ministry welcomes students into a community of learning, rigorous scholarship, academic freedom, ministry, and service. As a part of the historic and long-standing service to the foundation curriculum of East Texas Baptist University, the faculty seeks to lead students to a mature understanding of the Bible and the development of a Christian worldview. Through teaching, mentoring, and advising, students will be given the opportunity to gain a basic knowledge of God’s word, to reflect upon its theology, and to apply it personally and professionally.

Committed to equipping students who are preparing for vocational or dual-vocational ministries, the Christian ministry faculty seeks to encourage and challenge—both spiritually and academically—those students who have responded to the divine call into Christian ministry; to prepare students for additional graduate studies; and to equip students to serve as pastors, youth ministers, education ministers, missionaries, professors, and other positions of Christian leadership. Students will be given the opportunity to develop their skills in biblical interpretation, display analytical and reflective thought, and integrate a Christian worldview into their life and ministry.

The general education courses serve to build a solid foundation for educational transformation and are meant to assist students in the exploration and integration of knowledge complementary to their chosen major. In addition, the broad educational curriculum attempts to create a stability and coherency in intellectual experience. By completing courses in a broad-based liberal arts education, students are better equipped to view their studies in the field of Christian ministry in a more comprehensive academic context, thus helping to ensure that students will be well-educated, successful, and valuable participants in the rapidly changing global community.

As Christian ministry majors, students will have intentional experiences focusing upon the development of identity and Christian servant leadership. Students will participate in such activities as monthly faculty mentoring, monthly meetings with other majors and the Christian ministry faculty, community projects, and learning the principles of Christian servant leadership. These experiences will help provide an environment that will encourage students to mature and present an avenue through which an integration of faith, learning, and service may be expressed.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

1. A student must complete all Department of Christian Ministry general education courses with a “C” or higher for each course.
2. A full-time student must receive credit for CHRM 1000 for each semester that he/she is a Christian ministry major (maximum of eight semesters).
3. A student must successfully complete CHRM 4350.
4. A student must maintain a cumulative 2.25 grade point average (i.e., GPA).
5. A student must have a 2.50 GPA for all coursework within the Department of Christian Ministry.
6. If a student falls below the levels listed in numbers 5 and 6, he/she must retake courses to raise his/her GPA.
7. No student may graduate with a major in Christian Ministry with less than a 2.50 GPA in his/her major courses.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Department of Christian Ministry is to equip students to be life-long learners of the Bible, models of growing disciples of Jesus Christ, servant leaders, and agents of God’s transformative work among churches and the world.

DEPARTMENT GOALS

• To provide an effective learning experience
• To prepare Christian ministry graduates for ministry by equipping them to be effective ministers in diverse Christian ministries such as pastoral ministry, youth ministry, education ministry, children's ministry, missions, and other positions of Christian leadership
• To equip graduates to become Christian servant leaders who are community ministry-minded, knowledgeable, and critically engaged citizens of the global community
• To promote a mature understanding of the Bible and the development of the global community
• To equip graduates with the necessary skills to share The Gospel

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

 1. Students will (a) construct a biblical approach to ministry and (b) design a personal philosophy of ministry grounded in Scripture and tailored to his or her calling, personality, and gifting.
 2. Students will demonstrate skills in Christian ministry such as (a) leading devotions on biblical concepts and passages and (b) planning worship services.
 3. Students will demonstrate the ability to prepare Bible studies or sermons
 4. Students will (a) demonstrate knowledge of the seven pillars of leadership, and/or (b) evaluate models of Christian leadership, and/or (c) demonstrate the ability to apply the principles of Christian servant leadership to ministry situations.
 5. Students will apply key principles and strategies used in contemporary global missions.
 6. Students will demonstrate skills in using the various methodologies of biblical interpretation in analysis of selected biblical texts.
 7. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the significance of major doctrinal themes of the Christian faith, their biblical foundations, and their historical and contemporary expressions.
 8. Students will identify and explain the basic contributions to moral philosophy and Christian ethics of key figures of the Western tradition.
 9. Students will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of evangelistic methods used worldwide.
10. Students will defend the biblical and theological basis for evangelism and display proficiency in sharing the gospel in a variety of contexts.