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Writing Theological Papers

Purpose of the M.A.E.M. Degree Program
As part of its overall mission to educate persons for service in the Christian Church, Erskine Seminary offers the Master of Arts in Educational Ministries (M.A.E.M.) degree. The purpose of this degree is to equip persons for competent leadership in the educational ministries of the Church, to the end that God may be glorified. The focus of the program is on educational ministry and practices in the local church, although courses prepare Christian educators and pastors for a variety of ministries in the life of the Church. The program endeavors to impart foundational knowledge, teach professional skills, foster the student’s personal and spiritual development, and prepare the student to integrate the various aspects of ministry so as to share God’s love with all people.

Institutional Goals for Erskine Theological Seminary
The following general institutional goals apply to all degree programs offered by Erskine Seminary and reflect intended outcomes for all Seminary graduates.

Knowledge of Religious Heritage (Knowing)
1. Graduates will articulate the Bible’s message in light of its own literary, historical, and theological setting.
2. Graduates will utilize the Church’s historical and theological heritage as an important resource in their personal spiritual development and ministry.
3. Graduates will communicate the Bible’s message so as to make clear that its meaning is relevant for today.

Understanding of the Cultural Context (Knowing)
4. Graduates will articulate the relation between the Bible and the contemporary contexts in which ministry takes place.

Capacity for Ministerial and Public Leadership (Doing)
5. Graduates will write and speak using theological language that is clear, well considered, disciplined, and meaningful for those to whom they minister.
6. Graduates will view their ministries in light of the Church’s mission to worship, follow, bear witness to, and serve Jesus Christ.

Growth in Spiritual Depth (Being)
7. Graduates will serve the Church with Christian character and integrity in their personal and professional lives.

Goals of the M.A.E.M. Degree Program
Graduates will be prepared to:

1. Articulate a theology of educational ministry arising from Biblical and theological foundations that informs personal and corporate spiritual formation. (Knowing/Being)

2. Design, administer, and assess educational ministries within the context of the total mission of the local church in its cultural milieu. (Doing)

3. Employ in ministry settings the educational, social, and behavioral sciences that contribute to educational practice. (Knowing and Doing)

4. Teach, train, and evaluate teachers/leaders (both volunteer and paid) in the educational ministries of the local church. (Doing and Being)

Residency and Graduation Requirements
You must complete 60 semester hours of coursework to qualify for the M.A.E.M. degree. No more than 30 semester hours (1/2 of the degree) may be transferred in from another institution, and no more than 29 hours (less than 50% of the degree) may be taken at Erskine Seminary’s extension centers or online. At least 30 semester hours must be earned in residence at the Due West campus (Columbia campus courses do not count toward residency in the M.A.E.M. program), by directed study, or through transfer credit taken in residence at another institution. No thesis or dissertation is required for this degree. The program is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study, although you may spread your program over a longer period by studying part-time, not to exceed four years maximum.

Relation to Other Degrees
Students whose ministry goals warrant doing so may combine the M.A.E.M. with another of Erskine Seminary’s master’s degrees. Students who combine the M.A.E.M. with the M.Div. must complete 120 hours of total coursework, including all courses required for both degrees. Students who combine the M.A.E.M. with another two-year degree must complete the 60 hours for the M.A.E.M. and half of the hours required for the other degree, including all courses required for both degrees. In such cases, both degrees will ordinarily be conferred at the same time, after the requirements for both have been met.

Curriculum
The curriculum of the M.A.E.M. program is designed to offer a balance between traditions of the Christian Church such as the Bible, Church history, and Christian theology, and the best of educational theory and practice. Knowledge and the mastery of skills are integrated with the practice of educational ministry in a church or church-related setting. To that end, supervised field experience and the education practicum are vital parts of the curriculum. Your spiritual formation is addressed not only by a particular course in that area, but also by the entire ethos of the seminary program, which includes regular chapel services, fellowship and denominational groups, special religious and social events, and other occasions for growth and personal development.

The 60 semester hours of the M.A.E.M. degree program include 12 hours of Bible, 12 hours of theology, 12 hours of ministry, and 24 hours of Christian education. The specific requirements are as follows:

Bible Department (12 hours):
BI 502 Principles of Exegesis (Mandatory 1st year)
Three Bible Electives

Theology Department (12 hours):
CH 551 Survey of Church History
ST 551 Survey of Systematic Theology
Ethics Elective
Theology Department Elective

Ministry Department (12 hours):
PM 507 Evangelism
WP 551 Christian Worship
PM 609 Pastoral Care Ministry
PM 705 Supervised Ministry

Christian Education (24 hours):
CE 505 Christian Education
CE 551 Spiritual Formation
CE 555 Work of the Christian Educator
CE 560 Education and Theology
CE 565 History and Philosophy of Christian Education
CE 571 Education Practicum I
CE 572 Education Practicum II
Two Christian Education Electives

All M.A.E.M. students, full-time and part-time, must take BI 502 Principles of Exegesis during their first year of study. Furthermore, all M.A.E.M. students must demonstrate competence in the English Bible during their first year of seminary. The normal way to demonstrate this competence is to pass the Bible Challenge Exam. If you choose not to take the Bible Challenge Exam, you must take BI 501 Bible Survey (or BI 501Z) as a Bible elective in order to meet the Bible requirement.

Part-time students should recognize that courses that are specific to the M.A.E.M. program are offered only every other year, and only on the Due West campus. Therefore, you should take M.A.E.M.-specific courses as soon as they are offered, and then should allocate any additional hours you can take in a given semester or term to the other required courses and electives. You should pay close attention to the schedules for each year and the projected long-term schedule (posted on the website and the bulletin board in Bowie Hall), to make sure you know when and where your required courses will be offered.

A Suggested Schedule for the Master of Arts in Educational Ministries Degree:

Junior Class First Year

Senior Class Second Year