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Emerging Ministry

The Emerging Ministry Program is designed to prepare students to fulfill their vocation in a setting that ministers to the emerging generation. It provides supervised study, special courses, and placement in a congregation that has a commitment to exploring progressive forms of worship and liturgy along with other emerging ministries. The program functions as a specialization within any of the Master's degree programs. EMP students enjoy a wide degree of latitude in choosing experiences to bolster their degree program. Students should declare their intent to participate in the Emerging Ministry Program prior to completing 30 credit hours of their degree by submitting the form to the Registrar's Office.

Program Design

Core courses: Emerging Ministry students must complete CM-203 Emergent Gathering and one of the following courses to complete the core requirements of the specialization:

  • CF-253 Pop Culture & Christian Formation
  • CM-270 Missional Evangelism
  • ST-225 The Gospel in a Consumer Culture

Electives: Emerging Ministry students are required to complete 9 credit hours from a designated list of courses related to emerging worship, postmodern culture, missiology, and evangelism. This list includes courses such as:

  • CH-475 History of Christian Spiritual Practices
  • CM-242 Emerging Church: Creating a New Community
  • CM-277 Practice of New Congregational Development
  • ES-216 The Moral Imagination
  • ES-228 Ethics, War and Film
  • ES-266 Contemporary Issues in Urban Ministry
  • PC-280 Pastoral Care to Young Adults
  • ST-229 ML King, Jr. and MK Gandhi
  • ST-294 Globalization, Mission and Church
  • ST-485 Contemporary Issues in Science and Religion
  • WR-215 Theology and the Global Poor
  • WR-293 Religion, Violence and Peace

Placement Experience

The Practice in Ministry and Mission Office will work with Emerging Ministry students to secure placement in a setting that offers both emerging worship and ministries. Field placement experiences are available in urban, suburban, and rural congregations. These include mentoring, spiritual formation and missional service along with the classroom learning and peer colloquy experience you will gain at the Seminary.

Alternately, your field experience can be coordinated through Washington, DC-area organizations with whom Wesley has begun a cooperative intership program, such as Cedar Ridge Community Church, founded by Brian McLaren. Programs such as these includes:

  • Field placement at an emerging church setting and mentoring by emerging leaders
  • Spiritual formation group with other emerging interns, in conjunction with the Covenant Discipleship program in the student's first year
  • Practice in Ministry & Mission colloquy, with other emerging interns
  • Curricular course offerings relevant to emerging church concerns, such as mission and evangelism
  • Fostering emerging initiatives, such as the D.C. Cohort.

Additional cooperative internships may be available through these partner organizations:

Join the conversation

Contact Sara Sheppard for further information about the Emerging Ministry Program at Wesley Theological Seminary, or check out these other discussion based resources:
SPECIALIZATIONS