Overview

The central aim of each of our professional degree programs is to equip people for effective leadership and service through the various full-time vocations of the church, ordained and non-ordained. Because ministry is a profession practiced in community, preparation at Wesley occurs not only in the classroom, but also in contexts provided by various communities of faith.

People engaged in professional service to the church need the gift of maturity coupled with a capacity and desire to grow. Our commitment to this understanding is reflected in the following non-curricular objectives.

Non-Curricular Objectives for Professional Degree Programs

• continuing growth in faith as evidenced by public and personal faith disciplines
• demonstration of moral integrity
• psychological and emotional health
• responsiveness in interpersonal relationships
• involvement in social concerns
• desire for intellectual stimulation and growth.

These objectives for the personal development of professional degree candidates are inseparable from the curricular objectives. Recognizing that these objectives cannot be precisely measured, the faculty understands that the prime responsibility for personal growth and development rests with the student. Moreover, we do not assume responsibilities that properly belong to those agencies of the church that evaluate candidates for ordination or certification.

We do, however, reserve the right to intervene for the sake of a student, the welfare of the Seminary community, the integrity of the church and/or the Seminary's standards and degree objectives.

Curricular Objectives for the Professional Degree Programs

• foundations of basic knowledge in the texts and traditions (scripture and history) of the Christian faith, in the situation of the church in the world, and in the ministries of the church
• competency in the methods appropriate to each subject area of study
• a stance supportive of the overall demands of leadership and service in ordained and lay ministry.

The Faith of the Church

Foundations:  Knowledge of the texts and traditions from which the Christian Church originated, along with an understanding of the continuing formation of the traditions of the Church. Studies include the faith and history of Israel and the primitive Church; the subsequent history of the Christian Church, its worldwide expansion and the contemporary ecumenical movement; and historical, systematic, and moral theology.

Methods:  Facility in the use of tools of critical scholarship, including: historical and exegetical methods that contribute to a working biblical hermeneutic; historical research in basic documents of the history of the Church; philosophical and theological methods that result in a responsible contemporary expression of the meaning of Christian faith.

Stance:  Identification with the biblical, historical, and doctrinal story as a context for personal history; awareness of the urgency to communicate the story to others so that they in turn may locate themselves within the story; commitment to the enactment of this story in individual and social expression.

The Church in the World

Foundations:  Knowledge of the ways in which the relationship of Christian faith to culture has been portrayed and socially embodied; acquaintance with the church's interactions with the various groups, structures, and movements in society; a working introduction to the main perspectives of the sciences and to the variety of human self-expression in the arts and humanities; a basic understanding of the major non-Christian religions and philosophies; awareness of the kind and magnitude of changes in society in the present and foreseeable future; encounter with the dominating issues, enduring, current, and anticipated; knowledge of resources, both within the church and without, required for intelligent response.

Methods:  Ability to use basic methods for analysis and strategy drawn from Christian ethics, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and the arts, and to adapt these methods to the mission of the church in the world.

Stance:  Commitment to join God's efforts to create a more humane order; desire to understand human society in its manifold complexity and respond with a matching sophistication; sensitivity to the human and environmental consequences of individual and institutional acts; appreciation of aesthetic, moral, material and religious dimensions of life; collaborative involvement in interfaith, inter-professional and interdisciplinary efforts for the church's engagement with society.

The Ministries of the Church

Foundations:  Knowledge of the opportunities, functions and demands of the varied forms of ministry in the church; the history, principles, and resources of the church's liturgical life, including sacraments and preaching; the sources and methods of the behavioral sciences that contribute to effectiveness in administration, education, caring for persons, and counseling; polity, structure, processes, and resources of your denomination.

Methods:  Integration of biblical, historical, doctrinal, socio-ethical and behavioral perspectives into a concrete practice of ministry; development of effective skills for working with individuals, the community of faith, and the wider social community through planning, practice, guidance, and evaluation; proficiency in written and oral communication; liturgical leadership including musical discernment; and preaching, church administration, teaching, caring functions, counseling, and group process.

Stance:  Embodiment in ministry of an articulated faith; commitment to further growth through worship, continued learning, and interpersonal relationships; sensitivity toward persons of every age, class, race, sexual orientation, and physical condition-assisting each to deeper participation in Christian faith and life; recognition of the claims of inner and outer authority in the responsibilities of ministry; and cooperative involvement with the helping and healing professions and community agencies.