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.

Goals

1. Graduates will understand the Bible’s message in light of its own literary, historical, and theological settings.

2. Graduates will be prepared to articulate the relation between the Bible and the contemporary contexts in which ministry takes place.

3. Graduates will be prepared to utilize the Church’s historical and theological heritage as an important resource in their personal spiritual development and ministry.

4. Graduates will write and speak using theological language that is clear, well-considered, disciplined, and meaningful for those to whom they minister.

5. Graduates will be prepared to articulate a theology of educational ministry arising from Biblical and theological foundations.

6. Graduates will understand educational ministry within the context of the total mission of the local church or other ministry setting.

7. Graduates will understand the educational, social, and behavioral sciences that contribute to educational practice.

8. Graduates will understand the cultural contexts in which educational ministry occurs.

9. Graduates will be prepared to serve the Church with Christian character and integrity in their personal and professional lives.

10. Graduates will be prepared to view their ministries in light of the Church’s mission to worship, follow, bear witness to, and serve Jesus Christ.

11. Graduates will be prepared to communicate the Bible’s message, so as to make clear that its meaning is relevant for today.

12. Graduates will be prepared to foster a sense of community among those they serve in Christian ministry.

13. Graduates will be prepared to design, administer, and assess educational ministry programs.

14. Graduates will be prepared to teach effectively in educational ministry settings.

15. Graduates will be prepared to train teachers and leaders in the Church’s educational ministries.

Residency and Graduation Requirements

A student must complete 60 semester hours of course work 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 30 hours may be taken at Erskine Seminary’s extension centers. At least 30 semester hours must be earned in residence (that is, at the Due West campus, 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 students may spread their 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 course work, 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. The student’s 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

BI 501 Bible Survey (Mandatory 1st year)
BI 502 Principles of Exegesis (Mandatory 1st year)
Two Bible Electives

Theology Department

CH 551 Survey of Church History
ST 551 Survey of Systematic Theology
Ethics Elective
Theology Department Elective

Ministry Department

PM 507 Evangelism
WP 551 Christian Worship
PM 609 Pastoral Care Ministry
PM 705 Supervised Ministry

Christian Education

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 571/572 Education Practicum I and II
Two Christian Education Electives

All M.A.E.M. students, full-time and part-time, must take the following courses during their first year of study:

BI 501 Bible Survey
BI 502 Principles of Exegesis

Junior Class First Year

Senior Class Second Year