Welch Divinity School seeks to foster Christian scholarship and to provide leaders with graduate education in the classical theological disciplines and their integration with the practice of Christian ministry.
Master of Divinity Announcing the New
at Welch Divinity School
This fall Welch Divinity School will open and begin offering its signature degree, the Master of Divinity (M.Div.). The M.Div. is designed for college graduates who desire additional education in the classical theological disciplines and the integration of those disciplines with the practice of Christian ministry. The 85-semester-hour M.Div. is an advanced degree that focuses on developing the knowledge and skills needed for ministry in an increasingly secular culture. At Welch Divinity School, you will study under professors who are gifted scholars with specialties in a broad range of disciplines and proven experience in ministry. Welch’s low student-faculty ratio makes possible its distinctive emphasis on mentoring, spiritual formation, and community. Donor funding provides scholarships that make the Welch M.Div. one of the most affordable in the country.
Objectives of the M.Div. 1. Scripture and Interpretation: Understanding and application of the exegetical principles necessary for the study of the text of the Old and New Testaments, evidenced by a working knowledge of the biblical languages for the purposes of scriptural interpretation. 2. Historical and Systematic Theology: An understanding of Christian historical and theological thought with a view toward: (a) critical engagement with a wide scope of theological systems and worldviews from the perspective of a presuppositional apologetic; (b) the heritage of evangelical orthodoxy traced through the patristic, Reformation, and post-Reformation eras; and (c) Free Will Baptist history and theological distinctives, as found in the Reformed Arminian branch of Protestant orthodoxy. 3. Pastoral Leadership and Mission: Understanding of a biblical philosophy of church leadership, including: (a) the leader’s personal spiritual formation and interpersonal relationships; (b) Christian worship; (c) principles of pastoral care in ministering to people’s spiritual, psychological, relational, and material needs; (d) organic models of church growth grounded in biblical principles of evangelism and discipleship, and (e) missiological principles of international evangelization and church planting.
4. Worldview and Culture: Application of rigorous theological critique informed by a Christian worldview toward the assessment of: (a) trends, issues, and ethical concerns in the secular culture and (b) current movements and trajectories within the church culture.
Welch Divinity School roots its identity in Holy Scripture.
The 85-semester-hour M.Div. is an advanced degree that focuses on developing the knowledge and skills needed for ministry in an increasingly secular culture.
M.Div. Program Description The M.Div. degree totals 85 credit hours. The core requirements of the degree consist of 30 credit hours from Welch’s M.A. in Theology and Ministry, 25 credit hours from the undergraduate ministry curriculum adapted to the graduate level, and 30 credit hours of newly developed graduate courses. The full curriculum is outlined as follows:
Biblical Studies (27)
Ministry (28)
Issues in Old Testament Studies, 3 Issues in New Testament Studies, 3 Intermediate Koine Greek I & II, 6 Beginning Biblical Hebrew, 3 Intermediate Hebrew and Exegesis, 3 Biblical Hebrew Exegesis, 3 Biblical Greek Exegesis, 3 Advanced Seminar in Biblical Hermeneutics, 3
Discipleship, 3 Christian Ministry, 3 Homiletics I, 2 Mission and Church Growth, 3 Discovering and Communicating Biblical Truth, 3 Ministry and Leadership I & II, 6 Christian Worship, 2 Advanced Seminar in Leadership, 3 Advanced Seminar in Preaching, 3
Systematic and Historical Theology (21)
Worldview and Culture (9)
Systematic Theology I–III, 8 Eschatology, 2 Free Will Baptist History, 2 The Arminian Theological Tradition, 3 History of Doctrine, 3 Advanced Seminar in Baptist Ecclesiology, 3
Church and Culture, 3 Theological Foundations, 3 Advanced Seminar in Christian Worldview, 3
Accelerated B.A.–M.Div. Track The Divinity School also offers an accelerated B.A.–M.Div. track for exceptional undergraduate students. The accelerated program can be completed in five years. Students wishing to enroll in the accelerated B.A.–M.Div. program must first enroll in an appropriate Welch College undergraduate program. Students enrolled in the accelerated B.A.–M.Div. track may apply to the Divinity School for formal entrance into the M.Div. prior to the end of the sophomore year in accordance with the admission requirements outlined below. Upon successful admission to the Divinity School, M.Div. students may begin registering for graduate-level courses.
The accelerated program can be completed in five years.
Welch Divinity School will also count up to 25 hours of credit from undergraduate programs in theology, biblical studies, or ministry at other colleges and universities.
The Divinity School also offers an accelerated B.A.–M.Div. track for exceptional undergraduate students.
Owing to the generosity of donors, the net cost of a Welch Divinity School education will be among the lowest of any accredited M.Div. program in the country.
Finances The tuition rate for the M.Div. is $450 per credit hour. However, owing to the generosity of donors, the net cost of a Welch Divinity School education will be among the lowest of any accredited M.Div. program in the country. The institutional scholarships available for M.Div. students include the following, though additional scholarship aid will be tailored to the individual financial needs and backgrounds of students:
Academic Merit Scholarship – $75 per credit hour
This scholarship, which reduces the tuition rate by $75 per credit hour, is available for students who have an undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or better.
Free Will Baptist Scholarship – $40 per credit hour
This scholarship, which reduces the tuition rate by $40 per credit hour, is available for students who have their current membership in a Free Will Baptist church.
Free Will Baptist Ministry Scholarship – $30 per credit hour
This scholarship, which reduces the tuition rate by $30 per credit hour, is available for licensed and ordained Free Will Baptist ministers.
Other Scholarships
Various other scholarships tailored to the individual needs and backgrounds of students will further bring down the cost of the Welch M.Div.
For more information
Martin E. Sheldon, Ph.D.
Director of Administration, Divinity School (931) 239-5395 | msheldon@welch.edu
welch.edu/divinity
Teaching Faculty Matthew McAffee
Barry Raper
Provost, Dean of the Divinity School, Old Testament M.Div., Southern Seminary; M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago
Associate Dean of the Divinity School, Ministry M.Div., D.Min., Southern Seminary
Kevin Hester
Matthew Bracey
Senior Professor of Divinity, VP for Institutional Effectiveness, Historical Theology M.Div., Covenant Seminary; Ph.D., Saint Louis University
Worldview and Culture M.T.S., Beeson Divinity School; J.D., Cumberland School of Law, Samford University; Ph.D. candidate, Southern Seminary
Ronald Callaway
Edward Moody
Mission and Church Growth M.Div., Southeastern Seminary; D.Min., Mid-America Baptist Seminary
Executive Secretary, National Association of Free Will Baptists, Leadership M.A., Middle Tennessee State University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University
Jesse Owens
Matthew Pinson
Systematic Theology M.Div., Ph.D., Southern Seminary
President of Welch College, Leadership, Historical Theology M.A., University of West Florida; M.A.R., Yale University; Ed.D., Vanderbilt University
Martin Sheldon Director of Administration, Divinity School, New Testament M.Div., Th.M., Liberty University; Ph.D., Southeastern Seminary
For more information Martin E. Sheldon, Ph.D.
Director of Administration, Divinity School (931) 239-5395 | msheldon@welch.edu
welch.edu/divinity
welch.edu | 1.888.97.WELCH