Major Minor

B.S.

Major in Christian Ministry and Formation

Go into ministry • Develop a foundation • Impact your community

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Learn to promote spiritual growth.

Our world is becoming a complex, global, diverse and digital society. To proclaim the gospel and accomplish the mission of Christ in the world, we need men and women who are willing to become compassionate, biblically-grounded intercultural leaders and ministry innovators. The Christian ministry and formation major will give you the tools you need to do so. 

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Grow spiritually

Faculty will mentor and disciple students in their spiritual walk with Christ and give them the tools to aid them in growing their faith. 

Cultivate your ministry

Not only will students be given the resources to identify their calling for ministry, but they will also develop a competency for applying and teaching biblical passages and ministering to communities. 

Choose a discipline

Students can choose from a myriad of ministries to specialize in, including care and counseling, chaplaincy, pastoral church leadership and worship arts. 

Find your calling and mission at JBU.

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In this program I discovered my love for teaching and preaching God's Story. JBU's CMF program was integral to my personal growth and ability to serve pastorally. It connected me with professors who have ministry experience, gave me a foundation for how to do ministry and lead people well, and provided me with opportunities to discover my own giftings and calling.

Kara Shull '21

Christian Ministry & Formation

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What to expect as a Christian ministry and formation student at JBU

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Find your calling

Students will clearly identify their ministry call, calling, and unique SHAPE (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, experiences) for ministry.

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Apply your knowledge

Students will demonstrate competence in exegeting and applying biblical passages, teaching and preaching biblical messages, relating with and discipling people of various generations, leading and administrating programs and events, and providing spiritual guidance and brief counseling to families and individuals across the lifespan.

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Impact your community

Students interact with and minister to one another through various fellowship activities and serve their local faith communities and organizations.

I learned to effectively minister to people through relationships. As a children’s minister I’m in contact with children mainly, but I also have the chance to connect with their parents. Through these relationships, I can help them grow spiritually just as my professors did with me.

Katie Jackman '21

Children’s Ministry Coordinator at First Baptist Church of Oak Grove, Missouri

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Choose your emphasis

As part of the major, students can customize their degree by taking additional courses in a specialized area of ministry (elective emphasis), a minor in another discipline, or another major.

Care & counseling

Care & counseling increases knowledge of counseling theories and therapeutic counseling skills.

Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy equips students for pastoral care and support of diverse individuals and families in medical, corporate and state facilities.

Children & family

The children & family ministry emphasis prepares students for effective service to children and families through further study of family systems' developmental, educational, social and legal factors.

Christian schooling

Christian schooling provides students with foundational knowledge of learning theories, curriculum development and instruction to use in Christian education institutions.

Pastoral church leadership

Pastoral church leadership equips students for spiritual leadership and pastoral ministry within the local church.

Parachurch ministry

Parachurch ministry equips students for leadership and management of faith-based, non-profit, community ministries and organizations.

Worship arts

Worship arts prepares students to cultivate, design and lead corporate worship so that worship is theologically informed and theologically formative.

Youth ministry

Youth ministry equips students for pastoral care and discipleship of youth through the study of historical, cultural, social and experiential factors which impact adolescents.

Key christian ministry and formation courses

The Church in a Global Context

This interdisciplinary course will examine the theological, philosophical and anthropological diversity of Christian expression in the northern and southern hemispheres as expressed through different ecclesial traditions and informed by various cultural and historical contexts.

Preaching and Teaching

A foundational course to provide hermeneutical, exegetical, and practical tools for preaching, teaching, and presenting the Christian message in a variety of contexts.

Transformational Small Groups

An integrative and practical exploration of how to empower progressive Christ-like development in care for others. Special emphasis is placed on the use of spiritual disciplines, experiential education, and Bible studies in a small group setting.

Biblical Counseling

An integrative exploration of the reciprocating self, the fragmented self, and the process of healing and wholeness, with specific examination of the biblical counseling approach for problem/solution-focused Christian counseling.

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Equip yourself for a successful career and a life of purpose.

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