The Master of Divinity (MDiv) at Capital Seminary & Graduate School is a uniquely balanced program designed to produce the competencies necessary to lead from a biblical worldview. The program prepares students for a leadership role in multiple ministry contexts by focusing on the development of the head, heart, and hands of the student. This program combines the Master of Arts in Biblical Studies program, providing the biblical and theological core, with the Master of Arts in Ministry or Master of Arts in Christian Care program, providing the ministry praxis.
The Master of Divinity program equips students for ministry in the church and society by developing:
Master of Divinity
Name of Program
Master of Divinity
Credential
M.Div.
Introduction
The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program prepares students for a lifetime of effective service to the Church and society in a vocational ministry role. It is a learning journey that integrates biblical, theological, and ministerial studies and helps students develop the wisdom and character needed for the present and future service entrusted to them. The M.Div. degree is the most commonly pursued academic credential for ordination and for acceptance into ministry-related doctoral degree programs like the Doctor of Ministry. Additionally, courses within the program are delivered in a blended and accelerated format that allows life-engaged adult learners to complete an advanced degree without uprooting life at home and work. Students participate in a learning community that blends online education with in-class residencies. A typical course is 7 weeks in length and is comprised of online work and two full days of face-to-face on site learning.
Program Purpose
The Master of Divinity (M.Div.) at Capital Seminary & Graduate School is a uniquely balanced program designed to produce the competencies necessary to lead from a biblical worldview. The program prepares students for a leadership role in multiple ministry contexts by focusing on the development of the head, heart, and hands of the student. This program combines the Master of Arts in Biblical Studies program, providing the biblical and theological core, with the Master of Arts in Ministry or Master of Arts in Christian Care program, providing the ministry praxis.
Educational Philosophy
Our educational philosophy guides our approach to teaching and learning, course design, and faculty selection. We believe the Bible provides the philosophical and practical foundations for ministry in any context. Therefore, in every course, classroom content and Scriptural principles are integrated and applied to professional practice. We believe that the character of the leader is crucial for impacting ministry. Therefore, courses seek not only to educate the mind in ministry competencies, but also to nurture the development of biblical character qualities in our students. We believe adults learn more effectively in nurturing communities. Therefore, the graduate student is viewed as a self-directed learner and adult learning methods are emphasized, making the classroom environment an educational workshop that emphasizes interactive methods that utilize the professor and student’s unique gifts and life experience. We believe in life-long education. Therefore, courses emphasize critical thinking skills that relate to all of life and ministry, and provide the practical research skills for maintaining continuing education in Christian ministry beyond a formal degree program.
Additional Information
Students who have already completed the 48-credit Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Arts in Biblical Studies, or Master of Arts in Christian Care degree programs at LBC|Capital can earn an M.Div. degree as well by completing an additional 30 credits for a total of 78 credits. The required courses for completing an M.Div. are determined on the basis of the courses already completed as part of the M.A. program.
Locations
Lancaster and Washington, D.C.
Faculty List
James Ayers, PhD
Philip Bena, MA
Ronald Belsterling, PhD
Kirk Belmont, DMin
Aaron Brown, MDiv
Terriel Byrd, PhD
Mark Cote, DMin
Douglas Curry, DMin
Mark Eckel, PhD
Mark Farnham, PhD
Douglas Finkbeiner, PhD
Hans Finzel. DMiss
Adam Flynt, DMin
Gordon Gregory, Jr., DTh
Samuel Harbin, DMin
Ryan Hartwig, PhD
Deborah Hinkel, MA
Albin Huss, PhD
Victor Jacobs, PhD
Debra Johnson-Cortesi, PhD
Joseph Kim, PhD
Timothy Koller, MA
Miles (Skip) Lewis, EdD
Mark McGeever, DMin
Mark Meyer, PhD
Timothy Nicholls, PhD
Randal Pelton, DMin
Brian Pinzer, PhD
Joshua Rhodes, MA
Timothy Sidebothom, PhD
John Soden, PhD
Currie Tilley, Jr., EdD
Jim Van Yperen, MA
Esther Zimmerman, PhD
Program Core Competencies
- A foundational knowledge of the narrative, content, and interpretation of the Bible for the purposes of the development of a biblical worldview.
- The skill sets necessary in effectively communicating the Scriptures.
- The skills necessary in the process of personal spiritual formation and discipleship of others.
- The character and competencies necessary to be an authentic servant leader.
- The skills necessary to study the Bible using the tools of biblical interpretation and language study.
- A biblical philosophy of ministry and leadership practice applicable in the context of contemporary culture.
- The knowledge and skill sets necessary to lead individuals, teams, and organizations.
- The skill sets necessary for assessing organizational health and strategizing for organizational development.
- Knowledge and skill sets appropriate to the selected ministry concentration.
- Experiential learning and research skills for maintaining life-long education.
MDiv Curricular Structure/Degree Requirements
Competencies and Credits for Each
| Competencies |
Credits |
| Biblical and Theological Studies |
12 |
| Ministry Praxis |
6 |
| Advanced Biblical and Theological Studies |
24
|
| Advanced Ministry Praxis-Concentrations |
24
|
| Field-Based Experience |
6 |
| Program Total |
72 |
Competency 1
Biblical and Theological Studies
12 credits of biblical and theological studies are required. Some or all of these courses may not be required for those who receive advanced standing into the program.
| BTC 523 | Biblical Narrative - Old Testament | 3 |
| BTC 533 | Biblical Narrative - New Testament | 3 |
| BTC 563 | Biblical Interpretation | 3 |
| BTC 573 | Introduction to Christian Theology | 3 |
Competency 2
Ministry Praxis
| MIN 504 | Communicating Biblical Truth | 3 |
| MIN 509 | Spiritual Formation & Discipleship | 3 |
Competency 3
Advanced Biblical and Theological Studies
BIB 510, BIB 511, BIB 515, and BIB 516 are required. The remaining 12 credits can be earned by taking 4 Advanced Biblical and Theological elective courses or completing the Bible Exposition, Christian Apologetics, or Theology concentration. Some or all of the language courses may not be required for students entering the program with advanced standing.
Competency 4
Advanced Ministry Praxis
MIN 505, MIN 507, MIN 508, and MIN 510 are required. The remaining 12 credits can be earned by taking 4 Advanced Ministry Praxis elective courses or completing the Leadership Studies, Pastoral Studies, Formational Children & Family Ministry, Youth & Young Adult Ministry, or Church Planting concentration.
| MIN 505 | Theological Foundations for Ministry | 3 |
| MIN 507 | Leadership Development & Team Building | 3 |
| MIN 508 | Organizational Change & Conflict | 3 |
| MIN 510 | The Leader's Life & Work | 3 |
Competency 5
Field-Based Experience
Students can earn up to 6 credits of field-based experience by choosing any two courses listed. BIB 540 and BIB 541 are offered as part of an international Summer trip to Israel.
Concentrations
Concentration 1
Apologetics
God’s people are called to love him with all their minds, in addition to their hearts and strength. With the increasing pluralism and antagonism to Christianity, believers must be prepared to give a defense for their hope. This concentration prepares students to think critically about the various religious and non-religious belief systems that challenge the truth of Christianity. It equips them to effectively engage any person or thought-system with the truth of the Christian faith. This is a benefit to the church and the cause of Christ as a whole.
| APO 510 | Philosophy for Apologetics | 3 |
| APO 515 | Old Testament in Apologetics | 3 |
| APO 540 | Christian Apologetics | 3 |
| APO 545 | New Testament Issues in Apologetics | 3 |
Concentration 2
Bible Exposition
Each week both professional and lay Christian ministers, who are tasked with preaching and teaching God’s Word, engage in a two-fold journey. First, they journey from the contemporary world back to the biblical world (interpretive journey). Second, they journey back from the biblical world to the contemporary world (communicative journey). Thus, Christian ministers need to know how to interpret and communicate God’s Word. To do so with integrity, they need to know how to accurately interpret God’s Word. To do so with relevancy, they need to know how to appropriately apply God’s Word to a contemporary audience. This particular concentration is designed to prepare the Christian minister to both interpret the Word accurately and communicate the Word relevantly. While heavier weight is given to the interpretive journey in the concentration, ample time is given to the communicative journey.
This concentration effectively equips pastors, elders, lay teachers, youth leaders, and para-church leaders who desire to sharpen their skills for expository communication of the scriptures.
BIB535 Introduction to Biblical Preaching is required. Students may select from a variety of exiting elective courses to complete the remaining 9 credits, which include courses focused on the hermeneutical process as well as courses focused on exegesis of the Old and New Testaments
| BIB 535 | Introduction to Biblical Preaching | 3 |
Concentration 3
Christian Care
| CHC 505 | Foundations for Christian Care | 3 |
| CHC 510 | Christian Care of Individuals | 3 |
| CHC 511 | Christian Care of Individuals Lab | 3 |
| CHC 515 | Christian Care of Families | 3 |
| CHC 516 | Christian Care of Families Lab | 3 |
| CHC 520 | Christian Care and Group Process | 3 |
| CHC 525 | Training Christian Care Givers | 3 |
Concentration 4
Church Planting
| CPL 501 | Theology, History & Models of Church Planting Movements | 3 |
| CPL 502 | Exegeting Culture for Church Planting | 3 |
| CPL 504 | Church Planting I | 3 |
| CPL 505 | Church Planting II | 3 |
Concentration 5
Formational Children and Family Ministry
| CFM 501 | Foundations of Children and Family Ministry | 3 |
| CFM 502 | Spiritual Formation of Children and Families | 3 |
| CFM 503 | Missional Families in a Global World | 3 |
| CFM 504 | Global Children’s Ministry | 3 |
Concentration 6
Leadership Studies
| LSP 501 | Leadership Theory & Practice | 3 |
| LSP 502 | Development of Organizational Leadership | 3 |
| LSP 503 | Psychology of Leadership | 3 |
| LSP 509 | Leadership Style Analysis | 3 |
Concentration 7
Pastoral Studies
| PAS 502 | Local Church Revitalization | 3 |
| PAS 503 | Theology, History, & Practice of Worship | 3 |
| PAS 513 | Advanced Homiletics | 3 |
| PAS 520 | Designing Strategic Models of Adult Discipleship | 3 |
Concentration 8
Theology
Christian leaders are constantly called upon to assess and discern ideas and trends that affect the church and society. Foundational to that task is a solid understanding of the Bible and its view of the world as understood and expressed in the long tradition of Christian theological reflection. This concentration equips Christian leaders for ministry by providing them with an advanced framework for thinking theologically, an understanding of the development of Christian theology from its origins to the present, and opportunities for focused research into various topics and issues in systematic, historical, and biblical theology. The goal of the concentration is to graduate Christian pastors and leaders who have the knowledge and skills to interpret and articulate an orthodox understanding of the Christian faith in the evangelical Protestant tradition, to pass it on to future generations, and to apply its insights to the contemporary needs of the church and society.
Concentration 9
Youth and Young Adult Ministry
| YMN 501 | Student Development, Culture & Contextualization | 3 |
| YMN 502 | Student & Family Systems Counseling | 3 |
| YMN 503 | Thinking Theologically in Student Ministry | 3 |
| YMN 504 | Spiritual Formation of Students | 3 |
Application, Admission, Retention, and Graduation
Admission Requirements
Individuals seeking admission to Capital Seminary programing in the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Arts in Biblical Studies, Master of Arts in Christian Care and the Master of Arts in Formational Leadership must complete the following application steps. Decisions for admission to these programs are made using each application piece listed as criteria.
Application Process
Individuals seeking admission to Capital Seminary programing in the Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Arts in Biblical Studies, Master of Arts in Christian Care and the Master of Arts in Formational Leadership must complete the following application steps. Decisions for admission to these programs are made using each application piece listed as criteria.
1.
Application Form: Complete the online application and submit the $40 application fee. Once your application has been received, you will be contacted by an Admissions Representative who will guide you through the application process.
2.
Autobiographical Essay: Write an autobiographical essay, of approximately 1000 words, describing your salvation experience and ministry goals using these instructions.
* Explain Christ’s saving work in your life. Please share the details of your conversion experience, and use scripture to explain your experience.
* Explain how God has used people and circumstances in your life to grow your faith.
* Describe your current spiritual disciplines including evangelism, Bible study, prayer and ministry service.
* Share your current employment situation, your future vocational goals, and why you have chosen to apply to Capital Seminary & Graduate School.
* In the last 5 years, other than the Bible, what author or book has most influenced your faith? Using APA or MLA to cite your source, please support your response with a quote from the book.
This essay is designed to provide applicable life content as well as demonstrate the applicant's writing ability. Applicants will be evaluated on: confirmation of acceptance of Christ as personal Savior, developments in spiritual growth, statement of ministry goals, and rationale for desiring a master's degree.
3.
References: Ask two people who are qualified to evaluate your ministry/work experience and potential, to complete the reference form on your behalf. Reference forms are located online here.
4.
Request Official Transcripts: Contact all institutions through which degrees have been awarded to request official transcripts to be sent to Capital Enrollment Management Office (717-560-8297). These must be official transcripts sent directly from the degree granting institution(s). There must be a transcript from an accredited institution showing completion of a bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5.
5.
TOEFL Score: Non-native speakers of English must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). If the applicant has an undergraduate degree from an accredited American college or university, he/she is exempt from the TOEFL requirement. If required, the TOEFL test score must meet the following minimum for admission: paper score 550; computer score 213; or internet score 79. The applicant's skill score in writing will also be considered in the admissions decision.
6.
Personal Interview: Following receipt of the above items, a personal interview will be arranged with a faculty member.
Application Response
Applicants will be notified within three weeks of the submission of all application materials with regards to their acceptance into a program.
Five decisions are possible.
•
Full Acceptance: The applicant is fully accepted with no deficiencies or leveling requirements.
•
Accepted with Deficiencies: The applicant is accepted into the program with admission's academic deficiencies identified. The applicant will be informed as to the necessary steps required to achieve full acceptance.
•
Accepted on Review Status: The applicant is admitted pending further review. This may be because a part of the application was incomplete (e.g. a score was not received in time) or because the applicant did not meet one of the admission's requirements.
•
Delay: The applicant may receive an application delay. This may be due to the program being filled, a change in the applicant's life situation, or an event preventing the applicant from attending the first program session. Delayed status applicants will not have to reapply to the program but must pay the program down payment fee.
Declined: The applicant who is declined will be notified by mail or email. Specific reasons for the decline are not provided.
Advanced Standing
The following Biblical and Theological Studies courses are required unless the student has entered the program with advanced standing. Advanced Standing is granted to those students who have completed 30 hours or more of undergraduate Bible and theology courses. Students with less than 30 hours may receive partial Advanced Standing credit proportionate to undergraduate or graduate Bible and theology studies completed. Students’ official transcripts will be evaluated during the admissions process.
Students transferring from theological seminaries or graduate institutions with accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education will be given advanced standing to the extent that their credits approximate the curriculum of Capital Seminary & Graduate School. Transfer credits must be from a seminary or graduate program with a final grade of “C” or higher. They must be no older than 10 years (for biblical language courses) or 15 years (for all other courses). Students can transfer no more than 50% of a degree from an outside institution. For specific information or questions, applicants or students must consult the Program Director.
| BTC 523 | Biblical Narrative - Old Testament | 3 |
| BTC 533 | Biblical Narrative - New Testament | 3 |
| BTC 563 | Biblical Interpretation | 3 |
| BTC 573 | Introduction to Christian Theology | 3 |