Intercultural Studies (BA)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Majors: Biblical Studies, Intercultural Studies
Program Description: The God of the Bible is a missionary God. And as Christians, we’re called to go and preach the gospel. But how, exactly, do you prepare for that type of calling? Through LBC’s intercultural studies major, you’ll learn more about God through our blend of Bible curriculum and major courses, all designed to give you a deeper understanding of what it means to be a missionary, no matter what cross-cultural context you are in. You’ll also get the chance to serve abroad through a range of missions trips, service projects and cross-cultural internship opportunities. Students are also strongly encouraged to earn a specialization or minor in their area of choosing to further equip them for ministry and service.
Studying intercultural studies doesn’t just prepare you to be a missionary. It’s much more than that. Through this major, students develop a heightened awareness of the distinct needs and customs of other cultures, become prepared to serve cross-culturally in a variety of settings, like in churches, schools, government programs, social services and more – and learn about the first-ever missionary: God.
Students in this major have ample opportunity to test out their skills in other cultures. The college organizes Journey Teams to give small groups of students the chance to engage in service projects all over the globe. Students also get the chance to apply their classroom knowledge in the field, through internships and practicums that can be completed both nationally and internationally. Our student organization, Student Missions Fellowship, brings mission-focused students together in fellowship and prayer. And we also hold an annual Mission Conference to celebrate what God is doing around the world and to challenge the LBC community to get involved in missions both locally and globally.
Major Mission: The Intercultural Studies major equips servant leaders to be effective cross-cultural communicators, compassionate examples, and committed disciple-makers of Jesus Christ.
Major Outcomes - Students will:
- Display godly character within the pursuit of becoming a servant leader.
- Cultivate areas of individual gifting and abilities connected to relationships and cross-cultural ministry.
- Practice the interpersonal skills necessary for effective cross-cultural ministry.
- Communicate biblical truth in cross-cultural settings with creativity, accuracy, relevance, and sensitivity.
- Develop multidirectional mentoring relationships to create a model for the lifelong disciple making process.
- Articulate a personal philosophy of cross-cultural ministry that addresses biblical, theoretical, practical, global, and cultural concerns.
Intercultural Studies offers concentrations in Church Planting, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Business as Missions, and Community Development.
The following table shows the courses specific to each concentration. Concentration courses replace some of the curriculum shown by semester below.
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Intercultural Studies – Global Church Planting
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Intercultural Studies - TESOL
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Intercultural Studies –Business as Missions |
Intercultural Studies –Community Development |
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ICS 222 Case Studies in Missions History
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ELT 101 Introduction to TESOL
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BUS 102 Introduction to Business |
SWK 102 Introduction to Social Work |
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ICS 322 Principles of Church Planting
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EDU 204 Instructional Design
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BUS 113 Foundations of Accounting |
CRJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice |
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CFM 421 Community Ministry
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ICS 201 Second Language Acquisition
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BUS 205 Finance |
PCN 481 Community Psychology |
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ICS 240 Wayumi OR ICS 424 Urban Church Ministry
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ELT 205 Teaching, Speaking, & Listening
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BUS 302 Marketing |
SWK 204 Cultural Diversity |
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THE 416 Role of Women in the Church
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ELT 305 Teaching Reading & Writing
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Business Elective |
ICS 424 Urban Church Ministry |
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CFM 323 Pastoral Care of Children & Families
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LAN 380 Grammar for Language Learners
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ICS 210 Perspectives on the World Christian Movement |
SWK 212 Social Work & Child Welfare |
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ICS 340 World Religions
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ELT 402 Contexts, Cultures, & Values
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ICS 222 Case Studies in Missions |
CML 201 Teaching Skills
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The curriculum sheet identifies the courses for this program.
Intercultural Studies (BA) Curriculum Sheet
Intercultural Studies (BA) - Business as Missions Curriculum Sheet
Intercultural Studies (BA) - Church Planting Curriculum Sheet
Intercultural Studies (BA) - Community Development Curriculum Sheet
Intercultural Studies (BA) - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Curriculum Sheet
For the course descriptions related to this program, see the courses section of the catalog.
4+1 Programs, Bachelor's + Master's
4+1 Program Option
In a 4+1 program, students work toward the completion of an undergraduate degree while also pursuing a Master’s degree. Graduate-level courses taken during undergraduate studies fulfill both undergraduate elective requirements and graduate program requirements. In the 4+1 program, students are dual-enrolled in LBC and Capital Seminary and Graduate School. For more information about the application process, please speak with your academic advisor. Available master’s programs include the Master of Arts in Ministry (MAM).
Admission Requirements
A student may opt for the Four-Plus-One track at any point up through the beginning of their junior year. Before a student is formally admitted to the track, however, an evaluation will be conducted by their academic advisor. The evaluation should consider the student’s previous academic performance, character and ability, and the recommendation of another LBC faculty member. Students may then either be admitted into the Four-Plus-One track, be given provisional admittance with requirements (e.g. raising GPA, etc.), or denied admittance and remain on the traditional four-year track.
4+1 Master of Arts in Ministry
The curriculum sheet identifies the courses for this program.
Intercultural Studies (BA/MAM) Curriculum Sheet
Intercultural Studies (BA/MAM) - Business as Missions Curriculum Sheet
Intercultural Studies (BA/MAM) - Church Planting Curriculum Sheet
Intercultural Studies (BA/MAM) - Community Development Curriculum Sheet
Intercultural Studies (BA/MAM) - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Curriculum Sheet
For the course descriptions related to this program, see the courses section of the catalog.
More information about the Master of Arts in Ministry program
Program Director:
Dr. Ed Scheuerman, D.Miss
Dr. Ed and his wife, Carol, served with PIONEERS in Southeast Asia for 23 years. They served in China for nearly seven years (starting in 1987), teaching and ministering at a university. Their work was primarily with their students, discipling those who came to faith. They were then based in Hong Kong for four years (1994-1998) as a support link to the in-China team. Dr. Ed was also the SE China Team Leader. In the fall of 1997, Dr. Ed was asked to assume the role of Area Leader for South Asia / Mainland Southeast Asia (shepherding the teams from Vietnam to India). The Scheuermans relocated to Chiang Mai, Thailand, in June of 1998, in order to be based where they could better serve the needs of those in SE Asia. The Area Leader role was primarily a pastoral role, shepherding church planting teams. While there, Dr. Ed also became involved in various member care ministries.
In May 2010, Dr. Ed was recruited by Lancaster Bible College to be the Director of the Intercultural Studies major. His passion is to help students find and follow God’s call for their lives in the cause for world missions.
Dr. Ed’s mission statement:
I seek to glorify God by empowering my students to learn and follow God’s will for their lives through the ministries of
- Encouragement (helping them to continue what they’re doing well)
- Exhortation (challenging them to examine areas like sin, strategy, etc.)
- Equipping (putting the right tools in their hands).