2024-2025 Traditional Undergraduate Catalog

Pastoral Ministry BA

Credential: Bachelor of Arts 

Majors:  Pastoral Ministry, Biblical Studies

Certification/Licensure: This program is not intended to lead to certification/licensure.

Location:  Lancaster

Program Director:  Dr. Casey Barton

Program Mission Statement:  The Pastoral Ministry major exists to train emerging shepherd-leaders to establish, sustain, and multiply churches worldwide.

Program Description:  The church is Gods strategy to accomplish his mission in the world (Ephesians 3:8-11). Considering the significant number of pastors leaving vocational ministry, the rapidly changing landscape of contemporary culture, and the pressing need for more healthy churches worldwide, the church needs to rediscover her missional identity for a globalized world. Moreover, as God has appointed a variety of leaders (Ephesians 4:11) whose pastoral calling is to equip the church toward this end, such leaders must locate their calling with this missionary task. The Pastoral Studies major sets the pastoral vocation within a local and global mission context as students cultivate godly character, develop ministry skills, inculcate biblical truth, expand interpersonal capacity, foster missional engagement, and raise ministry awareness. By retrieving biblical principles, exploring the wisdom within church history, and contextualizing Gods unchanging truth in contemporary settings, this program trains emerging leaders to participate in Gods mission to establish, sustain, and multiply churches worldwide.

Program Learning Outcomes: As a result of this program, students will:

1. Embody godly character as a foundation for life and ministry.

2. Develop the fundamental skills requisite for holistic shepherding care in all phases of the discipleship process.

3. Appropriate biblical truth with theological reflection, contextual sensitivity, and ministry orientation.

4. Exhibit relational aptitude which embraces the interpersonal nature of pastoral ministry and values the primary importance of the local church.

5. Engage Gods mission in the world, appreciating the global and local nature of this task.

6. Negotiate assumptions of pastoral work being sensitized to missional realities and resourced for sustainable ministry.

Experiential Learning:  We place a high value on field experience in ministry preparation.  As a result, all undergraduate ministry students will complete a 3-credit internship as well as a 3-credit practicum in Pastoral Ministry prior to graduation. Students are responsible for arranging their own field placements in area churches or parachurch ministries. The Church and Ministry Leadership Department maintains an active list of ministry internship opportunities and works closely with students and ministries to ensure a good learning experience.

Curriculum Structure and Degree Requirements

Curriculum Structure

Credits

LBC Foundation Studies Courses

4

Bible & Theology Core Courses

30

Arts & Sciences Core Courses

31

Major Courses

45

Exploration Studies – Elective Courses

12

Program Total

122

LBC Foundations (4 credits)

LBC 100Foundations Seminar

1

LBC 101 Living in God's Story

3

 

Bible & Theology Courses (30 credits)

BTH 101Foundations for Biblical and Theological Studies

3

BIB 103Creation & Covenants: OT I

3

BIB 104Israel's Life & Literature: OT II

3

THE 223Christian Narrative I: Creation & Fall

3

THE 224Christian Narrative II: Redemption & Consummation

3

BIB 203Life of Christ: NT I

3

BIB 204Early Church: NT II

3

Bible Elective - BOT or BNT

3

THE
Theology Elective

3

THE 320Christianity and Culture

3

 

 

Arts & Sciences Courses (31 credits)

LAN 101Academic Writing, Research, and Rhetoric

3

LAN 104Public Speaking

3

LIT
Literature Core (100/200 Level)

3

HIS
History Core (100/200 Level)

3

SCI
Science Core (100/200 Level)

3

SCI
SCI Lab (100/200 Level)

1

MAT
Math Core (100/200 Level)

3

HUM 212/COM 212Media: Conveyor of Cultural Ideas

3

Arts & Sciences Elective (300 or 400) level

3

Arts & Sciences Elective (300 or 400) level

3

Arts & Sciences Elective

3

 

Pastoral Ministry Courses (45 credits)

CML 102Foundations of Ministry

3

CML 210Fundamentals of Leadership

3

CML 324Spiritual Formation of Ministry Leaders

3

PAS 350Pastoral Ministry Internship I

0

PAS 450Pastoral Ministry Practicum I

0

ICS 120Discipleship/Evangelism

3

CML
CML Elective

3

CML 400Cross Cultural Experience

0

PAS 120Gospel, Church, and Mission as Pastoral Calling

3

PAS 220Preaching and Teaching the Scripture

3

CML 303Theology of Children, Youth and Family

3

PAS 320Counseling and Care in the Church

3

PAS 410Pastoral Perspectives on Leadership

3

THE 411/CML 411Role of Women in the Church

3

PAS 425Worship and Devotion in Christian Practice

3

PAS 480 Advanced Preaching

3

 

Exploration Studies (12 credits)

Elective

3

Elective

3

Elective

3

Elective

3

Program Director:

Casey Barton, PhD, directs the undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministry Program as well as the Pastoral Ministry graduate concentration in the Master of Arts in Ministry and Master of Divinity Programs at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School.  

Caseys love for the church and for preaching led him to complete an MDiv and ThM in Homiletics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, an MTh in Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at New College, University of Edinburgh, and finally the PhD in Homiletics from the Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto. 

Casey has served in ministry nearly 20 years in various capacities including Youth, College, Associate, and Lead Pastor roles. Casey and his wife Sarah live in Lancaster, PA with their two sons.

Faculty:

Casey Barton, PhD
Sam Harbin, DMin
Rev. Clyde Bomgardner, MDiv