Christian Ministry, MACM

You want to change the world through the power of the Gospel. Get the theological grounding and personal formation you need to serve in youth and family ministry, justice ministry, chaplaincy, faith-based nonprofit work and more.

The 49-credit hour degree in Christian Ministry shapes you for faithful service to the church and the world. Our faculty teach, form, and nurture students so that graduates:

Understand scripture, theology and church history
Interpret and communicate the Gospel to honor both the Christian faith and the contemporary multicultural world
Serve as an effective minister and disciple in a variety of settings
Understand and develop comprehensive skills in an area of specialized ministry

Request Information

Take the next step toward completing your Master of Arts in Christian Ministry.

At Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS), we believe that being Lutheran means being in a relationship with other denominations.

That’s why some of our students are Methodists, some are Baptists, and there are students from other denominations as well. Your questions and insights have a place here regardless of your denomination.

Some students enter seminary with extensive academic background in religious studies and theology. Others have experience in ministry, which may be relevant to certain courses. If you believe you are one of these students, please contact the registrar at registrar@59shoushen.com, who will consider your circumstances in consultation with the dean or other appropriate faculty and staff.

Program Highlights

Accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States and Canada
Full-tuition scholarships available
No GRE required
Quick admission decision
Beautiful campus located in Hickory, North Carolina
Only ELCA seminary located in the southeastern United States

LTSS is beautifully diverse and made up of students of every age, race, gender and orientation. I was so thankful to find a great community of faith and learning so close to where I grew up.

Joshua Wullenweber MDiv’20

Program Requirements

Offered in Columbia through December 2024; offered in Hickory beginning Spring 2025

The Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (MACM) degree is a two-year program (49 credit hours) consisting of a theological core curriculum and three separate tracks for specialized ministry: Congregational Ministry, ELCA Deacon and Methodist Studies. The open-ended congregational ministry track allows students from any denomination to pursue academic interests that best support their individual ministries. The ELCA deacon track prepares students to serve as deacons in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Methodist studies track can be used to fulfill the Disciplinary Basic Graduate Theological Studies (BGTS) courses and certain other conference membership and ordination requirements in the United Methodist Church.

Program Admission Requirements

Visit Graduate Admission for the most current Program Admission Requirements.

Core Requirements: (22 hours)
- BIB 500 - Survey of the Bible
- Choice of BIB / New Testament elective 3 Credits.
- Choice of BIB / Old Testament elective 3 Credits.
- CHS 501 - Church History I
- MIN 504 - Spiritual Practices
- THL 501 - Learning Outcomes(must be repeated three times)
- THL 503 - The Vocation of the Seminarian
- THL 510 - Exploring Theology Across Contexts and Cultures
- or
- CHS 530 - History and Theology of African American Traditions
- THL 600 - Introduction to Christian Theology
Congregational Ministry Track (27 hours)
- MIN 510 - Foundations of Christian Worship
- MIN 540 - Leadership in God's Mission*
- MIN 610 - Foundations in Preaching
- Any MIN or CED elective 3 Credits.
- Any MIN or CED elective 3 Credits.
- General electives 12 Credits.
Methodist Studies Track (27 hours)
- MIN 510 - Foundations of Christian Worship
- MIN 540 - Leadership in God's Mission
- MIN 610 - Foundations in Preaching
- CHS 555 - Foundations of Wesleyan Mission, Practice, and Belief
- CHS 556 - United Methodism: History, Mission, Practice and Belief
- CHS 572 - Women in Ministry
- CPE 500 - Clinical Pastoral Education
- Elective in the topic of Evangelism 3 Credits.
ELCA Deacon Track (27 hours)
- MIN 500A - Boundary Training
- MIN 500 - Field Education I
- MIN 501 - Field Education II
- MIN 600 - Field Education III
- THL 550 - Lutheran Confessions
- CHS 600 - Lutheranism in North America
- CPE 500 - Clinical Pastoral Education
- General Electives 12 Credits.
Total Credit Hours: 49

* Students may substitute with any approved LED course in the University's MA in Leadership program.
Degree Outcomes
All graduates of the Master of Christian Ministry (MACM) program will:
- Demonstrate emotional and spiritual maturity and faithful living appropriate to public ministry.
- Demonstrate theologically informed and self-reflective engagement of distinct human cultures and communities.
- Demonstrate competencies necessary to cultivate anti-racist discipleship
Graduates of the MACM Congregational Ministry track will also:
- Analyze Christian scripture and traditions with reference to their original contexts.
- Interpret Christian scripture and traditions in ways that cultivate Christian community and discipleship.
- Demonstrate leadership in areas of pastoral ministry that generate discipleship and positive change in the church and the world.
- Interpret Christian scripture in ways that are life-giving to God's people.
- Demonstrate pastoral leadership skills for the cultivation of Christian discipleship in others.
Graduates of the Methodist Studies track will also:
- Analyze Methodist traditions with reference to their original contexts.
- Interpret Christian scripture in ways that are life-giving to God's people and in faithful dialogue with Methodist traditions.
Graduates of the ELCA Deacon track will also:
- Analyze Lutheran traditions with reference to their original contexts.
- Interpret Christian scripture in ways that are life-giving to God's people and in faithful dialogue with the Lutheran Confessions.
Seminary Degree Program Add-On Options
LTSS students may earn a formal concentration in one of three areas: Biblical Studies, Theology, and Faith Formation. Concentrations consist of nine (9) credit hours in general electives. Courses required by a degree program do not count toward a concentration.

Biblical Studies: Choose 9 hours among BIB electives.

Theology: Choose 9 hours among THL electives. With the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, a student may apply up to three hours in biblical studies (BIB) or church history (CHS).

Faith Formation: Choose 9 hours among CED electives. With the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, a student may apply up to six hours in relevant education (EDU) or ministry (MIN) courses.

LTSS students may earn a formal cognate in Leadership. Cognates consist of nine (9) credit hours in general electives. Courses required by a degree program do not count toward a cognate.

Choose 9 hours among the following courses:
LTSS students may earn a formal cognate in Counseling. Cognates consist of nine (9) credit hours in general electives. Courses required by a degree program do not count toward a cognate. Students enrolled in a counseling cognate will be assigned a secondary advisor from the Counseling program.

Choose 9 hours among the following courses:
- COU 505 Counseling Theories
- COU 520 Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- COU 530 Counseling Techniques
- CPE 500 Clinical Pastoral Education (6 hours in addition to any CPE degree requirement)
- HCS 505 Theoretical Foundations & History of Human Services
- Up to 3 hours of MIN electives, pending approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Programs
LTSS students may earn a formal cognate in Sustainability. Cognates consist of nine (9) credit hours in general electives. Courses required by a degree program do not count toward a cognate.

Choose 9 hours among the following courses:
- BUS 535 Sustainability Management & Decision Making
- POL 525 Environmental Policy
- SUS 501 Visions of Sustainable Communities
- SUS 571 Sustainability Behavior, Education, and Communication
- THL 683 Eating Together Faithfully