Congregations frequently call upon gifted lay leaders to serve on staff. These leaders have a proven ability to do the work, but sometimes feel a yearning to be better grounded for service as a minister. The M.A.C.P. degree introduces students to disciplined theological reflection as a means for enriching their Christian service in both the church and the world. The degree offers students the opportunity to reflect theologically upon practices of lay professional ministry or other Christian service. The degree is primarily for those seeking to enhance lay vocations while remaining in a full-time ministry context or other professional position, and is based on short, residential intensive seminars with web-based distance learning.
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Admissions requirements »
M.A.C.P. students can expect to be formed in the skills and practices of faithful and effective ministry in the congregational setting. This formation is expressed in the core congregational practices of sacred teaching, spiritual leadership, and pastoral presence.
Sacred Teaching
- How to create, support, and sustain congregational systems that form disciples
- How to facilitate groups of all ages and sizes
- How to articulate the Biblical and Christian theological tradition for the sake of forming disciples
Spiritual Leadership
- How to create, coordinate, resource, and support programs
- How to be a self-starter and a team player
- How to recruit, train, resource, and support ministry volunteers
Pastoral Presence
- How to offer pastoral care in the congregation, home, and workplace
- How to handle conflict
- How to draw from Scripture and the practices of prayer in the ministry of care
The current focus for the M.A.C.P. degree is on those engaged in the ministry of “Serving Congregations,” in traditional and non-traditional roles.
The current focus for the M.A.C.P. degree is on those engaged in the ministry of “Serving Congregations,” in traditional and non-traditional roles.
- The M.A.C.P. will operate on an alternative pedagogical model that blends short, residential intensive seminars with web-based distance learning.
- Course requirements will integrate studies in Bible and the Christian theological tradition with practices of ministry that serve the needs of both the Church and world. Students are grouped into ministry-specific cohorts that travel the path of the degree program together and share in an ongoing seminar in Christian formation that seeks to integrate learning with spiritual practice.
- The degree is comprised of six terms scheduled over two years.
- Each intensive will take place on the campus of Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C.
The current cohort is designed for people serving congregations in various forms of ministry—for example, youth and children’s ministers, pastoral caregivers, mission and outreach directors, and church business administrators. The M.A.C.P. “Serving Congregations” cohort is for all those engaged in lay professional ministries in the local church, part-time or full-time.
Are you seeking resources for training and supporting your church staff?
- The M.A.C.P. is a degree program that develops effective, theologically articulate colleagues to extend the mission and ministry of your congregation.
- With the development of this degree program, Duke Divinity School seeks to partner with you and your congregation in the development of a skilled, faithful staff and for the sake of nurturing vital congregations.
The M.A.C.P. offers formation that can be perfect for lay ministers new to your staff, or to equip those who have professional expertise in other fields with the sacred teaching, spiritual leadership, and pastoral presence necessary to navigate the complex culture of the local church.