Saturday, August 30, 2008

Preaching Boot Camp

In addition to the development of the Master of Ministry program -- which will launch next August -- we are also working on other projects that the Graduate School of Christian Ministry (GSCM) will sponsor or host. One of those is a unique conference event we'll be calling Preaching Boot Camp. It will be on campus next May 18-22, and the focus is on helping pastors learn to develop a long-range plan for their preaching.

We'll kick off Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning with Stephen Rummage leading a session on planning a preaching schedule. He's a preaching pastor at Hickory Grove Baptist in Charlotte and wrote a book on Planning Your Preaching -- a great resource! I'll lead a session on Wed. morning on growing a biblical sermon, then Thursday morning Mike Glenn (Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville) will talk about his own planning approach, including working with his music and arts team. I have an invitation out to someone to lead Friday morning with a session on planning preaching as a team (with other pastors). We'll have worship three nights.

Then each afternoon, the participants will have time in the library to work with their own preaching plan for the coming year. Hopefully, most participants will go home with a substantial part of their year planned.

The event will be sponsored by the GSCM, the university's Office of Church Relations, the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and Preaching magazine. We'll have announcements going out soon. I think it is going to be a great time together. I'll share more as the rest of the program is finalized.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Just a year away

Tomorrow (Aug. 21) is the first day of classes for the new academic year at Anderson University -- and it marks one year until we will welcome the first entering class to the Master of Ministry (M.Min.) program at AU.

The Graduate School of Christian Ministry (GSCM) came into existence this summer when I joined AU as its founding dean and first (and for now, only) faculty member. My major job over the next year is to plan, shape and then launch the M.Min. program, to begin with the 2009 fall semester.

Many people have asked me if we are going to create a seminary at AU and offer the traditional Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree. In fact, that is not our direction at all. I love seminaries (I attended and worked at a great one), but we want to shape an alternative model of theological education. The GSCM will be a university-based professional school, much like the College of Business functions within the university.

Why not a Master of Divinity degree? The M.Div. is a solid and comprehensive preparation for ministry, but it should not be the only option available to those preparing for ministry, or those already in ministry positions who want to expand their own training. At AU, we would like to craft a different model for preparing 21st century ministers. It's not a replacement for the M.Div. -- in fact, I expect many of our M.Min. graduates to eventually move on to a seminary and complete an M.Div., and I think we'll have some M.Div. graduates who will be attracted to our M.Min. as a valuable supplement to their seminary training. (We'll be working this year with selected seminaries to creat articulation agreements for our graduates; these will facilitate an easy transfer of our M.Min. credits toward an M.Div. degree, for those who want the additional training.)

What will make the M.Min. unique?

* First, it is a streamlined degree; as we currently envision it, the degree will consist of 42 credit hours, compared to more than 90 in a typical M.Div. curriculum. We anticipate the average student will complete the program in 18 months to two years.

* Second, it is an intensely practical degree. The majority of courses taken will be focused on the practical challenges ministers face. More than 40 percent of the degree is projected to be in the areas of leadership and communication/preaching, along with courses in pastoral ministry and evangelism and church health. At the same time, students will gain a solid background in biblical and theological studies. (Future blog posts will flesh out the proposed curriculum. Remember that all of the curriculum must still go through approval processes both within the university and with our regional accrediting agency.)

* Third, it is a ministry-focused degree. Every class will deal with real-life ministry application of the course content. Many of the courses will be taught by gifted practitioners who can share insights out of their own experience of building great churches and ministries. And we will expect every student to be engaged in a ministry position of some kind while they are enrolled, whether it is a full-time staff position or a part-time volunteer role.

* Finally, it is a flexible degree. While it's too early to discuss all the options, I can say that we are committed to making the M.Min. program available by way of a variety of delivery systems.

Needless to say, I'm excited about what God is going to be doing among us in the coming months and years. We ask for your prayers and your ideas as we move forward in the planning process. If you know of potential students, tell them about this new program and direct them to our website (www.auministry.com). And if you'd like to be included in an email and/or mailing list to receive updates on the GSCM or the M.Min. program, just drop me a note at mduduit@andersonuniversity.edu, or write me at:

Dr. Michael Duduit
Anderson University
316 Boulevard
Anderson, SC 29621

And visit this blog regularly to keep up with developments!

Blessings!
Michael