The Pastoral Ministry Concentration is designed to equip the student with foundational competencies that will enable them to lead a local congregation or to serve effectively as a part of a pastoral staff.* It includes training in preaching, shepherding and exposure to many areas of pastoral ministry.

COM 341 Expository Preaching (4)
LEA 331 Church Administration (4)
PAM 301 Pastoral Ministry (4)
PAM 491 Pastoral Ministry Practicum (4)
PSY 321 Principles of Counseling (4)
WOA 301 Worship Arts (4)

Electives (20 credits from the following):

CHE 301 Christian Education (4)
FAM 301 Family Ministry (4)
LEA 301 Spiritual Formation and Ministry (4) OR LEA 321 Ministry in the Church of God (Seventh Day) (4)**
THE 202 Church of God (Seventh Day) Doctrine (4)**
WOA 311 Prayer Ministry (4)

*This concentration provides members of the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day) with educational prerequisites for documentation. Please note that documentation from the North American Ministerial Council is limited to men.

**these courses are requirements for students who fulfill their practicum in a congregation of the General Conference of the Church of God (Seventh Day) and for documentation with the General Conference’s North American Ministerial Council.

Local Pastor Orientation
The Local Pastor Orientation is part of the Pastoral Ministry Concentration and is designed to equip the student with foundational competencies that will enable them to provide pastoral leadership—as an entry level to the church’s professional ministry through a Local Pastor Certificate—while completing the educational requirements that would qualify them to obtain a Ministerial License from the North American Ministerial Council. Students may request the Local Pastor Orientation course schedule during their Christian Leadership program application or via the “Ask Your Advisor” button on the home page of myArtios. Local Pastor Orientation courses will be prioritized at the beginning of the Christian Leadership program course schedule. Click here for the complete list of requirements for Local Pastor Certification.

Local Pastor Core (14 credits):

LEA 111 Essentials of Vibrant Leadership (4)
COM 121 Written Communication for Leadership (2)*
LEA 321 Leadership in the Church of God (Seventh Day) (4)
THE 202 Church of God (Seventh Day) Doctrine (4)

Electives (16 credits)

Any four non-practicum courses from the catalog.

*Students must take or demonstrate competency in COM 121 as the second class in their program. Students may demonstrate competency through the successful completion of a competency exam that includes an essay. Students may write a new essay as part of the exam or submit an essay from an Artios course or other university course that follows Chicago Style/Turabian guidelines. COM 121 competency exam associated content mastery objectives, and registration information, can be found here.