The Ministerial Diploma in Orphan Care and Missions is a three-year program designed for people who are called into full-time ministry to orphans and vulnerable children as well as poverty alleviation in general. The Ministerial Diploma is 90 credit hours and provides a training level that is mid-way between an Associate Degree and a Bachelor’s degree (120 credits).
The 90 credit hours that count towards fulfilling graduation requirements for the Ministerial Diploma may or may not include general education courses (like English, Psychology, etc). As a result, the Ministerial diploma is well-suited for both students who are on their way to earning their Bachelor’s degrees and for students who want to acquire comprehensive training in orphan care and Missions but do not wish to take the general education courses (like English, Psychology, etc.) required as part of the four-year degree program. For students who don’t want to earn a Bachelor’s degree, the Ministerial Diploma is the 4-year degree without the general education courses.
A) Bachelor’s Degree Seeking
Students on their way to a Bachelor’s degree will automatically earn a Ministerial Diploma when they take any 30 undergraduate hours that count toward their desired bachelor’s degree after they have graduated with their associate’s degree. Required courses include all 60 credit hours needed to graduate with an associate degree plus any thirty credit hours from the 60 credit hours remaining to complete a Bachelor’s degree. This makes a total of 90 credit hours to graduate with a Ministerial Diploma.
B) Non-Bachelor’s Degree Seeking Student
For students who want to acquire comprehensive training in orphan care and Missions but do not wish to take general education courses (like English, Psychology, etc.), the following 90 credit hours are needed to graduate with a Ministerial Diploma.
Core Courses (27 Credits)
THEO 201 Systematic Theology I
THEO 202 Systematic Theology II
THEO 220 Life & Godliness
THEO 206 Spiritual Formation
THEO 325 Apologetics
BIBL 301 Hermeneutics and Bible Study Methods
BIBL 104 Old Testament Survey
BIBL 105 New Testament Survey
BIBL 330 The Ministry Life and Letters of Paul
Orphans and Vulnerable Children Major (57 Credits)
MINS 201 Effective Ministry to the Poor I
MINS 202 Effective Ministry to the Poor II
MINS 204 Starting an Orphan Care Ministry
MINS 330 Biblical Child Rearing: Transforming & Ministering to the Heart of the OVC
MINS 209 Christ & the Mission of Peacemaking & Reconciliation
MINS 320 Partner-Raising: Fundraising for Nonprofit Ministry
MINS 312 Spiritual Counseling
MINS 315 Principles of Biblical Leadership
MINS 350 Relational and Emotional Wisdom for Stressful Situations
MINS 316 Legacy Planning: Strategies for Recruiting and Developing Ministry Leaders
MISS 101 Introduction to Christian Missions
MISS 215 Strategic Prayer, Spiritual Warfare, and Christian Revivals
MISS 205 Following the H.S. into Disciplemaking
MISS 320 Global Health & the OVC on the Mission Field
MISS 322 Nourishing OVC to Health on the Mission Field
MISS 203 Cultural Anthropology
SCIM 230 Child Growth and Dev. through Adolescence
MISS 211 Introduction to Elementary Education
MINS 462 OVC Internship I
Electives (6 Credits)
Elective credits can be any (100-400) college-level SU course in any discipline.
Total credits: 90
The Ministerial Diploma in Orphan Care and Missions was previously called the Comprehensive Certificate in Orphan Care and Missions.
