Cedarville Magazine, Spring/Summer 2016

The Local Church WeBelieve in New M.Div . Degree Offers Affordable Ministry Preparation by Randall McKinion Throughout its history, Cedarville has excelled in preparing its graduates tomake a profound contribution to the local church. By the grace of God, Cedarville graduates obey the Great Commission as laypeople and ministers in churches all over the world. With the inception of a Master of Divinity (M.Div .) program, Cedarville stands to further contribute to the local church. I believe the Lord has positioned Cedarville with a biblical and theological faculty made up of experts in their fields — a faculty whose teaching has been refined within the ministry of the local church. As such, Cedarville is in an ideal position to add a professional ministry graduate degree. Students may pursue the Master of Divinity at Cedarville in one of two ways. First, students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree may enter a traditional three-year M.Div . program. These students are not required to have a Bible or ministry undergraduate degree to enroll. With the second option, by taking advantage of the biblical studies major that the School of Biblical and Theological Studies already offers, students without a bachelor’s degree may enter an accelerated program that allows them to receive both a B.A. in biblical studies and a M.Div . at the end of five years of study. The strong undergraduate program at Cedarville allows the school to overlap its upper-level classes with courses traditionally taken in the first year of the M.Div . With the increasing costs of education, the ability for a college to compress these two degrees without forfeiting the academic excellence of either program provides a powerful benefit to the student. We believe this five-year program permits graduates to enter the ministry with less burdensome student debt, which will increase their ability to enter the ministry sooner and more efficiently. This accelerated program will be especially fitting for those aspiring to missions. Whether graduating from the three-year or five- year M.Div . program, Cedarville graduates will enter the ministry with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel in any manner of full-time position. My prayer is that God would use the M.Div . to equip a generation of ministers who will lead the Church for theWord of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. For more information about the accelerated M.Div. , visit cedarville.edu/AcceleratedMDiv . To learn more about the three-year M.Div ., go to cedarville.edu/MDiv . Randall McKinion is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Cedarville University and served on the team that created the Master of Divinity program. He earned his Ph.D. in biblical studies. Biblical Studies (B.A.) degree traditional Biblical Studies (B.A.) degree Master of Divinity (M.Div .) degree 5 4 3 2 1 Y E A R S only $5,000 more! 34 | Cedarville Magazine