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Chaplaincy Studies

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Michael Wrenn

New Member
Anyone know of online master's degree programs in chaplaincy studies, other than from Liberty University/Seminary?

Baptist or other denomination.
 
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mjohnson7

Member
Not Baptist but.....

Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University is RA & their MDiv is 72 or 75 hours.... Can't recall now, but I know it isn't more than that. That's an option for you. Yes, they do have a distance program.

Hope that helps!
 
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Michael Wrenn

New Member
mjohnson7 said:
Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University is RA & their MDiv is 72 or 75 hours.... Can't recall now, but I know it isn't more than that. That's an option for you. Yes, they do have a distance program.

Hope that helps!
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Hey, thanks for the tip; it surely helps.

I would consider an MDiv, if I couldn't find an MA. I'd prefer an MA, though; at my age, I don't want to have to spend 4 or 5 years on a degree.
 
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mjohnson7

Member
Michael, I'm sure you've checked into this already, but virtually all chaplain positions (with the exception being possibly Hospice) require CPE credits and an accredited Divinity/Religion/Theology of no less than 72 credit hours. So, your only real options is a 72 hour MA or the reduced credit MDivs that LRU & Liberty offer at 72 hours specifically for chaplaincy. A quick Google search of Clinical Pastoral Education will give you the requirements to be a certified chaplain.

Again....if that was redundant, I apologize!

-Matt
 
Greektim

Greektim

Well-Known Member
mjohnson7 said:
Michael, I'm sure you've checked into this already, but virtually all chaplain positions (with the exception being possibly Hospice) require CPE credits and an accredited Divinity/Religion/Theology of no less than 72 credit hours. So, your only real options is a 72 hour MA or the reduced credit MDivs that LRU & Liberty offer at 72 hours specifically for chaplaincy. A quick Google search of Clinical Pastoral Education will give you the requirements to be a certified chaplain.

Again....if that was redundant, I apologize!

-Matt
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Piedmont Baptist Graduate School offers a chaplaincy MA which most if not all can be done online. However, they are TRACS accredited, but it is still recognized by the gov so its ok.
 
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Michael Wrenn

New Member
Thanks, everyone, for the additional information. I think I'm too old to go for a 72-75 hour degree; I'd be too near retirement age when I finished.

I was looking at something similar to Liberty's MA in Marketplace Chaplaincy, a 36-hour degree. Of course it might limit my job prospects.

A couple of alternatives -- not specifically chaplaincy studies -- are Campbellsville University's 30-hour MTh degree where you can concentrate in Pastoral Leadership, and I'm even considering Loyola University-New Orleans for their MA in Pastoral Ministry; they have a couple of chaplaincy/marketplace ministry-type courses. Yes, they are Roman Catholic, but they have extension centers, and I might be able to take some courses in-person rather than online.

Let me ask you Baptists: Would you ever consider taking courses or a degree in ministry/theology from a Roman Catholic school?
 
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Michael Wrenn

New Member
I guess my two criteria are that the school is regionally accredited, and non-fundamentalist. I don't believe I would make it at a fundamentalist school.
 
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Godspeaks2me

New Member
Michael Wrenn said:
Let me ask you Baptists: Would you ever consider taking courses or a degree in ministry/theology from a Roman Catholic school?
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Sure, It's always good to learn more, especially, about what you may be debating against. Knowledge is power and I cannot get enough of it. Don't matter the topic and if the topic is something you love, well then, have at it. :thumbs:

Whatever you choose to do, I :praying: you do well. :)
 
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Michael Wrenn

New Member
Godspeaks2me said:
Sure, It's always good to learn more, especially, about what you may be debating against. Knowledge is power and I cannot get enough of it. Don't matter the topic and if the topic is something you love, well then, have at it. :thumbs:

Whatever you choose to do, I :praying: you do well. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply, and your prayers.
 
JonC

JonC

Moderator
Moderator
Michael Wrenn said:
Let me ask you Baptists: Would you ever consider taking courses or a degree in ministry/theology from a Roman Catholic school?
Click to expand...

I probably wouldn’t attend a Roman Catholic program. As a Baptist I’d be afraid I’d have by non-stop ticket revoked and end up in Purgatory (with none of my Baptist friends praying me out of there). :tear:

I attended Liberty, and there were professors of various backgrounds and various views (but all held to Baptist beliefs). We were not pushed to hold a particular view (cal vs non-cal, theories of atonement, nature of the Lords Supper, etc), but explored various views and were held to defend our beliefs biblically. I’d worry about attending a seminary that taught what I would consider a false doctrine – so if I were you, that’d be my first criteria.
 
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Michael Wrenn

New Member
JonC said:
I probably wouldn’t attend a Roman Catholic program. As a Baptist I’d be afraid I’d have by non-stop ticket revoked and end up in Purgatory (with none of my Baptist friends praying me out of there). :tear:

I attended Liberty, and there were professors of various backgrounds and various views (but all held to Baptist beliefs). We were not pushed to hold a particular view (cal vs non-cal, theories of atonement, nature of the Lords Supper, etc), but explored various views and were held to defend our beliefs biblically. I’d worry about attending a seminary that taught what I would consider a false doctrine – so if I were you, that’d be my first criteria.
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That's a good point.

There's no denomination I agree with completely; so, in that sense I would consider that they all teach one or two false doctrines.

But I know what you're saying. And from my perspective, some are much further off the mark than others. I guess it comes down to what I could live with, or, more importantly, if a school teaches the basics of the faith.

I think that inspires me to start another thread. :)
 
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