Department of Religion

Mike Tapper, PhD, Chair, School of Religion & Humanities

Mark O. Wilson, DMin, Department of Religion Coordinator

The Religion Department offers a BA in Religion with concentrations in Christian Ministry. Youth Ministry, Children’s Ministry, and Worship Ministry. At the center of our academic enterprise is the Word of God…the Living Word and the written Word. Our overall goal is for our students to be transformed by Christ, the Living Word, and live transformed lives as evidenced by the values, priorities, and personal witness of those who have answered God’s call. Then equipped to study and teach the written Word of God, they will be prepared to serve Christ and His church as pastors, youth pastors, children’s pastors, worship pastors, missionaries, and other ministry leaders.

We strongly encourage our Religion students to double major or minor in another discipline to broaden their educational experience, contextual understanding, and marketability.

Values

The Division of Religion places its highest value on:

Relationships: Intimacy with God, others, and the world shapes the way we interact with our Creator, our neighbor, and our environment.
Inventiveness: In our changing world, we are called to look at ministerial training differently and take calculated risks, while mantianing Christian orthodoxy and respecting church history.
Relevance: Theology and ministry are applied disciplines requiring a practied faith and knowledge.

Learning Outcomes

Students in our Religion program are being equipped to:

Demonstrate Spiritual Maturity
Substantiate Bibilical Literacy
Apply Church History
Construct Theological Knowledge
Apply Skilled Communication
Develop Ministerial Leadership
Formulate Contextual Awareness

Ordination

Graduates from any of the three tracks in our Religion major will have completed all of the educational requirements for ordination in The Wesleyan Church. Mnors in our Religion program may obtain the education requirements to become a Licensed Minister in The Wesleyan Church.

Programs

Major

Minor