The Master of Divinity with a concentration in International Church Planting provides a solid foundation of classical studies and an international missions focus on church planting. This concentration equips students to start and develop churches abroad. The uniqueness of this degree allows students to complete their course of study while serving off-campus. The church planting experience occurs under the auspices of the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board's Journeyman program, International Service Corps program, or Career Apprentice program. The first-hand ministry experience acquired off-campus fulfills requirements for missionary candidates with SBC mission boards.
The student must fulfill the requirements for admission in the Master of Divinity degree. Successful completion of the degree presupposes successful appointment by the International Mission Board to do the field portion of the degree.
This concentration combines a strong theoretical emphasis with practical field-based learning. After completing basic Master of Divinity courses on campus, students complete the field-based portion of the degree, while serving on a two or three-year off-campus field assignment abroad under the supervision of a veteran missionary or church planter.
Students will complete a maximum of 24 hours of field based study during the two or three-year field assignment.
Students must meet the requirements for missionary appointment and be appointed by the IMB. The appointment must involve a minimum of two years of service. The placement in most cases must include: (1) direct involvement with starting new congregations, developing a strategy for a people group, or promoting a church planting movement of multiple congregations, and (2) a carefully monitored supervisory relationship with a veteran church planter or missionary. Students should apply for appointment at least two years before the proposed beginning date of missionary service and should carefully plan the sequence of courses in order to coordinate with the proposed beginning date of missionary service.
During the student's field assignment under the auspices of the International Mission Board of the SBC, they are required to take four modular courses taught in the midst of the field learning experience and crafted to be directly relevant to the student's field ministry. Modular courses are offered as a set of two courses each year in rotation at a selected site overseas.
The four field-based modular classes emphasize the cross-cultural applications of ethical decision making, nurturing the home in cross-cultural settings and modeling the home in host cultural settings where the Christian home is a new concept, and understanding the religio-social context(s) where students are living.
This option allows graduating students from the College at Southwestern or other approved institutions to “Jump Start” into the M.Div. International Church Planting program at the beginning of their two to three year appointment with the International Mission Board. These students will complete the field-based portion of the degree before the campus based portion. At the end of the two to three years on the field, students will transition to the Southwestern campus to finalize their M.Div. requirements. Click here for more information on the "Jump Start 2+2/3". Please contact the Dean of the Fish School of Evangelism and Missions for further information regarding the pre-requisites for "Jump Start" at (817)-923-1921 extension 6400.
| Course Title | Course Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
Biblical Studies |
||
| Biblical Hermeneutics | BIBST 3203 | 3 |
| Basic Old Testament I | OLDTS 3313 | 3 |
| Basic Old Testament II | OLDTS 3323 | 3 |
| Basic New Testament I | NEWTS 3313 | 3 |
| Basic New Testament II | NEWTS 3323 | 3 |
| Elementary Greek I (prerequisite)1, 2 | GREEK 3313 | (3) |
| Elementary Greek II (prerequisite)1, 2 | GREEK 3323 | (3) |
| New Testament Greek I1 | GREEK 4313 | 3 |
| New Testament Greek II1 | GREEK 4323 | 3 |
| Elementary Hebrew I1 | HEBRW 4313 | 3 |
| Elementary Hebrew II1 | HEBRW 4323 | 3 |
| Hebrew Exegetical Method1 | HEBRW 5003 |
3 |
Theological Studies |
||
| Church History I | CHAHT 3103 | 3 |
| Church History II | CHAHT 3113 | 3 |
| Baptist Heritage | BPTST 3203 | 3 |
| Systematic Theology I | SYSTH 3003 | 3 |
| Systematic Theology II | SYSTH 3013 | 3 |
Evangelism and Missions Studies |
||
Contemporary Evangelism |
EVANG 3303 | 3 |
| Personal Evangelism Practicum3 | EVANG 3000 | 0 |
| Introduction to Missiology | MISSN 3363 | 3 |
| Missions Practicum3 | MISSN 3100 | 0 |
Preaching and Pastoral Studies |
||
| Introduction to Expository Preaching4 | PRCHG 3313 | 3 |
| Spiritual Formation I | SPFEV 3101 | 1 |
| Spiritual Formation II | SPFEV 3111 | 1 |
Missions Courses |
||
| Globalization & Missions Strategies5 | MISSN 3373 | 3 |
| Introduction to Church Planting | MISSN 4393 | 3 |
| World Religions: A Missionary Approach | MISSN 4333 |
3 |
| Cross-Cultural Witness to the Gospel and Ministry or | MISSN 5373 or | 3 |
| Chronological Bible Storying | MISSN 4633 | |
Courses to be taken on the Field |
||
First Set of Modular Courses |
||
| Missionary Anthropology | MISSN 4373 | 3 |
| The Christian Home6 | ETHIC 4303 | 3 |
Second Set of Modular Courses |
||
|
Christian Apologetics7 |
PHILO 4373 | 3 |
| Development of Christian Character and Decision Making8 | ETHIC 4333 | 3 |
Field Based Mentorship & Language Courses |
||
| Mission Mentorship I | MISSN 5643 | 3 |
| Mission Mentorship II | MISSN 5653 | 3 |
| Field Language Acquisition I | MISSN 3613 | 3 |
| Field Language Acquisition II | MISSN 3623 | 3 |
| Total | 92 | |
1Because of the necessity of spending only two years on the Southwestern campus, completion of both biblical languages, while crucially important for Bible study and teaching, poses a significant challenge. Accordingly, the student may, with the permission of the Dean of the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, complete either four semesters of Greek or three semesters of Hebrew. As incentive and assistance extended to International Church Planting concentration students to take both biblical languages using summers and inter-term opportunities, Southwestern extends to any student who takes both biblical languages a scholarship to cover the second language plus a scholarship to cover an additional twelve hours of field-based requirements. If the Greek only option is chosen, then students will add 9 hours of missions electives to their degree plan to equal 92 hours total for the degree. If the Hebrew only option is chosen, students will add 6 hours of missions electives to their degree plan to equal 92 hours total for the degree.
2Elementary Greek is a required pre-requisite. It is considered undergraduate level Greek. Thus, if a student is admitted who is deficient in this prerequisite, it will be necessary to take first year Greek in addition to the requirements stated here for no graduate level credit. So functionally, the program would entail 92 graduate hours plus 6 non-credit prerequisite hours. 68 hours plus the 6 hours of noncredit Greek are taken prior to field departure. Students are advised to plan carefully and use one of the summer sessions (either before first year or between first and second years) to take the first year of non-credit, prerequisite Greek. If students enter with a year of undergraduate Greek in college, then these classes will not be necessary.
3Students will be enrolled in these practicums automatically when registering for the parent course above them in the degree plan.
4Female students take WOMST 4043 Expository Communication of Biblical Truth.
5A Regional Study course that is specific to the area in which the student will live & work may be taken in lieu of MISSN 3373.
6A field-based modular class that emphasizes nurture and development of healthy Christian homes in cross-cultural settings so that home will also be a helpful witness.
7A field-based modular course focused on the religio-social context(s) where students are living.
8A field-based modular class that emphasizes the cross-cultural applications of ethical decision making.
The following links provide suggestions for how a student may plan to take the courses required for the M.Div. International Church Planting with Greek only, Hebrew only, or both Greek and Hebrew.
Students interested in more complete information regarding the program should contact the World Missions Center at (817) 923-1921 extension 7500 or email InternationalCP@swbts.edu.