Master of Ministry

The Master of Ministry degree helps prepare current pastors in church ministry, in leadership and management, and in gospel outreach. Church ministry includes various aspects of pastoral ministry, including preaching (homiletics). Gospel outreach includes both evangelism and world mission.

Eligibility and prerequisites

• Bachelor's degree:  Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Religion courses:  Minimum of 12 semester hours in religion
• GPA and GRE requirements:  Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00  OR  for an undergraduate GPA of 2.50 to 2.99 the GRE is required with a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least 295 and a minimum analytical writing score of 4.
• Church Ministry and Homiletics Emphasis applicants must
  • have a minimum of three years of pastoral experience
  • have taken an undergraduate class in biblical preaching. Otherwise, RELP 401 Fundamentals of Biblical Preaching, or an equivalent course, is required.
• Evangelism and World Mission Emphasis applicants must
  • have taken an undergraduate course in biblical preaching. Otherwise, RELP 401 Fundamentals of Biblical Preaching or an equivalent course is required.
  • provide a written list of church offices held (such as elder, deaconess, Sabbath School leader) and church outreach activities (such as conducting Bible studies, working in Revelation seminars, and assisting with health-education seminars).

Admission process

1. Graduate application:  Submit a graduate application (with non-refundable fee of $40). Apply now
2. Transcripts:  Submit official college and university transcripts. Many institutions subscribe to the convenient transcript-request service at National Student Clearinghouse, or you may also contact your institution directly. Have your transcripts sent to Melodie Lopez in the Graduate Studies office (malopez@southern.edu). If you earned your prerequisite degree at Southern, you do not need to complete this step.
3. Recommendations:  Submit two recommendation forms (completed by work supervisors or professors). This should be done as part of the online application process, or Download PDF 
   If you are employed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, one recommendation must be from a superior in the organization.
4. Service record:  Submit a denominational service record (usually available from your SDA employer), if applicable, OR the Record of Service form. Download form
5. Formal paper:  Submit a formal paper through your Application Status Page of at least 3,000 words that meets these criteria:
• It is research based, demonstrating appropriate use of valid sources.
• It reflects the ability to write lucidly, with careful organization of ideas.
• It demonstrates care and consistency in format, style, and mechanics.
• It meets the standards of at least a B letter-grade paper when compared with other research papers that are completed on the undergraduate level.
6. GRE requirement:  If your undergraduate GPA is below 3.0 (but at least 2.50), submit qualifying GRE scores to be considered for admission.?

Application deadlines

The deadline for acceptance into the MMin program is April 1; however, each year before registering for summer classes, students must submit an Intensives Application, which is due no later than eight weeks prior to each term. We recommend submitting it as early as February to allow sufficient time to complete required reading assignments. With School of Religion approval, students may take up to 12 hours of coursework on non-degree or provisional status.