Are you passionate about ministering within urban centers, partnering with the resources of a city – its people and communities – to mobilize and maximize those resources into their full potential? Or, do you see the distinctive dimensions and features of life in the city as opportunities to live into the Gospel’s vision of God’s will for communal creaturely life?
Come learn more about Drew’s Certificate in Ministry of the City! It is our newest non-degree programs designed to offer theological education directly to local church members.
What does this program offer?
Professional certification recognizes that an individual has been called and is making a commitment to serve with excellence in an area of specialized ministry. Drew Theological School’s Certificate in Ministry of the City is a non-degree program designed to academically, culturally and practically prepare individuals to engage in ministry in urban environments. It explores the city in the Bible and its role in congregations and communities, reviews theological concepts in community organizing, raises cultural awareness and sensitivity, and provides field experience in various urban settings. This program aligns with GBHEM’s Urban Ministry Certification.
Who may enroll? Professional certification is available to lay persons, ordained deacons and elders, local pastors and diaconal ministers. Students enrolled in MA/ MDiv degree programs may take the certification classes as electives. United Methodist students will be certified by their annual conferences working with the General Board of Higher Education. Non-Methodist students will receive a Certificate in Ministry of the City directly from Drew.
What courses will I take?
United Methodist students seeking professional certification in urban ministry are required to complete five courses, including four core courses and the United Methodist History, Doctrine, and Polity course. Students from other faith groups are required to take the four core courses and can substitute an approved elective in place of United Methodist History.
Core Areas and Courses:
1. Engaging the Bible in the City
These courses offers an exploration of the nature of the city in the Bible and its role in congregations and communities. Particular themes will be explored in their various biblical contexts and in relation to the contemporary world.
Course options to meet this requirement:
• Sacred Conversations: Teaching the Bible
• Reading with the Margins
2. Practical Theology and Ministry of the City
The courses for this core area provide an overview of theological issues, basic theological concepts and practical theology methods and explore ways of engaging theology, context, and practice in Christian community development and organizing.
Course options to meet this requirement:
• Theology and Practice of Shalom
• Congregational Life in the City
3. The City as Community
This core area provides students opportunities to enhance their affinity for ministering in urban settings. It will provide immersion experience in urban settings including an examination of the cultural dynamics of
urban life and the church, students will be encouraged to develop approaches that bridge those differences and create positive connections.
Course options to meet this requirement:
• Urban Religiosity
• Theology of Downward Mobility
• Urban Ministry in Action
• Marriage and Family Counseling with Ethnic Families
• Working through Trauma with Adolescents
4. Congregations and Communities as Partners in Ministry of the City
Students will examine best practices used by congregations and community groups that have successfully launched and grown ministries in urban settings.
Course options to meet this requirement:
• Souls in Transition: The Ethics of Youth Culture, Education, and Religion/Ministry
• Urban Ministry in Action
• Mass Incarceration, Economic Justice, and Religious Activism
• Ethics and Agency of Children and Youth
• IAF Training: Leadership Skills for Community Organization
5. United Methodist Studies (LGON 540), Fall Semester 2014
This course is a study of the origins, organization, outreach, religious life and key ideas, events and figures in the development of United Methodism. It aims to enable the student 1) to understand and evaluate United Methodism in the light of its antecedent organizations and the broader context of those traditions historically related to the Methodist movement; and 2) to engage in responsible participation in the life and leadership
of the United Methodist Church, to communicate effectively the United Methodist tradition, and to participate
perceptively in the ecumenical dialogue.
Elective Courses (partial list):
• Liberation Theology
• Religion and Social Process
• U. S. Religious Landscape
• Violence and Human Survival
• Liturgy and Ethics
How will I do this as a working person?
Certification courses are offered in several formats. Some will be offered on-line. Some will be offered in intensives on-campus with pre-reading and post-class assignments and projects; evenings and weekends may be included. Some will be in traditional semester-based class format. Courses will be offered in a rotation to allow for completion of the certification in a two-year period.
How do I apply?
All non-degree students must apply for certification studies at Drew. Fill out an Online Non-Degree Application here. (A bachelor’s of arts degree from an accredited college or university is required.) United Methodist students must additionally complete an “Enrollment for the Professional Certification Studies in Ministry Careers” found online at www.gbhem.org working with the certification registrar of your local Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry.
Drew Computer Network Login Information
Upon admission, you will receive a Drew email address and login information. If you wish to be contacted at a different email address, you must notify both the Registrar’s Office at (973) 408-3025, and the Associate Academic Dean at (973)408-3647.
If you change your email address, mailing address, and/or phone number while you are in the program, notify both the Registrar’s office and the Certificate in Spiritual Formation Program Coordinator.
Your login information allows you to access CampusWeb, your online homebase for grades, billing, and other information. You can visit CampusWeb at https://campusweb.drew.edu.
What are the costs?
The tuition rate for 2012-2013 is $772/credit. United Methodists, lay and ordained, are eligible to apply for the “United Methodist Studies Scholarship for Part-Time Students” through the General Board of Higher Education. All students are encouraged to explore local church and denominational subsidies for lay and continuing education.
Financial Aid is not available for certification studies through Drew.
For more information:
Contact Nancy VanderVeen, Director of Theological Lifelong Learning, at nvanderveen@drew.edu.