Overview
Become equipped to love and serve the community where God has placed you
The Master of Arts in church and community degree program is designed to offer a specific type of ministerial preparation not readily found elsewhere. This program uses a local congregation approach to community healing. Churches, to be true to the narrative of the people of God, must engage the places to which they have been sent.
This degree prepares students to help congregations begin to engage actual neighborhoods, working for the peace of the place that they have been given rather than the one they wish they had.
Students will train to lead congregations and ministries within diverse communities and learn to respond uniquely to community issues like racism, immigration, generational poverty and changing neighborhoods. They will learn how to study their neighborhoods, how to engage in successful intercultural work in changing neighborhoods, and how to lead people toward reconciliation.
With spiritual formation woven into every course, our program seeks to create faith-filled servant leaders who will be able to:
- Critically evaluate and interact with influences shaping culture, communities and congregations
- Construct Christian responses to contemporary issues facing society
- Help congregations and communities flourish
- Work among and with diverse communities with cultural sensitivity
Focus on areas of specific interest
Optional summer intensives allow students to focus on areas of specific interest:
- Immigration and refugee ministry (Atlanta)
- The church in a post-Christian context (Manchester and London, England)
- Issues in underserved communities such as gentrification, food deserts and homelessness (Nashville)
- Church-planting in a multicultural context (Nashville or Florida)
What to expect
The program can be taken 100 percent online, with books and materials delivered to your front door. You can complete the entire degree remotely. Online students work with a learning cohort throughout the program, taking one class at a time. Finish the program in 24 months with a master’s degree in hand.
Additionally, students may choose to participate in optional face-to-face offerings that include conferences, spiritual formation events and retreats, synchronous sessions in courses, and intensive classes that meet in the summer. Some of these summer intensives will be held at the University, but some will be part of domestic or international trips. These courses give a way not only for face-to-face learning but also for learning in real contexts.
Participating in the face-to-face offerings allows you to finish your degree in only 18 months.
This program is ideal for students who:
- are interested in compassionate ministries, urban ministries, rural communities or rapidly changing multicultural communities
- are involved in community development or non-profit ministry that is attached to churches
- are practitioners who have found help through the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)
- have a personal passion to see churches involved in bringing underserved communities to a place where they’re flourishing
- urban pastors of large churches, rural pastors of small churches and lay persons in service and outreach ministries—all church and ministry leaders who want more focused training on church and community issues surrounding
Faculty
News
Core Classes
Introduction to Graduate Theology Study
Designed to equip students with everything they need to be successful in a graduate theological degree program, this course offers tools for research and writing, as well as general knowledge in biblical studies, church history and theology. Because it’s offered in a flexible online format, it provides a welcome pace both to students who have a previous degree in ministry/theology as well as those who have no previous formal background in the field.
Wesleyan Theology and the Life of the Church
An exploration of Wesleyan theology, hermeneutics and embodied Christian practice for today’s post-Christian contexts.
Theology, Race, and Culture
This course examines a biblical vision of the human being, the image of God, the human relationship to sin, the tendency toward dehumanization and a vision for the redemption of humanity. Special focus will be given to racial dehumanization and a Christian response.
A Christian Theology of Hospitality
An examination of the theological theme of hospitality in Scripture and the life of the church throughout history, with particular attention to the unique responses of the people of God to poverty and immigration.
A Christian Theology of Place
An examination of God’s activity in relationship to place and the theme of place and land in Scripture and Christian history. Emphasis will be given to the unique Christian vision of God’s redemptive activity in particular places and a community-based (parish) model of Christian life and ministry.
Leading Adaptive Change in Congregations
An examination of the nature of adaptive change and the ways in which narrative is key to (re)formation of congregational identity. This course addresses practices for re-narrating a congregation through the biblical narrative, listening for the congregation’s story and exercising prophetic imagination.
Community Flourishing
A biblical, theological and sociological examination of what brings communities to flourishing and an examination of practices that seek the shalom of the cities where we have been sent. Specific attention will be given to practices of community exegesis, partnership and advocacy in the halls of government.
Entrepreneurship and Fresh Contextual Expressions of Church
A study of creativity and innovation in forms of church that fit the local context as well as the overall post-Christian context in which we live.
Reconciliation and Intercultural Ministry
How does the church move towards embodying the diversity of the Kingdom of God? This course examines the nature of true reconciliation and practices for leading the process, as well as developing cultural intelligence and intercultural ministries that are reflective of the subversive power dynamics unique to the Kingdom of God.
Program Details
Total Credit Hours
32
Program Length
18 months (including optional summer courses) or 24 months, depending upon student’s preference
Mode
Online with optional face-to-face offerings
The program can be done completely online, but there are optional face-to-face offerings that include conferences, spiritual formation events and retreats, synchronous sessions in courses and intensive classes that meet in the summer.
Some of these summer intensives will be held at the University, but some will be part of domestic or international trips. These courses give a way not only for face-to-face learning but also for learning in real contexts.
Locations/Modes
Online with optional face-to-face intensives
We know that life is hectic, and you may not have time to attend class on campus. Targeted toward the busy working professional, this degree is offered online one class at a time, any time—24/7. We do have optional face-to-face offerings that include conferences, spiritual formation events and retreats, synchronous sessions in courses and intensive classes that meet in the summer.
Some of these summer intensives will be held at the University, but some will be part of domestic or international trips. These courses give a way not only for face-to-face learning but also for learning in real contexts.
We use Blackboard, our learning management system to teach classes online. Additionally, books and materials are delivered to your front door.
With our online degree programs, you can expect the same level of quality and rigor that Trevecca has provided students since 1901. Our online students also benefit from a cohort model, where students begin and complete their degree alongside a group of other online classmates working toward similar goals.
Optional summer courses allow the student to decide on completion in 18 or 24 months.
Outcomes/Careers
The Master of Arts in church and community is highly practical and relevant for those who want to minister and serve their communities, but it is also deeply theological.
Graduates are prepared to work in churches, ministries and non-profit organizations, serving as:
- Senior pastors
- Community outreach pastors or lay leaders
- Missionaries
- Directors of community partnerships
- Community ministry leaders
Financial Aid/Costs
Worried about the future? We’ve got you covered!
At Trevecca, we understand we’re in unprecedented times. We believe you should be free to follow your dreams without fear. If you’re unable to complete a course due to COVID-19, we’ll refund the course cost to you. Full details can be found here.
How much will it cost?
| Tuition | Credit Hours | Program Length | Tuition Costs |
| $463/credit hour | 32 | 18-24 months | $14,816 |
Is it worth the money?
Holding a master's degree often leads to higher pay and more opportunities for advancement within your field! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Median weekly earnings in 2018 for those with the highest levels of educational attainment—doctoral and professional degrees—were more than triple those with the lowest level, less than a high school diploma.”
What are my options for financial aid?
- Federal loans are available to all eligible students who complete a FAFSA.
- Many employers offer tuition reimbursement opportunities.
- Monthly payments through Trevecca make fulfilling tuition requirements more manageable.
- Military benefits such as Yellow Ribbon and GI Bills are accepted.
How do I qualify?
- Fill out your FAFSA. Based on your income, you will know how much federal financial aid you are eligible to receive.
- Talk to your employer about tuition reimbursement opportunities
- For military benefits, find out more by visiting our military page or contacting MilitaryHelp@trevecca.edu.
Admissions
Getting Started
- Complete the online application (it's free!). No GRE or GMAT scores required
Need help applying? Read the step-by-step instructions here! - Fill out FAFSA to be considered for financial aid.
- Request official transcripts from your undergraduate institution(s).
Admissions Requirements
- Have earned a bachelor's degree from an institution accredited by a CHEA-recognized regional accrediting agency or the Association for Biblical Higher Education. Students who do not meet these degree requirements may be conditionally accepted in accordance with the Conditional Admission Policy
- 2.7 cumulative GPA for all prior coursework
- Provide photocopy of government-issued identification (e.g., driver's license, state ID, military ID, passport). This requirement ensures that Trevecca complies with the U.S. Department of Education expectations for student verification.
- Some proficiency with computer technology and reliable access to technology throughout the program
- Upon admission, students must successfully complete Introduction to Graduate Theological Studies (THE 6005) before progressing through the remainder of the program.
Not sure if you meet the admissions requirements? We’re here to help! Fill out the form to be connected with an enrollment counselor who will walk with you every step of the way during the admissions process.
FAQs
How do most people use this degree?
Can I use this to go into a Master of Divinity program?
How does this lead to ordination in the Church of the Nazarene?
Can I use this to become a licensed pastor/chaplain outside the Church of the Nazarene?
What if I’m from a different denomination, is that accepted?
Can I obtain this degree if I don’t have a biblical background?
What kinds of scholarships are available?
Can I complete this quicker than 24 months?
How many hours per week are spent on classwork?
How is this program taught? Projects? Papers? Recorded teacher videos?
Why doesn't Trevecca require the GRE?
Which program is right for me—the Master of Arts in church and community or the Master of Arts in theology and biblical studies?
What are the technology requirements for this program?
Testimonial
"Church and community gave me the tools I needed to learn how to listen and watch for where God was at work in the congregation and in the community that we served so that we could faithfully join God [there]... Church and community is grounded in biblical and theological principles while giving very practical tools that are easy to implement. This experience truly empowered me to live out the kind of ministry I am called to."
Dana Franchetti, (‘12)
Pastor of Local and Global Missions
New Life Church of the Nazarene, Medford, OR
Overview
Become equipped to love and serve the community where God has placed you
The Master of Arts in church and community degree program is designed to offer a specific type of ministerial preparation not readily found elsewhere. This program uses a local congregation approach to community healing. Churches, to be true to the narrative of the people of God, must engage the places to which they have been sent.
This degree prepares students to help congregations begin to engage actual neighborhoods, working for the peace of the place that they have been given rather than the one they wish they had.
Students will train to lead congregations and ministries within diverse communities and learn to respond uniquely to community issues like racism, immigration, generational poverty and changing neighborhoods. They will learn how to study their neighborhoods, how to engage in successful intercultural work in changing neighborhoods, and how to lead people toward reconciliation.
With spiritual formation woven into every course, our program seeks to create faith-filled servant leaders who will be able to:
- Critically evaluate and interact with influences shaping culture, communities and congregations
- Construct Christian responses to contemporary issues facing society
- Help congregations and communities flourish
- Work among and with diverse communities with cultural sensitivity
Focus on areas of specific interest
Optional summer intensives allow students to focus on areas of specific interest:
- Immigration and refugee ministry (Atlanta)
- The church in a post-Christian context (Manchester and London, England)
- Issues in underserved communities such as gentrification, food deserts and homelessness (Nashville)
- Church-planting in a multicultural context (Nashville or Florida)
What to expect
The program can be taken 100 percent online, with books and materials delivered to your front door. You can complete the entire degree remotely. Online students work with a learning cohort throughout the program, taking one class at a time. Finish the program in 24 months with a master’s degree in hand.
Additionally, students may choose to participate in optional face-to-face offerings that include conferences, spiritual formation events and retreats, synchronous sessions in courses, and intensive classes that meet in the summer. Some of these summer intensives will be held at the University, but some will be part of domestic or international trips. These courses give a way not only for face-to-face learning but also for learning in real contexts.
Participating in the face-to-face offerings allows you to finish your degree in only 18 months.
This program is ideal for students who:
- are interested in compassionate ministries, urban ministries, rural communities or rapidly changing multicultural communities
- are involved in community development or non-profit ministry that is attached to churches
- are practitioners who have found help through the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)
- have a personal passion to see churches involved in bringing underserved communities to a place where they’re flourishing
- urban pastors of large churches, rural pastors of small churches and lay persons in service and outreach ministries—all church and ministry leaders who want more focused training on church and community issues surrounding