The Christian ministry qualifications

Update: Apr. '15

The Christian ministry qualifications are basically all the same, and the main difference between them is that the higher qualifications are deliberately more sophisticated. They are all based on a theological method as follows:

• Use sources: Scripture, denominational context, church history, current ideas
• Reflect: Reflect on the sources and come up with conclusions
• Minister: Relate those conclusions to yourself and to others in Christian living.

To illustrate, here is a group of units:

• Look at Christian beliefs in their historical and denominational context.
• Look at hermeneutics and exegesis, and related interpretive skills
• Research a topic
• Come up with answers from your research and explore them with view to application
• Look at church practice in context, and explore factors affecting putting your exploration findings into practice.
• Express core Christian beliefs in ordinary English (also considering denominational theology and distinctives) and explore practical application

This lends itself very well to the following subjects:

1. Hermeneutics and exegesis
2. Church history
3. Denominational history
4. Current context e.g. contemporary theology, "grass-roots" theology, effects of social structures)
5. Topic study: e.g. any core Christian topic
6. Reflective exploration
7. Use it as a ministry topic: series of Bible studies, series of sermons, evening Bible college series, personal growth course, etc.