Specialized Ministries
Specialized Ministries
CENTER FOR LATINO STUDIES
Diploma in Wesleyan-Pentecostal Ministry
(90 credit hours)
Wilfredo Estrada-Adorno, Director
Pentecostal Theological Seminary (PTS) has developed a Diploma in Wesleyan Pentecostal Ministry (DWPM) to engage students in an integrated course of study that qualifies them to do seminary academic work. This program ensures the development of core knowledge and learning competencies in eight key areas. This program has been designed following the guidelines provided by a Joint Commission of the Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH) and the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS), which seeks to provide students who have successfully completed Bible institutes or denominational education a pathway to continue to graduate level training.
The content of the DWPM is designed to help students develop a biblical theology that enables them to appropriate the redemptive message of the Christian faith and serve with the spirit of the servant leader to their communities. All this ministerial formation is provided within the context of Wesleyan-Pentecostal theology.
Both the Center and Diploma emphasize academic quality, social and cultural sensitivity for students, and the unequivocal commitment to the church and society as servant/leaders. The program is part of the non-graduate credit certificate curriculum of PTS and helps students complete the necessary requirements for admission into the Master Programs of PTS.
Diploma in Wesleyan-Pentecostal Ministry Outcomes
To help ministers within and outside the Church of God, whether full-time, part-time, or volunteer, to bring their academic development to seminary entrance qualification level.
To offer a seminary qualifying academic program in order to train and equip biblical, theological, and in the area of general studies, ministers in the USA and around the world.
To equip students for entrance into and completion of Master's Degree Programs of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary of the Church of God.
To provide ministry training for that promotes Wesleyan-Pentecostal praxis that is committed to the mission of the Church.
Program Structure and Mobility
The DWPM consists of 90 credits hours which are divided as follows:
Area I: Biblical Studies, 24 credits;
Area II: Theological and Historical Studies, 24 credits;
Area III: Life and Ministry of the Church and Pastoral Formation, 24 credits
Area IV: Personal Formation for Ministry Studies 3 credits; and
Area V: Studies Related to Ministry Training, 15 credits
The total credit hours to complete this program are 90. The program combines on-campus, synchronous, hybrid, and online delivery methods.
For a full description of the Center and the DWMP see the Center’s “Student Handbook”.
CENTRE FOR PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGY
John Christopher Thomas, Ph.D., Director
Lee Roy Martin, D.TH., Assistant Director
The Centre for Pentecostal Theology is a residential library dedicated to facilitating the conception, birth, and maturation of constructive Pentecostal Theology across the theological disciplines. The Centre is housed at 680 Walker St NE, located on the campus of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary.
The primary goals of the Centre are:
To establish and maintain a residential research library which, in conjunction with other facilities, will provide an environment conducive to creative research by both established scholars and those completing post graduate level degrees on Pentecostal themes, topics, and methodologies.
To coordinate the publication of a variety of writing projects including the Journal of Pentecostal Theology, the Journal of Pentecostal Theology Supplement Series of Monographs, the Pentecostal Commentary Series, and other worthy manuscripts at both scholarly and popular levels by CPT Press.
To assist prospective research students in identifying and gaining admission to appropriate courses of research at various institutions around the world and, in some instances, arranging for direct supervision.
To promote significant dialogue on a number of issues and themes crucial to the tradition by sponsoring conferences and consultations designed to allow specific scholars opportunity for focused interaction and to make the results available to a wider audience in published form.
Researchers admitted to the Centre for Pentecostal Theology have access to the residential library it contains. The library is based upon the personal libraries of John Christopher Thomas and Lee Roy Martin, and the small but growing number of volumes that belong to the Centre. Wireless internet access is available to all researchers working at the Centre. Access may also be arranged to the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center, as well as to the William G. Squires library shared by the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Lee University, and the Church of God denomination for interested researchers. Researchers at the Centre are also welcome to participate in a wide range of activities that are part of the regular life of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary community.
THE CHURCH OF GOD CHAPLAINS COMMISSION
Donnie W. Smith, D.Min., Director
The Church of God Chaplains Commission established a ministerial and professional partnership with the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in 1980 when Chaplains Commission Offices were incorporated into the Seminary facilities. With the formal establishment of the Chaplains Commission in 1978, it was soon recognized that a close cooperative working relationship between the Commission and the Seminary would greatly benefit both the church and Seminary students. At the time of the Commission’s establishment, there were only eleven vocational endorsed Church of God chaplains. Today, hundreds of vocational, part-time, and volunteer chaplains are serving around the world, representing over thirty different specialized ministries.
Through a partnership with the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, the Chaplains Commission:
Establishes specialized training programs for students preparing for chaplaincy ministry in the military and civilian institutions;
Manages an active chaplain candidate program for Seminary students;
Sponsors an annual "Chaplains' Week" seminary program;
Offers an entry level Community Service Chaplains basic course and advanced chaplaincy courses; and
Networks with professional associations and national training and endorsing agencies that are involved in the promotion and development of chaplaincy and other specialized ministries.
WHAT DOES THE CHAPLAINS COMMISSION PROVIDE FOR SEMINARY STUDENTS?
Training
Supporting the Seminary’s chaplaincy concentration in MA and MDIV programs and the chaplaincy focus area in the DMIN program.
Offering a Community Service Basic course and other advanced courses for students preparing for pastoral ministries.
Providing chaplaincy courses and programs for pastors and laity in the specialized areas of disaster response, college and university chaplaincy, local church chaplaincy, and other areas of ministry.
Placement
The Chaplains Commission coordinates the training of chaplain candidates and assists the Seminary in placing them in vocational and volunteer positions.
All students are encouraged to be certified as Community Service Chaplains (volunteers) as a way of enhancing whatever ministry they choose.
Enrichment
Specialized programs in domestic violence, suicide awareness, drug and alcohol addiction, critical incident stress management, death notifcation, death and dying, and other ministry areas.
Through the Chaplains Commission, students are introduced to those agencies which provide training and certification–i.e., International Association of Fire and Police Chaplaincy, Commission on Ministry in Specialized Settings (COMISS), National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF), Veterans Affairs (VA), Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), Association of Religious Endorsing Bodies (AREB), and many other professional associations.
HOW DO SEMINARY STUDENTS GET STARTED?
Visit the Chaplains Commission offices in the Curtsinger Ministry Center for orientation and chaplaincy resources.
Complete an application while in Seminary for placement as a Chaplain Candidate and for internships.
Interview with military chaplain recruiters and vocational chaplains who are regularly on our campus.
Take advantage of Clinical Pastoral Education programs, summer internships on military installations and at branch Chaplains schools, and other specialized programs at prisons, on college campuses, hospitals, and other institutions for Seminary credit.
HOW CAN SEMINARY STUDENTS SERVE?
Community Service Chaplaincy
Designed primarily to train and equip pastors and other ministers for effective chaplaincy service in their local communities.
Offers specialized courses during the J-Term sessions listed as CO761, CO762, and CO763.
Military Chaplaincy
Apply for the Chaplain Candidate Officer Program.
Be commissioned as a reserve officer candidate in the Army, Navy, or Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant or Ensign.
May complete military chaplaincy training while in Seminary for academic credit.
Attend military chaplaincy school and short internships on military installations.
While completing a Master of Divinity degree, be a candidate for vocational active duty or reserve military chaplaincy appointment with pay while enrolled in Seminary.
Institutional Chaplaincy
Prepares students to serve as chaplains in Hospitals, Jails and Prisons, Veteran Affairs, Industry, College Campuses, Hospice, and/or Long-Term Care Facilities.
Prepares candidates for placement in civilian institutions through special internships and clinical practicums
International Chaplaincy
Provides international students the opportunity to take chaplaincy courses and to be placed in chaplaincy internships.
Assists the international student in developing chaplaincy ministries in their countries through specialized chaplaincy training
For more information, visit the Church of God International Chaplains Commission website, www.cogchaplains.com. Additional contact information is listed in Key Contacts at the back of this catalog.