Southwestern announces new certificate program for professionals

Just because one is a professional in the business world does not mean one cannot serve the Kingdom of God. Such a mentality is the driving force behind Southwestern Seminary’s new Professional Missions Certificate, a 20- to 21-hour program designed for professionals outside the world of vocational ministry but who nevertheless feel called to advance the work of Christ on the mission field.

Southwestern has been approached by a number of medical professionals over the years inquiring about a certificate program or degree that would prepare them specifically for assisting in church planting efforts while involved in medical missions. As Southwestern administrators discussed this need, the vision expanded to include business and perhaps other professionals as well. The Professional Missions Certificate is the result of these discussions.

As Craig Blaising, executive vice president and provost at Southwestern, explains, the professional envisioned by this program already has a graduate degree (such as a Doctor of Medicine or Master of Business Administration) and is seeking to serve in the field of his/her training—such as medical missions or in international business—as a platform to assist in mission work. Such a person would not be seeking to lead the work of church planting but to assist that work from his/her service position.

The certificate curriculum provides three hours of study each in Old Testament, New Testament, biblical hermeneutics, and systematic theology. It also includes “Introduction to Missiology” and a specialized course connecting the professional’s training to missions, as well as practicum training in missions.

“While it is impossible to provide a thorough grounding in biblical and theological studies through a short certificate program, we believe that the Professional Missions Certificate will give the trained professional a basic foundation for assisting career missionaries in the work of international church planting,” Blaising says. “It will also be a foundation upon which the professional can build a program of further studies (whether residential or online while in the field) toward one of Southwestern’s master’s degrees.”

Each of these courses would count toward higher degrees at Southwestern (such as the Master of Theological Studies or Master of Arts in Missiology) should the professional choose to continue his/her education. Also, the curriculum meets the International Mission Board’s seminary requirements for those deployed as Apprentice workers with the IMB.