Master of Ministry

The Master of Ministry (MMin) is for students who have a degree in another discipline and are seeking employment as ministers in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The degree enables students to further their knowledge and understanding of biblical studies, theology and practical ministry. Students will have opportunities to apply what they learn in church settings and complete an action research project.  

Upon successful completion of the Master of Ministry, graduates will be able to:

• Critically engage with and evaluate a specialised body of knowledge in the disciplines of biblical studies, theology and practical ministry and their underlying methodologies;
• articulate an advanced and integrated understanding of Seventh-day Adventist history, theology, identity, and mission;
• critically analyse, research, and synthesise complex theological and ministry concepts independently, and demonstrate how they relate to a Seventh-day Adventist world view;
• interpret and communicate advanced and integrated Biblical and theological knowledge, and practical ministry skills in a contextualised manner to specialist and non-specialist audiences;
• model and articulate the relevance of a relationship with Christ and Christian beliefs to the practice of pastoral ministry and Christian living;
• apply the skills and capacities expected of a growing, reflective Christian ministry practitioner, researcher and/or scholar;
• have an understanding of research principles and methods, including analytical and communication skills applicable to ministry and its related disciplines.

The Master of Ministry provides the foundations for a career as a:

• Church Pastor
• Youth Minister
• Evangelist, and
• Church Administrator.

It is also a pathway for students who want to complete a Doctorate in Ministry.

GENERAL ADMISSION CRITERIA

To qualify for admission, you must have completed:

• An Australian Qualifications Framework AQF Level 7 Bachelor's degree (or higher) from an accredited university or higher education provider; or
• An overseas qualification comparable to an Australian Qualifications Framework AQF Level 7 or higher

SPECIFIC ADMISSION CRITERIA

The following are the specific criteria for admission:

• Satisfactory Pastoral Recommendation Form, which may entail an interview with the pastor; and
• Complete and submit Avondale Seminary's Acceptance of the Code of Professional Ethics; and
• A National Police Check (issued within the last six months). Applicants with offences or pending charges may be required to undertake a further assessment; and
• A current Working with Children Check for the state/territory you are located while undergoing your study; and
• Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) applicants: Baptised for two years or more and evidence of being actively involved in a local SDA church; or
• Non-SDA applicants: Evidence of being actively involved in a local church of their denomination

POST ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The post-admission requirement for this degree is:

• An AdSafe certificate of completion for Safer Churches Training

For more information, refer to the post-admission requirements for Ministry & Theology.

ADVANCED STANDING

Applicants with an Australian Qualifications Framework AQF Level 9 qualification (or higher) in a cognate area may be eligible for advanced standing (credit recognition). Refer to the Advanced Standing Policy for more information.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

International applicants must meet the Australian Government's visa requirements to reside in Australia while studying at Avondale University.

For more information, visit https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-finder/study

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Applicant's who completed their bachelor's degree (or overseas equivalent) in a language other than English must demonstrate English language proficiency by achieving a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 overall with no sub-band below 6.0.

The MMin is composed of 16 units (96 credit points) of study over four semesters full-time or the part time equivalent. All units are worth six credit points. The following table outlines when each unit if offered. Full time students should refer to the subsequent tables which provide the recommended program order.

Code	Unit Name	Core/ Elective	Credit Pts	New/ Existing	ASCED Code	Teaching Period & Year	Campus
BBNT46110	Greek	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Every	Lake Macquarie
BBNT56130	Gospels of  Matthew & John	Core	6	Existing		Sem 2 - Every	Lake Macquarie
BBOT46110	Pentateuch in Context	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Every	Lake Macquarie
BBBI56110	Daniel and the Apocalypses	Core	6	Existing		Sem 2 - Odd	Lake Macquarie
BBNT56120	New Testament Epistles	Core	6	Existing		Sem 2 – Every	Lake Macquarie
THEO46110	Theology & Belief	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Every	Lake Macquarie
THEO56140	Eschatology and Salvation	Core	6	Existing		Sem 2 - Even	Lake Macquarie
THEO56120	Adventist Heritage	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Odd	Lake Macquarie
THEO56150	Ecclesiology and & Doctrine of the Sabbath	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Even	Lake Macquarie
THEO46230	Church History	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Every	Lake Macquarie
CHMN56150	World Mission and Evangelism	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Even	Lake Macquarie
CHMN46160	Family Systems in Ministry	Core	6	Existing		Sem 2 – Even	Lake Macquarie
CHMN46110	Church & Ministry	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Every	Lake Macquarie
CHMN56140	Biblical Preaching	Core	6	Existing		Sem 2 – Every	Lake Macquarie
CHMN46130	Personal Evangelism & Discipleship	Core	6	Existing		Sem 1 - Odd	Lake Macquarie
CHMN56180	Pastoral Leadership & Church Management	Core	6	Existing		Sem 2 - Odd	Lake Macquarie

The order in which students take units will depend on which semester they begin the course as some units are only offered in odd numbered years and some units are offered in even numbered years. The recommended program for full-time students beginning in each semester is shown below.

Starting Even Year
Sem	Unit 1	Unit 2	Unit 3	Unit 4
1	BBNT46110 Greek	THEO46110 Theology & Belief	CHMN56150 World mission and Evangelism CHURCH PLACEMENT	THEO56150 Ecclesiology & Sabbath
2	BBNT56130 Gospels of Matthew & John	THEO56140 Eschatology and Salvation	CHMN46160 Family Systems in Ministry CHURCH PLACEMENT	THEO46230 Church History
3	BBOT46110 Pentateuch in Context	THEO56120 Adventist Heritage	CHMN46110 Church & Ministry CHURCH PLACEMENT	CHMN46130 Personal Evangelism & Discipleship EXTERNSHIP
4	BBBI56110 Daniel and the Apocalypses	BBNT56120 New Testament Epistles	CHMN56140 Biblical Preaching CHURCH PLACEMENT	CHMN56180 Pastoral Leadership & Church Management CHURCH PLACEMENT

 

Starting Odd Year
Sem	Unit 1	Unit 2	Unit 3	Unit 4
1	BBNT46110 Greek	THEO46110 Theology & Belief	THEO56120 Adventist Heritage	CHMN46130 Personal Evangelism & Discipleship CHURCH PLACEMENT
2	BBNT56130 Gospels Matthew & John	BBBI56110 Daniel and the Apocalypses	CHMN56180 Pastoral Leadership & Church Management CHURCH PLACEMENT	THEO46230 Church History
3	BBOT46110 Pentateuch in Context	THEO56150 Ecclesiology & Sabbath	CHMN56150 World Mission and Evangelism EXTERNSHIP	CHMN46110 Church & Ministry CHURCH PLACEMENT
4	BBNT56120 New Testament Epistles	THEO56140 Eschatology and Salvation	CHMN46160 Family Systems in Ministry CHURCH PLACEMENT	CHMN56140 Biblical Preaching CHURCH PLACEMENT

To find out more about any of the units listed here, copy the unit code and then search for that unit here.

Supervised field education is central to ministry formation and employment in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It permits ministry students to be engaged in various supervised settings as trainee pastors under the guidance of a mentor. The mentoring allows students to integrate theological content with practical ministry and provides students with the opportunity to experience ministry in various circumstances.

All Church Ministry coded units are associated with supervised field education. Field education is a type of internship or apprenticeship experience whereby ministry students will be teamed with SDA pastors and in some instances chaplains who supervise, support and mentor the student throughout the ministry placement in a local congregation. Their supervised field education can either be a church placement or a ministry practicum externship worth 40% of the grade for the unit.

At the end of the semester, students are asked to write a theological reflection paper on their placement. The theological reflection paper helps students to develop knowledge of their gifts, strengths, and weaknesses.

Students experience two types of supervised ministry development:

Placements: Placements place students for 10 consecutive weeks in a local church or school under the supervision of a pastoral mentor.

Externships: Externships place students in an evangelistic context for 10 consecutive days, inclusive of two weekends.

Assessment includes a ministry report form signed by the mentor and a ministry reflection paper.

In Week 10, a 20-30 minute interview with seminary staff helps assess the student’s placement experience.

 

The units that have Field Education are:

CHMN46160	Family Systems in Ministry	Placement
CHMN46110	Church & Ministry	Placement
CHMN56140	Biblical Preaching	Placement
CHMN46130	Personal Evangelism & Discipleship	Placement
CHMN56180	Pastoral Leadership & Church Management	Placement
CHMN56150	World Mission and Evangelism	Externship

While there are no national professional accrediting body associated with theology degrees, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has guidelines on what is required for those entering into pastoral ministry within the Seventh-day Adventist Church and as such, has an interest in the content of this degree. The South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists Board of Ministerial and Theological Education ( SPD BMTE) has reviewed the content of this degree and is supportive of it.               

All students entering the Master of Ministry are required to provide a national police check as well as a Working with Children Check (or equivalent if studying by distance).

From 2023, all incoming theology students will also be required to undertake psychological testing (at their own expense) as recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Course Enquiries

Student Administration Services

Phone: +61 2 4980 2377
Email: [email protected]
Monday-Thursday, 9.00am-5pm
Friday, 9.00am-12.00noon