School of Theology and Christian Ministry

Mark Quanstrom, Ph.D., Dean

The mission of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry is to educate for ministry within the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition, preparing clergy and laity for service to church and community, and facilitating their personal spiritual development.

The School contributes to the general education of all students by providing a basic understanding of how to interpret the Bible and to think through the theology of Christian faith in order to provide an adequate intellectual basis for spiritual growth and ethical decision making, seeking to provide opportunities for spiritual formation and practical expressions of Christian commitment.

The School enables those desiring to prepare for professional ministry or graduate studies to gain entry-level knowledge and skills in the areas of Biblical studies, theology, philosophy, history of Christianity, and practices, including Christian education and spiritual formation. While students of other ecclesiastical backgrounds are welcomed, Olivet is an educational institution of the Church of the Nazarene, and the School of Theology and Christian Ministry intentionally designs programs to meet the ordination requirements of that denomination.

The School provides graduate programs to enable those who are preparing for professional ministry or further graduate study and ministers who wish to continue their education, to engage in advanced study of religion and ministry.

The objectives are practical as well as theoretical in scope and relate to the mission of both the School and the University. Students will:

1. Be able to engage in interpretation and exegesis of the foundational documents of the Christian faith.
2. Engage in inquiry into the significance of the Christian faith, particularly of the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition, probing the ways Christian doctrines relate to and involve one another and take shape in the life of the Church and of the particular Christian.
3. Be able to communicate their faith so as to serve both their local church and contemporary society.
4. Be able to make informed ethical decisions, applying Christian values to contemporary issues.
5. Gain an informed awareness of the identity and function of religious institutions and movements through the study of the history of Christianity and world religions.
6. Have opportunity for spiritual growth and be provided with the foundations for continued growth following college.
7. Be exposed to the major figures and movements of the history of philosophy, the enduring concerns of the discipline of philosophy, and their relationship to Christian thought.