Missiology is the study of gospel ministry aimed at preparing full-time Christian servants for cross-cultural work that evangelizes the lost, establishes local churches and strengthens the discipleship within existing churches. In addition to the history of the church and missions, you will learn robust systematic theology, keys to spiritual piety, on-the-field conflict resolution, counseling principles and biblical evangelism methodology that honors the Lord. The discipline’s aim is your heart – as you grow in shedding the worship of lesser things and following Christ with increasingly intense devotion as you labor strategically in making disciples of all nations.
Why three years and 67 credits?
When you consider the biblical examination and meditation of every major dimension of Systematic Theology, that alone occupies a great deal of your mind and time. In missiology those aspects of theology center around the study of the church (Ecclesiology) but also include Theology Proper (the Father), Christology (Christ), Pneumatology (Holy Spirit), Bibliology (the Scriptures), Eschatology (last things), Soteriology (salvation), Anthropology (man), Hamartiology (sin), Demonology and Satanology. Such comprehensive learning takes time to process and prayerfully embrace.
In the Whitefield Missiology program, you will be equally taught and challenged in ministry-specific realms of evangelism, apologetics, reaching the unreached, church planting and depth of discipleship, expository preaching, teaching expository preaching and biblical counseling. We will also introduce you to the biblical languages of Greek and Hebrew and the discipline of linguistics. Women will have a handful of courses specific to cross-cultural women’s ministry, but mostly receive the same training in the Word of God. The program is intentionally full and well-rounded to gird you up whether you are aiming to serve in a support role, to translate the Word or to equip national church leaders.
Because your heart worship matters most, the WGC Missiology program includes much on your own personal spiritual disciplines of prayer, abiding in Scripture, humility, submitting to authority, interpersonal conflict, missionary marriage, and missionary parenting. Those courses are paired with three layers of personal discipleship from WGC Disciplers who work closely with your sending church leadership.
All this is learned and analyzed along with a cross-cultural-specific focus on how to adapt to a new environment, learn a language, navigate legal and administrative hurdles. You will spend many weeks overseas, learning from those on the field.
The goal is not to simply get more workers out for the harvest. It is to bring glory to God in how you think and do your work and to equip you for sustained, long-term, fruitful ministry that helps reach so many who desperately need the truth of Christ.