Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind. will offer two master’s degrees in a new program that blends short periods of on-campus instruction with online studies. The programs are designed to enable ministry professionals and others to earn a Master of Arts in Local Church Studies or Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies without leaving their current ministry or employment. The program is cohort based, and students may complete the degree in 36 months.

According to Mark Soto, D.Min., Grace Theological Seminary professor and director of the program, the blended programs combine one week of on-campus instruction with online studies for each pair of courses, enabling students to interact personally with Grace faculty and other students in the program. The first cohort begins with a week of on-campus studies August 29, 2008.

The Master of Arts in Local Church Studies is a 48-hour degree program for those who are interested in enhancing their ministry involvement in the local church. Many such students are unable to arrange their schedules for traditional seminary classes. Others who may be already involved in a vocational ministry can advance their ministry education without having to move to pursue traditional on-campus master’s level studies.

Grace Theological Seminary believes the optimum preparation for the senior pastorate is the Master of Divinity degree, but the M.A. in Local Church Studies provides advanced training in Bible, theology, and ministry skills, resulting in a better-prepared servant for the local church. All the courses may also be transferred into the Master of Divinity program.

The M.A. in Intercultural Studies also is a 48-hour degree program. A major part of ministry in God’s work today is in an intercultural or cross-cultural setting, whether the ministry is international or domestic with multicultural needs. The M.A. in Intercultural Studies program is designed to equip the ministry professional and others to work effectively in ministries requiring multicultural understanding and effectiveness.

For questions concerning any of these programs, contact Jim Hill at the seminary by telephone, 1-800-54-GRACE, ext. 6435, or by e-mail at hilljm@grace.edu, or find out more about the program on the seminary’s Web site at http://gts.grace.edu/distance-education.htm.