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Become a Servant
Are you ready to be a part of a program that prepares you for Christian service and leadership in a global world? Our master’s program will challenge you to take on a deeper understanding of what it means to be a servant alongside other like-minded students in our Christ-centered community.
Online Option
Interested in completing your coursework online? With our online Master of Arts in Global Service, you can get the same flexible degree program all from the comfort of your home.
About the Program
ACU’s Master of Arts in Global Service is designed to equip you for ministries that require living, working and communicating in the intercultural contexts typical of today’s global society. Drawing upon theology, sociology, anthropology, history and communication theory, the M.A. in Global Service challenges you to analyze contemporary global concerns, formulate Christian perspectives, and explore solutions to intercultural challenges.
Program Structure
All the Details on Your Degree
The program is focused on ensuring you have the necessary coursework and skills to apply them toward a position within a church setting, ministerial work, or toward a higher academic degree. Along with being taught courses related to foundations of the theology of ministry and theology, you will join an enthusiastic student body interested in answering their calling via missions.
Required Hours
48 hours
24 months time frame
Example Coursework
Supervised Research in Missions
Witness in Global Contexts
Leadership in Intercultural Contexts
Department
Upcoming Start Dates
January 13, 2025
May 5, 2025
August 25, 2025
Common Job Titles
Missionary
Chaplain
Church Administrator
Non-Profit Director
Church Planter
MEET THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Dr. Chris Flanders, Master of Arts in Global Service
Dr. Chris Flanders is a professor and program director for the Master of Arts in Global Service program. He received a BA in Biblical Text, an MS in Missions, and an MDIV at ACU and completed his Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. Chris grew up in the midwest, eventually settling down in northern Minnesota. He is married to Cara (Duvall) who works as a supervisor in ACU’s Master of Marriage and Family Therapy program and a therapist in the ACU Counseling Center. Their two children, Autumn and Ethan, are a huge part of their lives.
Spotlight
The Versatility of a Global Service Degree
The world is more interconnected than ever before. With a degree like ACU’s Master of Arts in Global Service, you can learn how to equip yourself for careers that require living, working, and communicating in the intercultural contexts typical of today’s global society.
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Chris Flanders
“As a missionary, my middle name is flexibility.” Whether planting churches in Thailand or directing ACU’s Master’s of Global Service program, Dr. Chris Flanders is passionate about pursuing God’s mission and equipping the next generation with the skills for creative missional engagement. Learn more about his 17-year career at ACU and how he’s training students online for cultural relevancy and faithful witness to Jesus Christ
Ministering to the World with a Master of Arts in Global Service
The hurting world needs you to answer God’s unique call to international ministry. Those called to this worthy vocation, however, must be able to navigate intercultural contexts within today’s global society. Learn how ACU’s Master of Arts in Global Service will help equip you for the mission field.
Why Study Theology?
ACU’s mission is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world, which includes forming students’ spiritual and intellectual development in a distinctively and unapologetically Christian environment. So, with an expanded view of what theology can offer, let’s get more specific. Why should you get a theology degree?
U.S. News Highlights ACU’s Nationally Ranked Student Experience for Fifth Year in a Row
For the fifth consecutive year, the student experience at Abilene Christian University, both in and out of the classroom, was ranked as one of the nation’s best in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report rankings released today – in the categories of Study Abroad, Learning Communities, Service Learning, First-Year Experience and Senior Capstone.
What outcomes can you expect from a multicultural ministry program?
Theologically Formed: Graduates will integrate the biblical, historical, and theological perspectives foundational for contemporary Christian practice.
Indicators:
- Interprets Scripture and tradition in ways that inform understanding of the theological dimensions of contemporary experience.
- Interprets and inhabits the major theological structures, content, and procedures of the Christian tradition.
- Practices theology appropriately in contemporary cultural contexts.
Missiologically Adept: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the mission of God and their place within that mission as both individuals and members of the global Church.
Indicators:
- Narrates and appropriately analyses the church’s history of working within the mission of God.
- Demonstrates familiarity with current missiological and global-service challenges and issues.
- Equips and leads the church in contemporary cultural contexts for missional purposes.
- Integrates theology, history, anthropology, and methodology in missional practices such as planting and nurturing responsible, reproducing churches.
Interculturally Competent: Graduates will be able to live, work, and communicate appropriately in a variety of cultural contexts.
Indicators:
- Interprets contemporary contexts in light of the Christian faith.
- Demonstrates the skills and commitments necessary for spiritual maturity as a Christian leader in multicultural settings
To be considered for admission, students must:
- Complete the program application accompanied by a non-refundable processing fee.
- Submit an official transcript of all previous colleges attended. The transcript must indicate an earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university or equivalent.
- Have a cumulative undergraduate 3.0 GPA or above in the area of focus or related area and evidence of an overall productive GPA.
- Submit two letters of recommendation.
- Submit a reflective essay 3-5 pages typed, double-spaced.
- Complete an academic writing assessment.
The Graduate School of Theology is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools, an organization of more than 250 graduate schools that conduct post-baccalaureate professional and academic degree programs to educate persons for the practice of ministry and for teaching and research in theological disciplines.