School of Ministry Leadership and Church Administration -Spirit Temple University

School of Ministry Leadership and Church Administration

The School of Ministry Leadership and Church Administration equips students to lead God’s people with wisdom, character, vision, spiritual maturity, and organizational excellence.

This school is designed for pastors, ministers, campus leaders, department heads, ministry administrators, church workers, and those called to help build strong churches and healthy ministry systems.

Students are trained to steward vision, lead teams, strengthen departments, organize ministry operations, develop leaders, protect church culture, and serve the local church with excellence and integrity.

Biblical and Christ-centered ministry leadership
Church administration, systems, order, and accountability
Team leadership, volunteer mobilization, and department development
Spiritual formation, character, wisdom, and leadership maturity
Apostolic administration, church expansion, and practical ministry governance

Bachelor's Degree

Bachelor of Arts in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration

24 Months . 66 Credits

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Master's Degree

Master's Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration

36 Months · 90 Credits

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DOCTOR OF Ministry

Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Apostolic Administration

36 Months · 45–54 Credits

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Program Summary

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Bachelor’s Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration	66	Two-year accelerated pathway. Total includes the 36-credit Associate foundation and 30 additional bachelor-level leadership and administration credits.
Master’s Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration	90	Three-year accelerated pathway. Total includes prior Associate and Bachelor requirements plus advanced ministry leadership training.
Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Apostolic Administration	45-54	Three-year hybrid doctoral program after the Master’s degree or approved equivalent, with doctoral ministry project and defense.

This school begins at the bachelor level and follows the same accelerated/hybrid duration structure used in the School of Bible Ministry and Theology. Doctoral credits are doctoral-level credits beyond the Master’s requirement.

Program 1 Two-Year Accelerated Bachelor's Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration

Prerequisite:

Completion of Associate Degree in Bible Ministry or approved equivalent foundational Bible ministry studies (36 credits).

Program Overview

The Bachelor’s Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration prepares students for effective service in the local church, ministry departments, and faith-based leadership environments. The program equips students with biblical leadership foundations, spiritual formation, church administration skills, team leadership, ministry systems, financial stewardship, vision planning, and practical leadership experience.

Students learn how to lead people, organize ministry departments, steward resources, develop leaders, strengthen church operations, and help advance the mission of the church with excellence and integrity.

Program Item	Official Program Summary
Degree Name	Bachelor’s Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration
Duration of Study	Two-year accelerated program
Total Credits Required	66 credits
Prerequisite	Associate Degree in Bible Ministry or approved equivalent foundational Bible ministry studies (36 credits)
Additional Bachelor-Level Credits	30 credits beyond the Associate requirement
Delivery Format	Online, hybrid, or ministry cohort format

Fall Semester

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Foundations of Ministry Leadership	3	Introduces the biblical foundation of ministry leadership as a call to serve, shepherd, build, and steward God’s people.
Bible Survey: New Testament Studies	3	Teaches how order, stewardship, structure, communication, and accountability strengthen the work of ministry.
Leading People and Teams in Ministry	3	Trains students to lead volunteers, workers, departments, and ministry teams with clarity, unity, and responsibility.
Vision Casting and Ministry Planning	3	Equips students to clarify, communicate, and implement vision through planning, alignment, and execution.

Fall Semester Total: 15 credits

Spring Semester

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Church Operations and Administrative Systems	3	Develops skill in scheduling, documentation, communication flow, ministry calendars, reporting, and administrative excellence.
Communication and Conflict Resolution in Ministry	3	Equips students to communicate clearly and handle correction, restoration, difficult conversations, and peacemaking.
Financial Stewardship and Church Budgeting	3	Introduces budgeting, financial accountability, resource planning, reporting, giving systems, and faithful stewardship.
Volunteer Mobilization and Departmental Leadership	3	Trains students to recruit, train, schedule, encourage, and retain volunteers while strengthening department order.

Spring Semester Total: 12 credits

Practicum or Internship

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Ministry Leadership Practicum or Internship	3	Provides supervised ministry leadership experience in a church or approved ministry setting with reflection and faculty guidance.

Practicum Requirement: 3 credits

Capstone Project:

A major ministry leadership or church administration project demonstrating the student’s ability to apply leadership training to a specific ministry context. The project may include a department improvement plan, church growth strategy, administrative system, leadership training model, or ministry development proposal.

Total Credits Required: 66 credits

Program 2: Three-Year Accelerated Master's Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration

Prerequisites

Completion of all requirements for the Associate and Bachelor degrees in Bible Ministry, Ministry Leadership, or an approved equivalent pathway (66 credits).

Program Overview

The Master’s Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration is designed for pastors, ministers, church leaders, administrators, and ministry workers who desire advanced training in ministry leadership, church systems, organizational development, and administrative excellence.

This program strengthens the student’s ability to lead people, organize ministry structures, steward resources, develop leaders, manage change, and build healthy ministry systems rooted in biblical truth and spiritual maturity.

Program Item	Official Program Summary
Degree Name	Master’s Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration
Duration of Study	Three-year accelerated program
Total Credits Required	90 credits
Prerequisite	Completion of all requirements for the Associate and Bachelor degrees or approved equivalent pathway (66 credits)
Additional Master-Level Credits	24 credits beyond the Bachelor requirement
Delivery Format	Online, hybrid, or ministry cohort format

Fall Semester

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Biblical Foundations for Ministry Leadership	3	Examines leadership through Scripture with emphasis on calling, servanthood, spiritual authority, stewardship, and Christ-centered leadership.
Church Administration and Ministry Systems	3	Studies the systems that support effective ministry, including operations, structure, calendars, communication, and accountability.
Strategic Vision and Ministry Development	3	Equips students to move vision from revelation to execution through strategic planning, team alignment, and measurable implementation.
Capstone Research Project I	3	Begins the final capstone by identifying a ministry leadership or church administration challenge and developing a formal proposal.

Fall Core Total: 12 credits

Spring Semester

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Team Building and Departmental Leadership	3	Trains students to build, organize, and sustain healthy ministry teams with role clarity, culture, and leadership development.
Governance, Ethics, and Leadership Accountability	3	Studies biblical and practical principles of governance, ethical conduct, policies, accountability, and decision-making.
Capstone Research Project II	3	Completes and presents the final capstone project demonstrating advanced ministry leadership and practical application.

Spring Semester Total: 9 credits

Practicum or Internship

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Practicum in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration	3	Applies leadership and administrative principles in a supervised ministry setting with real ministry improvement and reflection.

Practicum Requirement: 3 credits

Capstone Project:

A comprehensive research thesis or applied ministry project demonstrating the student’s ability to strengthen a real ministry system, solve a leadership challenge, or improve church administration through biblical wisdom and practical strategy.

Total Credits Required: 90 credits

Program 3: Three-Year Hybrid Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Apostolic Administration

Prerequisites: Completion of all requirements for the Master’s Degree in Ministry Leadership and Church Administration, Bible Ministry, Theology, Divinity, Ministry, or an approved equivalent Master’s program.

Program Overview

The Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Apostolic Administration is an advanced professional ministry degree for senior pastors, apostles, bishops, ministry founders, campus overseers, executive pastors, church administrators, and experienced ministry leaders.

This program equips leaders to build, govern, expand, and strengthen ministries with apostolic wisdom, biblical order, spiritual maturity, and administrative excellence. The program emphasizes applied ministry research, apostolic leadership, church systems, multi-campus oversight, leadership succession, pastoral structures, crisis leadership, and sustainable ministry growth

Program Item	Official Program Summary
Degree Name	Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Apostolic Administration
Duration of Study	Three-year hybrid program
Total Credits Required	45-54 credits
Prerequisite	Master’s degree in Ministry Leadership, Bible Ministry, Theology, Divinity, Ministry, or approved equivalent
Delivery Format	Hybrid: online plus in-person doctoral engagement where required
Final Requirement	Doctoral ministry project and defense with faculty supervision

Year 1: Advanced Leadership and Apostolic Foundations

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Apostolic Foundations for Ministry Leadership	3	Examines apostolic leadership as a biblical pattern for building, establishing, strengthening, and expanding ministry.
Advanced Church Governance and Ecclesial Administration	3	Studies governance systems, leadership structures, boards, policies, decision-making, accountability, and administrative order.
Leadership Theology and New Creation Ministry	3	Explores leadership through the finished work of Christ, identity, sonship, spiritual authority, grace, and maturity.
Strategic Apostolic Vision and Kingdom Assignment	3	Equips students to clarify, structure, communicate, and steward long-term apostolic vision and Kingdom assignment.
Doctoral Research Methods I	3	Introduces doctoral-level applied research, ministry problem identification, literature review, writing standards, and proposal readiness.

Year 1 Total: 15 credits

Fall and Spring Terms: Hybrid, online plus in-person engagement

Year 2: Systems, Structure, and Ministry Development

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Organizational Design for Churches and Ministries	3	Teaches students how to design healthy structures, departments, reporting lines, workflows, and communication systems.
Pastoral Systems, Discipleship, and Member Integration	3	Develops systems for member care, discipleship, follow-up, pastoral support, assimilation, and spiritual growth.
Apostolic Administration and Multi-Campus Oversight	3	Prepares students to lead campuses, branches, departments, and ministry expressions with alignment and accountability.
Advanced Practicum in Church Leadership and Administration	3_6	Connects doctoral learning to practical ministry improvement, measurable outcomes, and supervised leadership reflection.
Doctoral Colloquium and Project Proposal Defense	3	Provides faculty-guided colloquium engagement, proposal refinement, and formal project defense preparation.

Year 2 Total: 15-18 credits

Fall and Spring Terms: Hybrid, online plus in-person engagement

Year 3: Doctoral Ministry Project and Publication Phase

Course Title	Credits	Course Description
Doctoral Ministry Project I: Design and Development	6	Begins approved doctoral ministry project design, framework development, implementation planning, and supervised writing.
Doctoral Ministry Project II: Implementation and Analysis	6	Continues project implementation, analysis, evaluation, writing, revision, and faculty-guided development.
Doctoral Ministry Project Defense and Publication	6	Completes final project submission, defense, revision, and publication-readiness or institutional implementation process.

Year 3 Total: 18 credits

Primarily independent project work with faculty supervision

Doctoral Ministry Project

A publishable or institutionally implementable doctoral ministry project representing original applied ministry research, apostolic administration, or leadership innovation. The project demonstrates the student’s ability to integrate biblical wisdom, leadership research, and real ministry impact in service to the Church.

Total Credits Required: 45-54 credits

STU Monthly Hybrid Learning Model

Students in this school follow the STU Monthly Hybrid Learning Model. Course content is completed through the STU online learning platform, while students attend oneassigned live academic session per month based on their cohort and degree level.

Read full schedule and learning model.

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