UCC-related seminary Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) has announced the fall 2011 launch of a Master of Arts in Religious Leadership degree program.

The new program is designed to prepare women and men for service in a range of religious, faith-based, community and advocacy settings. The two-year degree provides a foundation in theological education, including theological field education, both to those pursuing lay ministry, and to professionals from fields other than religion who wish to develop or strengthen the theological dimensions of their work.

The program is intended to meet the needs of students who are not seeking ordination but understand their vocation in terms of ministry, and who feel the need for an alternative to the traditional three-year M.Div, especially those working in faith-based nonprofit organizations, or who are already serving their churches in staff positions other than pastor.

Four concentrations areas are available to Students in the Master of Arts in Religious Leadership program:

• Religious Leadership for Interfaith Engagement will develop the capacity to understand diverse faith traditions for purposes of interfaith collaboration toward personal and social transformation.
• Religious Leadership for Social Transformation will develop the capacity to understand and engage the dynamics of community transformation in relation to specific contexts and religious traditions.
• Religious Leadership for Spirituality and Pastoral Care will develop the capacity for care, counsel and spiritual guidance in specific contexts.
• Religious Leadership for Word and Worship will develop the capacity to bring particular religious texts and traditions to bear on specific contexts through interpretation and liturgy.

Students must also complete a unit of supervised theological field education at a site consistent with their concentration. The Master of Arts in Religious Leadership program culminates in a capstone project paper that integrates a student's field education and theological studies.

These four concentrations and field supervision are based on Chicago Theological Seminary's core strengths in theological education, allowing students to build upon the foundation provided by required courses while adding a specialization in one area of study.

More information about Chicago Theological Seminary and their programs is available at <ctschicago.edu>.