About MAM
Here is what you can expect from the Taylor University graduate residency program:
Program Distinctives
Scripture and Theological Engagement
Ministry leadership must flow from a firm and continuous engagement with God through his Word. Scripture is the catalyst for growth in both the leader and those being served.
Good social science, ministry methods, and cultural context, when reflected upon scripturally, transforms and is a transforming tool in the hands of a minister of the gospel of Jesus.
Spiritual Formation and Calling
The core of the leader is of greater importance than ever before. The myriad of challenges, within and outside the church, demand spiritual leaders that are able to provide healthy and Christ-centered leadership based on their own depth and formation. Exploring their calling and the world’s great need is central to young adults.
Leadership in Ministry
The program advances an approach to ministry that draws on a broad base of disciplines and prepares for a wider variety of occupations than does traditional pastoral approaches. The courses engage critically in the practice of theology in ministry contexts. The challenges and opportunities in ministry contexts are extreme. Christian leaders can be prepared to lead, equip, diagnose, evaluate, manage, and more. They must also create culture and mobilize the church for maturity.
Developmental Approach
Currently, most graduate institutions provide either a practical theology approach (primarily based on technique) or an eclectic approach that lacks real impact in practice. Taylor's graduate program is distinctly embedded in practice. We will consider how people grow and develop, and how they learn and are led so that practices in ministry leads to fruitfulness in ministry.
Taylor Ethos
Taylor is a national leader in preparing people for ministry. MAM is an educational program that is directed toward ministry and infused with the quality Taylor offers. Taylor nurtures a particular and potent kind of love for God, his Word, service in the world, and God’s mission among students. Practitioners equipped for ministry and carrying this spiritual DNA are a powerful and unique missional force.
Ministry Preparation
A graduate program of this kind is an appropriate certification for a variety of churches, ministries, and non-profit organizations. Taylor ministry graduates have successfully worked on all seven continents in the widest variety of ministry contexts. There is a dearth in well-prepared and theologically winsome leaders in ministry. The partnership between Northview and Taylor provides significant practical experiences that, when reflected upon using theology and ministry philosophy, will prepare graduates to lead in a vast array of ministry contexts.
Core Values
These core values are upheld by Taylor University and partner churches. Each value is integral to the purpose of the master’s program, and as a resident, you are expected to commit to and carry out these pieces of the program as you pursue your degree.
- Community: Learning best takes place when students experience a sense of togetherness, when ideas are shared and examined by others, and when learners experience both the challenge and support of fellow learners.
- Integration: Learning is stimulated by the connection of one insight to another. Learning is not meant to be a process of gathering isolated bits of information, but rather marshaling information to create whole visions of seeing, new paradigms of thinking and application into contemporary ministry situations.
- Praxis: Ideas disconnected from experience rarely transform people. Theory and practice must meet through reflection. Ministry needs to be informed by theory, and theory needs to have practical expression.
- Developmental: True education is found not in the transmitting of information, but in the development and transformation of people. The process and format must adhere to the best practices of ministry that are being taught and drawn from Scripture.
- Theological: Learning is a theological task, and is best framed within the revelatory activity of God. We value the centrality of the Bible, the model of the Master Teacher, the instruction of the Holy Spirit, and the redemptive themes that permeate the educational effort.
- Scripture Engagement: Unless people engage with God through Scripture in life-challenging ways they will fail to bring God’s Word into the lived experience of people. Engaging with Scripture is the catalyst for transformational discipleship, spiritual growth and finding one’s calling.