Your church is already preparing the next generation of pastors and ministry leaders.
You are building people through internships, residencies, apprenticeships, and supervised ministry roles. MAP is Southern's way of coming alongside what you are already doing and providing a clear academic pathway that helps students make progress toward a Southern degree in a flexible manner that works around what you already have setup at your church.
What is the Ministry Apprenticeship Program (MAP)
MAP allows a student’s supervised ministry experience to count for academic credit toward their degree.
That can be a structured internship or residency program. It can also be be a part-time or full-time ministry role, as long as the responsibilities, supervision, and expectations are clear.
We will work with you to put simple parameters around the role so the student’s work can be evaluated and credit can be awarded.
What is Required?
Fieldwork Hours
Complete 200 hours of supervised ministry work in your local church.
“Supervised” means you have a qualified ministry supervisor who oversees your work and meets with you during the term to provide guidance and evaluation. This is often your lead pastor, worship leader, ministry director, or another leader with direct oversight of your responsibilities.
This requirement exists because ministry skills are formed through practice with accountability. Your supervisor helps you think through decisions, strengthen your judgment, and grow through consistent observation and input.
Reading
Read 600 pages selected by your supervisor related to your ministry. Reading hours do count towards the 200 hours of supervised ministry work. If you need help choosing, SBTS can provide recommended reading options.
At the end of the term, you will submit a reading log form indicating the percentage read of each of your supervisor-assigned readings.
Writing
Submit 15 pages of master’s-level writing connected to your reading and fieldwork.
This does not need to be a research paper. In most cases, the writing will be a structured reflection on your supervised ministry work. For example, you might write about how you planned and launched a new initiative, how you evaluated an existing ministry, what you learned through supervision conversations, and how Scripture and your course reading shaped your decisions.
How credit works:
In most cases, MAP is awarded as elective credit towards your degree at Southern. You can take up to 18 hours of these courses, which are 6 credit hours each.
Can I substitute core courses in my degree?
Yes, but there are a few guidelines that you must meet. Southern needs evidence that you completed the essential training for that specific course, which is why each core course substitution requires two things:
- A core artifact that prove you completed the essential training for the course. We will work with you to determine what that needs to be.
- Reading in that subject area during the term.
When the local church is already providing hands-on ministry formation, we can apply that work toward core requirements so students can focus the remainder of their degree on the advanced academic training Southern Seminary is uniquely equipped to provide.
Core substitutions most often apply to courses in the “Practical Ministry” section of the core curriculum*, including:
| 30000 – Christian Preaching | 30020 – Preaching Practicum |
| 32100 – Personal Evangelism & Devotion | 32960 – Introduction to Missiology |
| 34300 – Biblical Counseling & Personal Ministry of the Word | 40080 – Christian Leadership |
| 40200 – Introduction to Biblical Worship | 40301 – Pastoral Ministry |
| 45260 – Discipleship Ministry | 45400 – Christian Teaching. |
When a MAP course is used to substitute a core course, Southern Seminary will also provide the course syllabus, readings, and recorded online lectures as an optional resource so students do not feel like they are missing out on faculty instruction or the resources they receive as Southern students.
*Depending on the context and content of an internship or residency, other courses may be considered.
I’m Interested…
Fill out this form with basic information and our Director of Church and Alumni Engagement will be in touch.