Bring Godly Wisdom and Comfort to Those in Need with an M.Div. in Community Chaplaincy
Chaplains provide spiritual guidance, comfort, and non-denominational religious services to those who are in need. The environment you find yourself in as a community chaplain can vary from healthcare, prisons, corporations, schools, or military settings. You may also find yourself working with offenders and their families as they re-enter society, or you may offer counseling and support to family members in a hospice or hospital setting.
As a community chaplain, you might encounter people who are suffering from grief, stress, or trauma. Whether they have lost a loved one, endured a war zone, or been involved in a physical attack, you can learn the methods and techniques that can help you to offer comfort effectively. Our Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in Professional Chaplaincy – Community degree program provides broad-based biblical and theological training that is needed for a variety of environments. You can learn how to effectively provide emotional and spiritual support to those in need. Through our M.Div. training, you can gain the ability to comfort believers and reach non-believers with the love of Christ.
Accreditation
Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Your seminary degree is approved by ATS and has met rigorous accreditation standards. So you can feel confident that your degree is both academically excellent and well-respected among churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
Award-Winning Campus
At Liberty, you’ll find an affordable, high-quality education that equips students like you for the real world. Our commitment to excellence helped us rank as the #4 Best College Campus in America by Niche.com. Earning your degree from a nonprofit university with state-of-the-art resources like ours can help set you apart from your peers.
Why Choose Liberty’s Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy – Community Degree?
Liberty University’s professional community chaplaincy degree is designed to prepare you for chaplaincy in Christian settings, but it can also help qualify you for ministry positions in secular institutions, hospitals, college campuses, sports organizations, emergency response organizations, and prisons. Our Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy can prepare you for the challenge and mission of bringing the Word of God to those who need it.
The faculty members in our School of Divinity can equip you for success in ministering to the spiritual health of others. Additionally, we have partnered with local churches and parachurch organizations to provide experiential training. In fact, local church ministry training is embedded within our programs. If you wish to enter the field of community chaplaincy, you may apply for endorsement through the Liberty Baptist Fellowship with the assistance of our Academic Advisors. Liberty University’s Center for Ministry Training is a good resource for practical ministry opportunities.
If you have prior ministry experience or if you previously pursued an accredited seminary degree, you might be able to receive course credit through our transfer credit or Institutional Challenge Exams. Our Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy can help prepare you for the challenge of bringing the Word of God to those in need and administering pastoral care to those in need.
What Will You Learn in Our M.Div. in Professional Chaplaincy – Community Degree?
Our Master of Divinity in Professional Chaplaincy – Community can help prepare you for the unique work of a community chaplain’s occupational role. We focus on providing the training and professional development you need to serve in a variety of ministry settings. Throughout this degree, you can learn how to apply your knowledge and skills to the secular and pluralistic contexts that you might encounter in the military, healthcare, and community settings. You can also gain language and interpretation skills that are taught for all Master of Divinity programs.
As a chaplain, you might encounter people in dire need of counseling and guidance – dealing with crises on a daily basis can have negative effects on your own health. This degree provides the special training you’ll need to build your resiliency and use the biblical model to teach and build resiliency in others. You can also acquire fundamental leadership principles that can enable you to go into the community and minister to those in need.
Additionally, you have the option of completing two units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as part of this program. This program provides supervision under a Liberty-trained mentor to develop your ability to provide pastoral care from your faith-based tradition. Upon graduation, you can have the training and confidence to be an effective force for good in the world.
Review the Degree Completion Plan, and check out our featured courses below to learn more about what you’ll be studying!
Featured Courses
CHPL 645 – Chaplain Resilient Leaders
CHPL 655 – Chaplain Evangelism and Discipleship
CRIS 682 – Community Chaplaincy
PACO 604 – Crisis Intervention in Pastoral Counseling
Highlights of Our Master of Divinity Degree
- Monday-only classes for master’s programs allow students to complete large portions of their M.Div. degree by only attending class one day a week.
- We have a state-of-the-art homiletics/teaching lab in our School of Divinity building.
- Study under theologians and missionaries with real-world experience.
- Institutional Challenge Exams (ICE) are available to test out of foundational biblical and theological studies content for the M.Div. program.
- Our Scriptorium houses the Rawlings Foundation rare books collection valued at over $1 million, a 111-long Torah scroll that dates to the 16th century, and a functioning replica of the Gutenberg Printing Press.
- You will have the option of completing two units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as a part of your program.
- Local church ministry training is embedded within our programs.
- We provide experiential learning opportunities through church and parachurch ministries.
Master of Divinity Degree Information
- Residential
- 93 total credit hours
- Transfer in up to 50% of your credits
- This program falls under John W. Rawlings School of Divinity
- View the Degree Completion Plan
- View our course catalog
Potential Career Options with a Degree in Professional Community Chaplaincy
- Corporate chaplain
- Pastor
- Prison Chaplain
Admission Requirements for Graduate Divinity Degrees
Every application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and all applicants must submit the following documents and meet the minimum requirements for admission:
- Admission application
- Official bachelor’s degree transcripts with a 2.0 GPA or higher
- Self-certification form (for students in the final term of their bachelor’s degree)
- John W. Rawlings School of Divinity questionnaire
- Pastoral recommender contact information
- Current Liberty undergraduate students seeking preliminary acceptance into a graduate program must complete a degree completion application through their ASIST account
