“Equipping Men and Women for Ministry.”

Our mission is to equip men and women for church-based ministry. We accomplish this through quality graduate-level distance education programs in biblical, theological, and pastoral studies grounded in biblical, Christ-centered, historically orthodox faith and worship.

Purpose

Grace Communion Seminary serves the needs of pastors and others engaged in Christian service who want to grow deeper in relationship with our Triune God and to be able to serve in the church more effectively.

Grace is the essence of our lives, because it is descriptive of the Triune God, in whose image we are made. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ reveals God to us, grants us life in him, leads us in forgiving and being forgiven, and gives us salvation. Our Triune God and his grace and love through Jesus Christ is the center of our theology.

Communion describes the relationship God gives us with himself and with one another. The Holy Spirit binds us with Jesus, the head of the church, enlivens God’s love in our hearts, and unites us as followers of Jesus Christ. We live in inseparable unity in Christ in the perpetual effects of his incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost.

Seminary describes the scope of our educational goal. Our mission is to equip men and women for church-based ministry. We accomplish this through quality graduate-level distance education programs in theological, and pastoral studies grounded in biblical, Christ-centered, historically faith — that is, a theology that is Incarnational and Trinitarian.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.” (2 Corinthians 13:13,  NRSV. updated edition).

Educational philosophy

GCS provides holistic Christian education for Christian leaders to develop biblical and theological understanding for pastoral leadership by means of  online lectures, directed readings, written assignments, practical application experiences, and interaction with colleagues and professors.

To accomplish these purposes, we are dedicated to the search for and dissemination of truth. We believe that the students, faculty, staff, administrators, and board members should be committed to and supported in their pursuit of knowledge and truth.

Goals

Our institutional goals express our intent to educate pastors and other Christian leaders in graduate-level programs centered in a historically orthodox, Incarnational Trinitarian faith:

1. Serve graduate-level educational needs of pastors and others engaged in Christian ministry who seek to grow deeper in relationship with our Triune God and to be able to serve more effectively in the life of the church in Jesus Christ.
2. Provide formal programs of instruction and other learning opportunities that foster intellectual curiosity; facilitate the work of the Spirit in transforming the student; help the student be sensitive to the lead of the Spirit to the moral and social needs of the family, the church, and the surrounding society; and cultivate in them a willingness to respond as God leads them to address the global needs of humanity.
3. Provide seminary education that conveys the Trinitarian nature of God in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.
4. Provide courses and programs that meet traditional academic standards, but are designed to suit the needs of men and women who can study only on a part-time basis, and also allow fulltime students to progress at a traditional pace.

Educational Objectives

Our institutional objectives further describe the scope of our distance education programs:

1. Provide quality distance education programs for graduate students in biblical, theological, historical, ministerial, and pastoral studies that are centered in Incarnational Trinitarian theology
2. Provide credentialed faculty members who have experience in teaching and in ministry-related areas.
3. Provide adequate administrative staff to facilitate direction and coordination of student services, faculty development, financial accountability, and technological support.
4. Provide structured graduate-level programs in a semester-long format that are readily accessible to clergy and others engaged in Christian ministry. These courses are offered in a flexible manner through technologically sound, cost-effective educational systems.
5. Provide holistic Christian education through online courses by means of directed readings, online lectures, written assignments, practical application experiences, examinations, and interaction with peers and professors.
6. Provide a curriculum that enables students to meet personal goals in higher education, from taking courses of their choice in the Master’s Level Continuing Education Courses, to a master’s degree program.
7. Provide courses that give students a good foundation in biblical studies, theology, church history, and Christian ministry, suitable for pastoral work or for further study.
8. Provide effective interactions between students and faculty, as measured by at least a 95 percent positive rating on our end-of semester survey.

Student Learning Outcomes

Through maintaining the educational objectives in our curriculum, students are intended to gain competence in the following learning outcomes:

1. Explain the revelation of the Bible in its historical and cultural setting as it relates to God, Jesus Christ, and salvation, and its application for faithful living today.
2. Reason from a sound theological basis as Christians centered in a biblical, Christ-centered faith.
3. Model the love of God the Father, the grace of the Son Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit in congregations.
4. Participate with Jesus Christ in the work of pastoral ministry, giving witness to and representing him through the power of the Holy Spirit.
5. Integrate biblical exegesis with sound theological exposition that facilitates effective ministry directed by Jesus Christ.