Evangelism and Leadership, M.A.

Director, Michael Hakmin Lee

Our mission for this degree track is to develop people for effective work in evangelism that is informed by critical engagement with the nature of the gospel, Christian life and thought, and the cultures of the contemporary world. The Great Commission is a call for all followers of Christ to be engaged in the process of leading people to a relationship with Christ and nurturing them in discipleship and Christian growth. This can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit and sensitive engagement with contemporary cultural, philosophical, historical, contextual, and lifestyle realities.

The Master of Arts in Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton College will equip students to think critically and act creatively to communicate the gospel and lead the change that’s needed in our contemporary, multi-ethnic world.

Admission to the Evangelism & Leadership graduate program is open both to those serving or preparing to work in both marketplace and ministry roles. Admission does not require a specific undergraduate major or a prescribed set of courses, but students are expected to have demonstrated leadership experience and possess proficiency in written and spoken English.

The program leading to a Master of Arts in Evangelism and Leadership degree requires 40 hours of course work.

Standard Track

Fitting the professional nature of the degree, learning in many of the courses will be done through directed field work and other experiential methodologies. The degree must be completed within five years.

Residential Track

Students who wish to complete the Evangelism and Leadership degree in a residential format will complete 40 hours of coursework with accompanying weekly labs.

Arrow Leadership Partner Program

Students who have graduated from the Arrow Leadership Program prior to admission may choose to enter the Arrow Leadership Partner Program. Through an arrangement between Wheaton College and the Arrow Leadership Program, upon:

1. Successful completion of EVAN 542 Church: Movements & Models
2. Recommendation of the Program Coordinator based on a paper summarizing the relevance of their Arrow work to evangelism and leadership.

Qualified students are granted a total of 14 credits (10 credits for their Arrow Partnership work and 4 credits for EVAN 542 ) towards the completion of the M.A. in Evangelism and Leadership degree.

African American Church Evangelism Institute Partner Program

Students who have completed or are currently enrolled in the African American Church Evangelism Institute (AACEI) cohort program may choose to enter the AACEI Partner Program at Wheaton Graduate School.

Through an arrangement between Wheaton College and the AACEI, qualified AACEI cohort participants (senior pastors and outreach leaders) who:

1. Successfully complete the AACEI cohort program and the additional AACEI partnership course work (including the zero-credit one week EVAN 501 Advanced CEI seminar) as documented by a report from the AACEI Executive Director, and
2. Successfully complete the remaining degree requirements for the M.A. in Evangelism and Leadership,

will be granted a total of 10 credits of advanced standing (for their AACEI work) toward the completion of the M.A. in Evangelism and Leadership degree. The 10 credit hours awarded for their AACEI work will fulfill EVAN 542 Church: Movements & Models (4), EVAN 559 Organizational and Change Leadership (4), and two hours of electives through MIN 547 Preaching (2).This credit will be awarded upon the successful completion of EVAN 692 Comprehensive Exam (0).

In order to receive the Master’s in Evangelism and Leadership, students take 30 credits of additional courses, including:

Students meet the graduate six-hour Biblical and Theological Studies requirement by taking BITH 565 and EVAN 526 .

Church Evangelism Institute Partner Program

Students who have completed the Church Evangelism Institute (CEI) cohort program may choose to enter the CEI Partner Program at Wheaton Graduate School.

Through an arrangement between Wheaton College and the CEI, qualified CEI cohort participants (senior pastors and outreach leaders) who:

1. Successfully complete the CEI cohort program and the additional CEI partnership course work (including the zero-credit one week EVAN 501 Advanced CEI seminar) as documented by a report from the CEI Executive Director, and
2. Successfully complete the remaining degree requirements for the M.A. in Evangelism and Leadership,

will be granted a total of 10 credits of advanced standing (for their CEI work) toward the completion of the M.A. in Evangelism and Leadership degree. The 10 credit hours awarded for their CEI work will fulfill EVAN 542 Church: Movements & Models (4), EVAN 559 Organizational and Change Leadership (4), and two hours of electives through MIN 547 Preaching (2).This credit will be awarded upon the successful completion of EVAN 692 Comprehensive Exam (0).

In order to receive the Master’s in Evangelism and Leadership, students take 30 credits of additional courses, including:

Students meet the graduate six-hour Biblical and Theological Studies requirement by taking BITH 565 and EVAN 526 .