Holding to our Heritage, Focused on our Future
The purpose of Maranatha is to develop leaders for ministry in the local church and the world to the praise of His glory. In light of this mission, Maranatha is expanding its curriculum to completely fulfill its mission of preparing leaders for engagement with the world of the lost for the following reasons:
First, the opportunities at Maranatha have grown dramatically. The campus has state-of-the-art technology in new classrooms and is increasing its use of video and internet communications and learning. The library has 125,000 books and more than 7000 journals, in both print and digital format. The faculty is more robust than ever. Maranatha is more prepared to add a seminary to its academic offerings than ever before.
Second, because Maranatha Baptist Seminary is a part of Maranatha Baptist Bible College, we can offer Graduate Assistant work opportunities that allow students to obtain graduate degrees while working for the college. This mutually beneficial relationship allows graduate students to finish their studies in a timely fashion without going into debt. Seminary students often marry, have children, work fulltime, and try to engage in a meaningful part-time ministry. The GA program will allow diligent students to complete their college and seminary education in no more than seven years.
Third, Maranatha believes that the college connection can enhance the preparation of the seminary student. Seminary students will have the opportunity to minister to and disciple college students on a regular basis. Seminary students, preparing for ministry, will be able to impact, over the course of two to three years, college students, some of whom will themselves enter into the seminary to be an impact on the next class of students.
Fourth, Seminary students will be intentionally mentored both on and off campus. The faculty will purposefully mentor the students in class, chapel and one-on-one discipleship times. Area pastors will work with the seminary faculty to continue intentional mentoring in the local churches. Students learn much in the classroom; they also need to learn in the field, putting into practice the lessons of the classroom. Those seminary students who attended Maranatha College will also benefit as they continue to build the relationships they began during their undergraduate education.
Fifth, Maranatha seeks to place its graduates into ministry as soon as possible. The Master of Divinity degree was designed originally to educate a secular college graduate. With the growth of the Bible College movement, 96 hours of seminary training is no longer the standard. Many seminaries, and Maranatha is among them, recognize that there is duplication of material between the typical Bible College student’s education and his Seminary training. Therefore, Maranatha is offering Advanced Placement and a Three+Three Program. In the Three+Three program students who attend Maranatha Baptist Bible College may apply up to 26 hours of Seminary courses to meet undergraduate competency. A diligent student will be able to begin Seminary after his junior year of college. This will allow the student to graduate after three years in college and three years in seminary. In addition Maranatha offers graduates of other Bible colleges up to 16 hours of Advanced Placement.
Maranatha seeks to be "To the Praise of His Glory" in all that we do – Holding to our Heritage and Focused on the Future!
--Written by Dr. Larry Oats, Dean of the Seminary, September 2008