group of children

The children’s ministry major prepares students for faithful, dynamic, and effective children’s ministry in local churches and other contexts. Ministers for both children and youth will find this program effective for service preparation, as will people working with camps, Christian schools, evangelistic efforts, and other parachurch ministries. Children’s Ministry students are prepared to:

  • Serve in a leadership role of ministry in the church
  • Function as part of a team/staff relationship
  • Stay abreast of changes in ministry to children and family involvement in the church
  • Prepare and deliver sound teaching to children and their families and continue in lifelong learning
  • Pursue seminary or graduate education
  • Provide a solid example as a humble student of scripture and the world, of what it means to follow Jesus in daily living

Ministry Leadership Program

This major is part of the Ministry Leadership Program. Learn more about this exciting program »

Course Requirements

Children’s Ministry major – B.A.

Bible (12 hrs)

  • BIBL 201 Jesus in the Gospels (3 hrs)
  • BIBL 211 Old Testament Images of God (3 hrs)
  • 3 hrs of Old Testament from BIBL 252, 301, 304, 343, 351, 352, 355, 405, or 432
  • 3 hrs of New Testament from BIBL 202, 313, 321, 322, 324, 325, 328, 411, 412, or 452
  • BIBL 295 (Seminar), 489 (Directed Readings), and 495 (Seminar) may be suitable Old or New Testament electives, depending on course content. Approved seminary courses in Old or New Testament may also serve as electives.

Church History/Theology (12 hrs)

  • HIST 341 and 342 Church History (6 hrs)
  • HIST 431 The Stone-Campbell Movement in the North American Context (3 hrs)
  • 3 hrs of electives chosen from BIBL 473, CMIN 365, HIST/BIBL 323, HIST/BIBL 343, HIST 250, 352, 432, and other approved church history or theology electives.

Ministry Leadership (25 hrs)

  • CMIN 260 Ministry Leadership Seminar (Taken three times, 2 hrs each) (6 hrs)
  • CMIN 273 Foundations of Christian Ministry (3 hrs)
  • CMIN 278 Fundamentals of Teaching (3 hrs)
  • CMIN 317 Fundamentals of Children’s Ministry (3 hrs)
  • CMIN 350 Ministry in a Changing Culture (3 hrs)
  • CMIN 480 Theological Integration (1 hr)
  • CMIN 491C Semester in Ministry Internship (6 hrs); or, CMIN 491A Summer Ministry Internship (3 hrs) plus one additional approved CMIN elective (3 hrs).

Total number of required hours: 49

In addition to courses in the major, students must complete the General Education Requirements for a bachelor of arts degree as described in the 2018-19 catalog.

To earn a bachelor’s degree, a student must complete 128 semester hours in courses with course numbers at the 100 level or above. The B.A. degree requires foreign language through the intermediate level. The Bible faculty strongly recommends this language be Greek or Hebrew as an aid in the study of the Bible.

Senior Portfolio

Students majoring in Children’s Ministry must compile a portfolio of their work demonstrating their competencies regarding the outcomes listed above. The final form of this portfolio is compiled, reviewed, and assessed by the Bible Area faculty as part of the required Theological Integration course taken during the final year. Students pursuing double majors must complete the required portfolio for the Children’s Ministry major.

Children’s Ministry minor

The minor in Children’s Ministry equips students to prepare for a lifetime of service to Christ regardless of their primary field of study. Because Milligan believes that “every Christian is a minister,” this minor seeks to prepare students to serve effectively as bi-vocational servant-leaders or as voluntary leaders in their local churches.

  • BIBL 201 Jesus in the Gospels (3 hrs)
  • BIBL 211 Old Testament Images of God (3 hrs)
  • CMIN 273 Foundations of Christian Ministry (3 hrs)
  • CMIN 278 Fundamentals of Teaching (3 hrs) or CMIN 350 Ministry in a Changing Culture (3 hrs)
  • CMIN 317 Fundamentals of Children’s Ministry (3 hrs)
  • HIST 341 and 342 Church History (6 hrs)

Total number of required hours: 21


View all details and course requirements for this program in the Milligan College Catalog (link below). The Milligan College academic catalog is the official, authoritative source for all academic requirements and policies. Any discrepancies in curricular requirements from other sources will default to the Catalog.

Faculty

Curtis Booher
Professor of Christian Ministries

Associate Professor of Humanities and History

Craig Farmer
Joel O. and Mabel Stephens Chair of Bible; Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities; Professor of History and Humanities

Professor Emerita of Sociology and Missions

Associate Professor of Bible and Humanities

Ron Kastens
Academic Dean of the Seminary and Associate Professor of Christian Ministry

Phil Kenneson
The Kenneth E. Starkey Chair of Bible and Christian Ministries; Associate Dean of the School of Bible and Ministry; Professor of Theology and Philosophy

Jeff Miller
Vera Britton Chair of Bible; Professor of Bible

Professor of Old Testament

Paul Blowers
Dean E. Walker Professor of Church History

Kip Elolia
Professor of Christian Theology and World Christianity

Jack Holland
Russell F. and Marian J. Blowers Professor of Christian Ministries; Professor of Christian Care and Counseling

David Kiger
Director of Libraries and Theological Librarian

Professor of Theology and Society

Rollin Ramsaran
Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins

Professor of Ministerial Formation

Michael Sweeney
Professor of World Mission and New Testament; Director of the Master of Arts in Christian Ministries Program

Seeger's Steeple infant of a yellow sunset