Nazarene Theological Seminary

Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) and MidAmerican Nazarene University (MNU) have partnered to offer the denomination’s first Master of Arts in Counseling, Pastoral Counseling degree. The Pastoral Counseling track, starting in June 2009, is the third track in MNU’s master’s in counseling program, now in its 11th year. All graduates of this specialty track will be eligible for licensure as a professional counselor in Kansas. Students will complete 60 credit hours in the program, 17 of which will be taken at NTS.

According to Dr. Todd Frye, director of the program at MNU, the partnership between MNU and NTS will provide graduates of this specialty area with an extra emphasis on faith and counseling integration and on unique issues that present themselves within the church. Classes for the next cohort begin in June and take 25 months to complete, including a 1000 hour internship in a church setting.

Frye said the new track is well-positioned for the future. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, jobs for counselors are expected to grow at a steady pace. Overall employment of counselors is expected to increase by 21 percent between 2006 and 2016. Some specialties in counseling are projected to grow by as much as 34 percent in the same time frame.

“Many people would like to provide counseling in a church setting,” says Frye. “Churches need the support and pastors often feel underprepared to offer the counseling that parishioners are demanding today. I’m not aware of another pastoral counseling program that leads to state licensure locally.

The program will train students to be a counselor first and add the specialty area of pastoral counseling second. Frye says MNU’s emphasis in other areas of counseling allows graduates to be professional counselors in many settings, not just churches.

For ministerial students specifically, though, the MNU/NTS partnership offers two new options.  First, NTS will now offer a Pastoral Counseling Certificate to students working toward the Master of Divinity Degree (M.Div.).  M.Div. students interested in this area of concentration will use their 16 elective hours to take pastoral counseling courses.    

The second option will allow ministerial students opportunity to obtain both a Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.) and a Master of Arts in Counseling degree—equipping pastors in a very comprehensive way to provide counseling services in their church/community. 

In particular, ministerial students who are the most likely candidates for this dual degree (with its 126 credits required) might include those moving toward a congregation-based counseling ministry, one seeking ordination as a Deacon in Compassionate Ministry, someone anticipating bi-vocational ministry, a pastor serving in communities with limited mental health services, or a minister going into a chaplaincy setting (work place, police, fire, etc.). Because of the extensive internship component, the Pastoral Counseling certificate and dual degree program are available only to those who live in or move to the Kansas City area.

Dr. Judi Schwanz, NTS Professor of Pastoral Care & Counseling, says, "Our collaboration with MNU will allow us to offer professional counseling courses with application to ministry and congregational contexts.  We'll provide a rich environment where pastoral students and counseling students can interact."

The Master of Arts in Counseling program includes specialty training for other counseling areas such as school counselor, mental health counselor, and marriage and family counselor. For more information on the Master of Arts in Counseling program contact Dr. Todd Frye at tmfrye@mnu.edu or 913-971-3449 or visit www.mnu.edu/grad/mac. 

NTS has always offered counseling courses to its students and is excited about now being able to offer a concentration in this area.  For more information on NTS, the Pastoral Counseling Certificate, and the Master of Divinity Degree and the new dual-degree partnership with MNU, contact the NTS Office of Admissions at enroll@nts.edu or at 800-831-3011, ext. 5451.  Additionally, you can view the curriculum (PDF) for the Pastoral Counseling Certificate.