School of Theology & Formation

Connecting students with the Church through the centuries, the School of Theology and Formation focuses on how Christians have formulated their faith, worship God, grow in grace and live in the world as responsible disciples of Jesus Christ.

Seven Academic disciplines are represented in the School of Theology and Formation: Theology, Philosophy, Church History, Worship, Church Music, Church and Society and Spiritual Formation.

The disciplines of Theology, Philosophy and Church History inquire into the basic aspects of Christian thought in order to enable persons to know the foundation for believing in God, to understand God's ways in the world, and to reflect theologically as they minister in the church and the world. Dimensions of faith are examined from methodological, doctrinal, critical, historical, biblical, philosophical, and ethical perspectives.

The disciplines of Spiritual Formation and Christian Ethics and Society focus on Wesleyan understandings of holiness which are distinctive in their emphasis on both the personal and the social dimensions of Christian Formation and responsibility. Courses in these areas contribute to the preparation of students for ministry through attention to practices, disciplines and theoretical underpinnings of spiritual and moral formation. In Christian Ethics and Society courses students receive training for analysis of, and ministry within, various cultural and institutional contexts. A number of courses provide experience in and reflection on specific ministry settings (e.g., pastoral, urban, institutional). In Spiritual Formation classes students receive guidance for integrating spirituality and ministry and for offering personal as well as corporate spiritual direction.

The disciplines of Worship and Church Music apply classical, historical, and systematic studies to the life of the church. Biblical, theological, historical and practical studies are brought to bear on the elements of prayer, Scripture and music for the whole congregation in corporate worship. Worship classes discuss theology and function. Church Music explores historical, contemporary, and theoretical appreciations. The focus of worship courses rests in showing the power and purpose of worship with a view to leadership, and the focus of music moves in the direction of viewing music as integral to the totality of Christian ministry.

The task of theology is an ongoing one that involves the whole person. Though the content of faith revealed by God is once-and-for-all given, its articulation must be made relevant to each generation and in ever-changing contexts. Special attention is given to the Wesleyan-Arminian understanding of Christian theology within the wider classical Christian tradition and contemporary thought.

The M.Div. degree initiates students into the basic aspects of Christian theology and the Christian tradition in order to enable them to know God, to understand God's ways in the world, to think theologically, and to practice ministry with theological insight and sensitivity.

Giving special attention to the Wesleyan-Arminian perspective, students shall develop an understanding of Christian theology that will enable them to:

Articulate its unfolding development in church history;
Understand the key issues in religious philosophy;
Develop an ability to understand the importance of theological method that underlies and informs the task of forming and articulating Christian doctrine;
Describe the basic categories and content of systematic theology;
Interpret the contemporary relevance of the Wesleyan doctrinal distinctives;
Develop the ability to integrate orthodoxy, spiritual formation, and orthopraxy.

The M.Div. requires coursework in Theology and Formation in two categories, Core Courses and Core Electives:

Core Courses

ST501 Method and Praxis in Theology (3)
DO501 Basic Christian Doctrine (3)
CH501 Church History-1 (3)
CH502 Church History-2 (3)
PH501 Philosophy of Christian Religion (3)
CS601 Christian Ethics (2)

Core Electives

Christian Ethics and Society - 1(3)
(Choose any course within the range, CS610-639 and CS651-698).
Understanding the World - 1(3)
(Choose any course within the range, CS610-649).
Music and Worship - 1(3)
(Choose any course within the range, MU510-549 and WO510-549).

Having successfully completed the core elective requirement in Christian Ethics and Society, students should be able to:

Graduates will demonstrate enhanced understanding of and commitment to personal and social holiness through practices of moral, personal, and spiritual formation, in a context of accountability to a community of faith, and dependence on the Spirit of Christ.
Demonstrate competence with various biblical and Christian traditions used in responding to selected moral issues;
Demonstrate competence with various ethical categories and frameworks used in responding to specific contemporary moral issues;
Demonstrate competence in utilizing social, cultural, and/or historical analysis in response to contemporary moral issues;
Apply ethical analysis in developing responses to moral issues at a congregational and/or institutional level; and
Recognize the distinctive insights arising from particular social locations.

Having successfully completed the core elective requirement in Understanding the World, students should be able to:

Graduates will demonstrate enhanced understanding of and commitment to personal and social holiness through practices of moral, personal, and spiritual formation, in a context of accountability to a community of faith, and dependence on the Spirit of Christ.
Demonstrate a basic awareness of the cultural dimensions of effective ministry;
Utilize selected tools from socio-economic and political analysis for interpreting and addressing issues;
Describe examples of cross-cultural ministry and service; and
Explain how individual Christians and Christian communities can respond to the needs, contexts, and insights of various cultural groups and marginalized communities in society and in the church.

Having successfully completed the core elective requirement in Worship and Church Music, students should be able to:

Graduates will demonstrate enhanced understanding of and commitment to personal and social holiness through practices of moral, personal, and spiritual formation, in a context of accountability to a community of faith, and dependence on the Spirit of Christ.
Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of ways of Christian worship, together with self-critical perspective on one's own preferences and commitments in worship;
Enrich congregational worship in prayer, word, and sacraments; and
Make sound worship decisions based on historical, theological, and pastoral concerns
Demonstrate appropriate behavior in all forms of worship.
Articulate a basic understanding of how music functions in Christian worship.
Articulate a theology and philosophy of music that orients one's practices in Christian worship.
Evidence familiarity with varied corporate worship styles and articulate how music functions fruitfully in each.
Demonstrate awareness of music and musical resources for worship, including special services of worship (e.g., funerals, weddings, baptisms)
Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the broad-based history of the use of music in Christian worship.

Asbury Theological Seminary

Academic Catalog

School of Theology & Formation

Core Courses

Core Electives