The Heartland Theological Seminary offers a 30-hour Master’s Degree in Applied Theology. The Applied Theology Degree is a two year curriculum cycling through 9 distinct, 9-week modules. Each 9-week module focuses on one area of study and assumes that every student is involved in some form of hands-on ministry. This allows greater focus on integration and application. Below are the courses offered through our Applied Theology Degree:

Spiritual Formation

Learn how to go deeper in your own journey toward spiritual maturity.  This course will present a paradigm for how you may become increasingly more like Jesus in thought, word, and deed. It will help you grow in authentic personal relationship with your loving     Heavenly Father.  Special emphasis is given to overcoming the most common obstacles to growth.  Every tutorial will point to the goal of being transformed into a person who embodies the love of our great God.

Hermeneutics and Teaching

Interpreting the Bible presents a variety of challenges:  understanding the nature of scripture and its various literary types, uncovering its historical and cultural contexts, learning what questions to ask of scripture and how to responsibly discern the answers, knowing how to apply what one has discovered all are skills that must be developed.  Then one must master the ability of communicating it to others.  This course will examine the fundamentals of biblical interpretation, as well as how to teach its truths in a compelling way.

Old Testament

This class introduces you to the history, literature, and theology of the Old Testament in the context of its major divisions and key concepts, including inspiration and canonicity, interpretation, original sources, archaeology, history, culture, chronology, geography, Messianic types, and prophecies. It will help you understand the theological message of the Old Testament in its historical and cultural context while teaching you to engage with critical issues in contemporary scholarship.

New Testament

This course highlights the central themes, issues, events, and persons of the New Testament.  We will look at the complementary portraits of Jesus found in the four Gospels, the problems associated with the apocryphal gospels, the method and content of Jesus’ teaching with special focus on the parables, and his preaching on the Kingdom of God.  We will explore Jesus’ attitude toward the Law and the Temple, as well as Jesus’ understanding of his own person and mission.  In addition, we will examine Paul’s ministry and understanding of the Christian faith, review current approaches to Pauline theology, and briefly overview every book in the NT.

Relational Ministry

This course will discuss basic principles and strategies for evangelism, discipleship, pastoral care, and counseling. As all ministry occurs in the context of relationship, learning how to love and express that love is the first and most fundamental skill to be developed.  Seeing evangelism and discipleship as a way of loving others and connecting them to the love of God requires a paradigm shift.  Learning to see comfort, care, compassion, and counseling less as something we do, than as an extension of who we are, transforms not only those we minister to, but transforms us as well.

Theology

In this course, you will learn different approaches to the study of theology including historical, biblical, and systematic theologies. You will be given an overview of the traditional categories of theology including revelation, theology proper, the Trinity, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the nature of humanity, sin, salvation, the Church, and the end times.  Representative figures, events, and movements will be studied to better understand the historic Christian faith and current postmodern theological ideas and trends.

Church History

This course is a general survey of Christian church history from its founding at Pentecost to the present day.  In it, we will focus on important events, periods and personalities, key controversies and resolutions, the development of denominations, the progress of missions, and differing views of spirituality, while drawing applications from history for today’s ministry challenges… because “there is nothing new under the sun.”

Cultural Analysis

In contemporary culture, the chasm between the sacred and secular grows ever wider.  In order to be effective ambassadors, we need to understand the most popular views that exist in the West, and how they emerged.  This course will help you understand the philosophical underpinnings for these perspectives and teach you how to communicate Christianity’s answers to the deep longings they express.  You will learn how to “exegete” culture through art, entertainment, literature, wardrobe, and various other manifestations of contemporary values.

Leadership

This course is taught in two parts. The first part is devoted to helping you develop a compelling vision for church mission and strategy. The second part is designed to teach you how to lead others into that vision. We will explore practical elements like leading teams and conducting effective meetings as well as the more foundational truths found in Scripture about servant leadership.