Church Executive LEADERSHIP TRAINING OPTIONS FOR PASTORS | Page 8

About
North Greenville University
North Greenville University is a private liberal arts
institution affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist
Convention and recognized as one of the most notable
conservative Christian universities in the Southeast, and
even the nation.
At the heart of NGU is a Christ-centered community of genuine,
caring faculty and staff members who are committed to providing
every student with not only a quality educational experience, but also
hands-on opportunities for spiritual growth and service on campus, in
the local community, and around the world. NGU exists to glorify God,
by cultivating graduates who are equipped to serve as transformational
leaders for church and society.
We feature more than 50 undergraduate, online undergraduate,
graduate degrees, professional development options, and students can
complete their coursework at NGU’s main campus in Tigerville, S.C.; its
sister campus in Greer, S.C.; or completely online.
Our Tigerville campus is located at the foothills of the scenic Blue Ridge
Mountains in northern Greenville County, S.C. — less than 20 miles north
of the award-winning city of Greenville, which both Livability.com and
U.S. News and World Report have called a best place to live in the U.S.
NGU itself has also received substantial national recognition year after
year. For example, Forbes has named NGU one of America’s top colleges.
And Christian Universities Online calls NGU one of the best Christian
universities in the South.
Graduate and Online Degree Opportunities
NGU’s T. Walter Brashier Graduate School — located at its Tim Brashier
Campus at Greer — offers undergraduate online degree programs and a
full range of graduate degrees: Master of Business Administration, Doctor
of Ministry, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Divinity,
Master of Education, Doctor of Education, Master of Medical Science — PA
Medicine program, and Master of Music Education.
The thought of returning to school to earn a master’s or doctorate degree,
and then finding an affordable option, can sometimes create uneasiness in
a prospective student, especially those with families. Completely altering
your career path to answer God’s call to ministry can cause even further
uncertainty and anxiety.
Dr. Matt Wiremen, dean of NGU’s Christian ministries undergraduate
online degree program, says one of the greatest challenges ministers face
while in seminary is the need to continue to support their family; many
are required to uproot from the familiar. He says we live in a day and time
where technology enables students to get their theological training, and
dig their roots in deeper — both in others’ lives and nourishing the roots
of their own faith.
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CHURCH EXECUTIVE • L E A D E R S H I P T R A I N I N G O P T I O N S F O R P A S T O R S
In a recent blogpost on www.nguinsights.com, Wireman shares three
benefits to earning an online ministry degree:
1)  The ability to grow where you have roots. Sure, you benefit
from relationships made while attending seminary, but you are able to
continue pastoring while doing correspondence work — earning the
same degree you would on a traditional seminary campus. The student
is still able to serve a spouse and children and continue ministry at their
present location.
2)  Your devotional life — it will have the opportunity to flourish. That
is, analogous to a plant that has been uprooted and planted in another
soil, so also we can too quickly discount the time and place God has
already put us. Sometimes we run away from the very place God wants
to tend, for our own growth. You are not only able to continue to care for
those loved in your congregation or ministry, but also able to directly
apply skills learned in that context.
3)  O nline ministry education allows you the ability to learn
at your own pace, receive the same training, and be
challenged at the same rigor as on-campus instruction.
Online education enables you to take care of your family and move
toward the goal of graduation.
To learn more about NGU’s affordable Christian ministries degree
offerings, visit www.ngu.edu/academics.
churchexecutive.com