Religion (BA)
Minister to the world.
If God is calling you into ministry, whether full-time or in a co-vocational capacity, a Religion degree from SWU will equip you to serve the church and multiply disciples. Our graduates make a transformational difference in the world through the church and the marketplace.
Prepare for your ministry alongside expert, caring faculty who will help you uncover and pursue your vocation. You’ll learn to teach and preach effectively, apply Scripture to daily life, lead missional outreach, and cultivate spiritual development. Our streamlined curriculum makes it easy to double-major in Religion and another area of interest. All students are provided with robust practical ministry experience through our internship and residency programs.
Each of our Religion concentrations meets all academic ordination requirements for the Wesleyan Church, preparing you to work in different ministry settings and lead a Christ-centered life.
Are you ready to answer the call?
Concentrations
In the Christian Ministry concentration, you will learn how to provide meaningful spiritual leadership in a ministry context. We emphasize missional outreach alongside wholehearted discipleship and church revitalization and planting.
View CoursesIn the Worship Ministry concentration, you will focus on the relationships between theology and music. You will develop musical excellence and prepare to lead contemporary and traditional worship.
View CoursesThe Youth and Children’s Ministry concentration will help you become a NextGen ministry leader who can engage the culture with a biblical perspective. You’ll gain valuable ministry experience with youth and children.
View CoursesDr. Mark O. Wilson
Chair, Division of Religion and Associate Professor of Christian Ministry
Contact“SWU and the Religion Division have prepared me in so many ways to serve. Within the SWU community there were so many open opportunities for serving that it almost seemed like everywhere I looked there was another way to serve. And through the department, I learned not only how to serve the community God has placed around me but how to take care of myself holistically.”Alyssa Elliott — 2023 Religion Graduate
- Campus ministry
- Campus pastor
- Children’s pastor
- Community programs
- Compassion ministry
- Co-vocational ministry
- Family life pastor
- Marketplace ministry
- Missional outreach
- Missionary work
- NextGen pastor
- Parachurch ministry
- Seminary
- Senior pastor
- Worship pastor
- Youth pastor
The Division of Religion at Southern Wesleyan University exists to serve Christ and His Church by equipping ministers and scholars of the Gospel in the Wesleyan tradition who are Biblically grounded, theologically discerning, contextually aware, ministerially effective, and spiritually mature.
Graduates of the Religion program will be able to:
- Biblically Grounded: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the Bible and skill in the hermeneutical process.
- Theologically Discerning: Students will articulate and appropriate well-reasoned Christian theology from a Wesleyan perspective.
- Contextually Aware: Students will analyze historic and contemporary contexts of the Christian faith to inform their approach to ministry.
- Ministerially Effective: Students will demonstrate proficiency in core ministerial competencies, including leadership, Biblical proclamation, evangelism, discipleship, and pastoral care.
- Spiritually Mature: Students will demonstrate measurable growth in personal and communal spiritual practices, ethical discernment, and vocational clarity consistent with a maturing Christian faith.
