Master of Arts in Cross-cultural Ministry (MACM)

Common Goals for Professional MA Programs

Students in all of professional MA programs at DTS will be able to:

• demonstrate a general knowledge of the Bible, including a synthetic understanding of the major books;
• evidence an understanding of the historical development of theology, a knowledge of premillennial theology, and an ability to support their theological views and apply them to contemporary issues; and
• evidence an increasing likeness to Christ as manifested in love for God, love for others, and the fruit of the Spirit.

Goals for MA in Cross-cultural Ministry

In addition to the goals common to all professional degree programs at the seminary, students in this program will be able to:

• verbalize principles of effective intercultural ministry;
• demonstrate familiarity with essential principles of anthropology, ethnology, sociology, and psychology in relation to missions;
• evidence a deep commitment to world evangelism;
• communicate the Bible effectively in an intercultural context;
• produce an accurate profile of the chosen country or area of the world; and
• design an effective strategy for an intercultural ministry.

Course Requirements

Sixty-four semester hours of course work are required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 22 are in prescribed Bible Exposition courses, 18 in prescribed Systematic Theology courses, and 3 are in the Christian Life and Witness course. There are 12 hours of prescribed World Missions and Intercultural Studies courses and a 2-hour MACM Ministry Formation Internship. The remaining 6 hours are missions electives. Department professors will assist students in designing the most appropriate program of missions electives for the student’s personal career goals.

Students are required to do a cross-cultural internship as part of completing the missions electives of the program. The acceptability of this experience is determined by the Ministry Formation Office. Those interested in the TESOL certificate must take TESOL courses in addition to missions electives. This will require an additional 10 or 11 hours of coursework.

No thesis is required for the MACM degree.

Students in the MA in Cross-cultural Ministry (MACM) program are required to take MinistrySafe’s Sexual Abuse Awareness Training. 

Spiritual Formation

Because DTS values Christlike character and spiritual maturity, MACM students are required to register for and participate in Spiritual Formation groups for four consecutive fall and spring semesters at either the Dallas, Houston, or Washington DC campus. (MACM students who are not planning to move to Dallas or Houston for four consecutive fall and spring semesters must contact the Spiritual Formation office and apply for an alternative program for completing their Spiritual Formation requirement.)

In the Spiritual Formation curriculum, small groups of five to seven students focus on identity, community, integrity, and fidelity. The groups also provide an atmosphere for prayer, fellowship, and the integration of learning with life and ministry. Because students participate in the same group during four consecutive semesters, they should plan their schedules so they may meet on the same day and at the same time each semester. Spiritual Formation is a noncredit, transcripted experience. Internship prerequisites include successful completion of SF100-1, WM205, and completion of half of their DTS course work.