For students preparing for ministry, college and seminary typically represent successive stages of education. A new partnership between Dallas Theological Seminary and Arizona Christian University (ACU) brings those stages together: Every ACU student majoring in Bible and theology will earn a DTS graduate certificate as part of the four-year bachelor’s degree.

Starting this fall, the partnership incorporates fifteen hours of DTS coursework into students’ senior year. Classes will be taught by DTS professors at the new Mark L. Bailey DTS Academic Training Center on ACU’scampus. Students will graduate with both their undergraduate degree and a Graduate Certificate of Christian Studies (GCCS) from DTS.

The opportunity goes beyond an early introduction to seminary. Graduates who continue through the partnership’s 4+1 pathway can earn a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership (MACL) with only one additional year of study—completing both undergraduate and master’s degrees in five years.

“We’re excited to offer our students something no other Christian university currently provides,” said Len Munsil, president of ACU.“This partnership gives our students a strong theological foundation and a clear pathway into ministry.”

The university partnership is part of a broader effort to connect theological education with the contexts in which ministry leaders already study and serve. Dallas Theological Seminary launched its Phoenix site in 2021 with partnerships with ACU and Scottsdale Bible Church (SBC) and now that church residency network will grow to bring that work to additional congregations.

Pioneered at SBC in 2023, the residency model enables participants to earn an MACL while serving in ministry roles. Highlands Church and Palmcroft Church are joining the effort, with several additional churches planning to participate. Together they form the Valley Church Training Cohort, pairing graduate coursework with hands-on ministry training.

The seminary also partners with Pursuit, an eighteen-monthwomen’s discipleship initiative led by Michelle Clifford, executive leader at SBC, to strengthen theological formation and leadership development among women in the church.

What unites all these initiatives is the goal of bringing solid, trustworthy theological education to ministry preparation that’s already happening—on campus, in church, and through discipleship.

“There is an infectious excitement for the church in Phoenix and across the western United States,” said DTS President Mark Yarbrough.“We’re honored to partner with churches and universities to equip young men and women to go deep in God’s Word and lead with clarity and conviction.”