two young girls smile as they are welcomed into church camp by enthusiastic youth leaders

Student Ministry Degree

Complete a degree in Christian ministry with an emphasis in student ministry

Do you have a heart for ministry and a passion for working with youth? SBU's Student Ministry within the Christian Ministry degree will teach you how to reach youth at a critical time in their lives through training in discipleship, evangelism and adolescent development.

Coursework in multiple academic disciplines — including theology, ministry, psychology and education — will equip you to effectively lead and maintain a student ministry in a church or other organization. As you learn how to become a youth minister, put your learning into action through apprenticeships, volunteering at local churches and participating in student service activities such as the Center for Global Connections projects.

The Student Ministry program is offered through SBU's College of Arts and Social Sciences.

Resources

Degree Plan

100%
placement
rate

(Exit surveys reveal that students are employed or accepted to graduate school by the time of their graduation.)

The SBU Advantage

Completing an apprenticeship in youth ministry will give you valuable, real-world experience prior to graduation.
Learn from highly qualified faculty including Dr. Duke Jones who has more than 30 years of youth ministry experience.
Many local churches provide volunteer and internship opportunities for you to get experience working with youth group ministries while pursuing your degree.
Each year, more churches seek to hire our graduates than the number of students in our program, creating great job placement opportunities.

Faith Integration

The integration of Christian faith and academic discipline is inherent in the Youth Ministry program. Students receive superior academic training in Biblical studies through core classes such as Methods of Biblical Interpretation, Christian Heritage, Christian Doctrine, and Disciple-Making and Evangelism. The courses required by each concentration provide excellent career and ministry preparation with the goal of nurturing your personal faith while also equipping you to nurture the faith of others.

Careers

Our graduates are equipped to immediately enter student ministry careers including:

Youth Minister at various churches around the country
Camp/Retreat Leaders
Missions and Ministry Leaders
Children's/Family minister at various churches around the country
Camp director
Day care director

Graduate Schools

With SBU's Master of Arts in Christian Ministry 4+1 program, you can complete both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in just 5 years!

Other graduate schools and seminaries or Biblical Studies students later attend include:

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
University of Aberdeen (Scotland)

Full-Time Faculty

Dr. Don Denton, Professor

Dr. Prosperly Lyngdoh, Associate Professor

Dr. Duke Jones, Professor

Dr. Kelly Malone, Professor

Dr. Matt Kimbrough, Associate Professor

Dr. David Quackenbos, Assistant Professor

Scholarships

While earning your youth ministry degree, you will be eligible for the Church Related Vocation (CRV) scholarship, which is currently valued at $2,000 per year. To maintain this scholarship, you must be enrolled in a ministry-related degree program, submit the necessary application and references, participate in SBU's in-service training program and complete any other requirements.

Several privately funded scholarships are also available by application to students preparing for service in missions and evangelism.

Baptist Association of Christian Educators (BACE)

Join SBU's chapter of the Baptist Association of Christian Educators. By joining BACE, you will receive valuable professional development opportunities and be part of a greater network of others who are in or are pursuing leadership roles in Christian education in local churches.

Student Ministry FOUR YEAR PLAN

Discover Core Curriculum