Adapted from a Trinity School for Ministry announcement
Trinity School for Ministry will offer a master of arts degree in religion entirely online for students who prefer distance learning to a residential program.
“We are meeting a need for a huge number of people who are called to ministry,” said Geoffrey Mackey, director of distance learning. “Very often these students are already actively engaged in ministry, and for financial, family, work, or vocational related reasons are simply unable to come to campus.”
The master of arts in religion imparts a sound knowledge of theology to prepare the student for lay ministry or further study. Students may choose from three foci: biblical studies, Christian history and theology, or Christian ministry and missiology. Some students use this degree to prepare for further graduate study, and others use it to provide a Christian foundation for the work they do in the marketplace and in their places of worship.
Trinity is not a newcomer in the world of online education. “We have been engaged in online education for 10 years, learning and growing all the time,” said the Rev. Leander Harding, dean of seminary advancement. “We’ve got a strong team here at Trinity that is really well positioned to integrate and make the most of the innovations and improvements that are coming down the road.”
This past June, the Association of Theological Schools, the accrediting body for seminaries in the United States and Canada, decided to release institutions from its previous residency requirement for the master of arts degree, allowing schools to offer the degree entirely online.
Write to Mackey for more information about online education at Trinity.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.