Licentiate of Theology (L. Th.) Major in Missiology
About the programme
This is a two-year course for those with full certificate in JC or SRP or its equivalent qualification.
Courses
Year 1
Semester 1 | |
---|---|
Courses | Credit Hours |
Old Testament Introduction I
Old Testament Introduction I (3 cr. hrs.)This is an introduction to the historical background of Pentateuch and the “former prophets”. The course covers the old testament canon, the foundations of Israel in the Patriarchal, the conquest and settlement in Canaan by Israelites and reasons for the establishment of the united Monarchy under David and Solomon and the subsequent division into two Kingdoms. |
3 |
New Testament Introduction I
New Testament Introduction I (3 cr. hrs.)This general introductory course covers the historical, political and cultural background of the Jewish people from 168BC to AD135. A comprehensive survey of the four Gospels including authorship, dating crucial issues and with special reference to the life and ministry of Jesus will be studied. |
3 |
Christian Spirituality
Christian Spirituality (3 cr. hrs.)This course consists of the basic spiritual disciplines, which include the inward disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting and the outward disciplines of simplicity, submission service, with major emphasis in relationship to God and in personal as well as corporate aspects of the Christian life. |
3 |
Biblical & Theological Basis for Missions | 3 |
Critical Thinking & Presentation
Critical Thinking & Presentation (2 cr. hrs.)This course introduces the basic research methods, strategies and the fundamental skill of writing papers. Critical writing with particular attention to logical fallacy will also be studied. |
2 |
English I
English I (2 cr. hrs.)This course is compulsory for those who did not possess a credit pass in SPM or equivalent. It introduces the basic grammatical structures and vocabulary in the theological field. |
2 |
Practicum Seminar I
Practicum seminar I (1 cr. hrs.)Practical Divinity is an integrated course with the following components:
Field-based component deals with the weekend and Sunday practical ministry in local churches. Non-class area involves campus spiritual activities such as Friday Fasting prayer, chapel time, personal devotion and evangelism work. For class-based portion, students need to attend seminars. These include the introduction to Field Education and other church’s disciplines in line with the field education for the respective years as required by the School. |
1 |
Music Theory
Music Theory (1 cr. hr.)Learn the basic musical languages, including scales, intervals, melody, rhythm, notation, expressions, and musical terms. |
1 |
Total Credit Hours | 18 |
Semester 2 | |
---|---|
Courses | Credit Hours |
Old Testament Introduction II
Old Testament Introduction II (3 cr. hrs.)The second part of this introductory course includes a survey of the minor prophetic, wisdom and apocalyptic literatures. The course covers the studies of the divided kingdom; the impart of the dominance of the Assyrian and Babylonian empires on the life and faith of Israelites, the incidents resulting the Exile and thereafter and their restoration before Maccabean War. |
3 |
New Testament Introduction II
New Testament Introduction II (3 cr. hrs.)This course explores the growth of the apostolic church and the life and ministry of Paul. An introduction to Pauline Epistles and other writings of the New Testament, including the background, main themes and critical matters related to the crucial texts will be discussed. |
3 |
Exegetical Methods
Exegetical Methods (3 cr. hrs.)This introduces the principles of interpretation with special attention to both the content and context in the interpretation of words and texts in the Bible. Recent theories of interpretation are critically taken into consideration. |
3 |
Cross-cultural Communication of the Gospel
Cross-cultural Communication of the Gospel: Principles and Strategies (3 cr. hrs.)This course discusses the principles and processes of communicating from one culture to another. Focus on the relevance of incarnation as the model for cross-cultural communication of the Gospel and Contextualization. |
3 |
The Making of a Missionary
The Making of a Missionary (2 cr. hrs.)A study of various aspects of the missionary calling with special focus on spiritual formation, cross-cultural living, mission/church relations, language learning, and the missionary’s family. |
2 |
English II
English II (2 cr. hrs.)This continuing course of English I will continue to pursue the advanced English language discipline and introduce more theological terminologies. |
2 |
Practicum Seminar II
Practicum Seminar II (1 cr. hrs.)Practical Divinity is an integrated course with the following components:
Field-based component deals with the weekend and Sunday practical ministry in local churches. Non-class area involves campus spiritual activities such as Friday Fasting prayer, chapel time, personal devotion and evangelism work. For class-based portion, students need to attend seminars. These include the introduction to Field Education and other church’s disciplines in line with the field education for the respective years as required by the School. |
1 |
Voice / Choir
Voice / Choir (1 cr. hr.)Choir is an integral part of theological education training in M.T.S. Thus all students are compulsory to attend. The choir sings at school events such as graduation and convocation, and occasionally at local churches. |
1 |
Total Credit Hours | 18 |
Year 2
Semester 1 | |
---|---|
Courses | Credit Hours |
Old Testament Exegesis
Old Testament Exegesis I (3 cr. hrs.)This course is a study of structure, theological motifs and exegesis of the texts of the Pentateuch. Selected texts and portions from the Pentateuch will be studied. |
3 |
Christian Education I
Christian Education I (3 cr. hrs.)This introductory course is designed to provide an overview upon the meaning, role and function of Christian education in the total ministry of the Church. Theory of the formulation of Christian education will be studied with the purpose of guiding the students with the necessary resources so as to build a contextualized Christian education for the local Church. |
3 |
Homiletic I
Homiletics I (3 cr. hrs.)This introductory course is to study the theory of preaching, including principles of sermon preparation, the nature and content in preaching. Different types of sermons will be prepared and discussed. |
3 |
World Missions History
World Missions History (3 cr. hrs.)This course focuses in-depth on the initiatives taken by groups, agencies, and/or individuals to extend the gospel across geographical, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic boundaries from the first century to the present. It aims to study the nature and value of each mission contribution within its own context, assessing what the specific situation demanded and how effectively that need was met. |
3 |
Urban Missions
Urban Missions (3 cr. hrs.)A study of the particular features of Christian Mission in the urban context, including a biblical view of the city, the development of urbanization in history and the implications of the growth of urbanization in the modern world for governments, communities and for the hristian church. Consideration will also be given to the characteristics of appropriate and effective evangelism and church growth in urban situations, and to the variety of Christian developmental responses to the special needs of people in cities. |
3 |
Practicum Seminar III
Practicum Seminar III (1 cr. hrs.)Practical Divinity is an integrated course with the following components:
Field-based component deals with the weekend and Sunday practical ministry in local churches. Non-class area involves campus spiritual activities such as Friday Fasting prayer, chapel time, personal devotion and evangelism work. For class-based portion, students need to attend seminars. These include the introduction to Field Education and other church’s disciplines in line with the field education for the respective years as required by the School. |
1 |
Choir
Choir (1 cr. hr.)Choir is an integral part of theological education training in M.T.S. Thus all students are compulsory to attend. The choir sings at school events such as graduation and convocation, and occasionally at local churches. |
1 |
Total Credit Hours | 17 |
Semester 2 | |
---|---|
Courses | Credit Hours |
New Testament Exegesis
New Testament Exegesis (3 cr. hrs.)This course is a study of the structure, and probable setting of Mark in relation to the other Gospels. That includes the outlining the argument of passages, doing word studies, validating exegetical decisions. |
3 |
Christian Education II
Christian Education II (3 cr. hrs.)This course is the implementation act upon the theoretical stage in the Christian Education I. It includes planning of educational ministries for children, youth, adults and elderly people in the local Church. The special attention is given to adaptation and use of curriculum resources with the aim of developing the students to conduct the education work such as leading bible-study, Sunday school, home cell group, membership and lay-leader training in the local Church. |
3 |
Anthropology and Missions
Anthropology and Missions (3 cr. hrs.)This deals with the challenges and skills of cross-cultural communication and investigates the processes of encounter, adaptation, identification and communication. It aims to provide an introduction to methods of culture learning and understanding and the anthropological and linguistic tools for new language acquisition as an adult learner. |
3 |
Missionary Message of Acts
Missionary Message of Acts (3 cr. hrs.)This course examines the text of Acts from a missiological perspective. It investigates how the first Christians spread the gospel through the Roman world, how they overcame the obstacles and opposition that confronted them, how they sought to contextualize their message according to the different audiences they addressed, and how they adopted varying strategies and methodologies in the proclamation of the Christian faith. This will be applied to the practice of missions today and a range of case studies will be used to demonstrate this process. |
3 |
Apologetics | 3 |
Practicum Seminar IV
Practicum Seminar IV (1 cr. hrs.)Practical Divinity is an integrated course with the following components:
Field-based component deals with the weekend and Sunday practical ministry in local churches. Non-class area involves campus spiritual activities such as Friday Fasting prayer, chapel time, personal devotion and evangelism work. For class-based portion, students need to attend seminars. These include the introduction to Field Education and other church’s disciplines in line with the field education for the respective years as required by the School. |
1 |
Musical Instrument | 1 |
Choir
Choir (1 cr. hr.)Choir is an integral part of theological education training in M.T.S. Thus all students are compulsory to attend. The choir sings at school events such as graduation and convocation, and occasionally at local churches. |
1 |
Total Credit Hours | 18 |
General Admission Qualifications
- The applicant must be a born-again Christian. He / she must give evidence of a clear calling to full-time Christian Ministry, and of commitment to Jesus Christ and His Church.
- Qualities of integrity, faithfulness, diligence, sound health, willingness to live a community life and proficiency in languages (English or Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia or Iban) are normally required.
- He / she must prove his / her competence in handling theological studies with appropriate academic records.
- The minimum age of the applicant is 18 years old. Working experience would be an advantage to the applicant.
- Candidates should pass the entrance examinations.
Application and Admission Procedures
- The applicant can obtain an application form from the School, and send it to the School with the following supporting documents:
- A personal testimony of how the applicant becomes a Christian (1000 words)
- A personal statement of reasons of why the applicant goes into theological studies and full-time ministry (1000 words)
- Full academic records / certified copies of school / college / university certificates
- Two recent passport-size photographs
- One recommendation letter (Form obtainable from the school) from the applicant’s church pastor and a letter of recommendation from Local Church Executive Committee.
- A medical report (Form available from the school).
- Completed Application Form should reach the School before 15th September every year (For Malaysian). Overseas Application Form should reach the School before 30th June every year to facilitate the process of visa application.
- Completed application Form should be sent to the School with the following address:
“New Students’ Enrolment”
P.O. Box 78, 96007 Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Phone: 084-321409
Email: general@mtssibu.edu.my - Entrance examination and English Test are compulsory for those the School deem fit for admission.
- The School reserves the right to admit or reject any application.
Graduation Requirement
- Students must complete the minimum of 60 credit hours within 2 years.
- Students must obtain minimum GPA of 2.00.