Ministers With MBAs

Inside Higher Ed: Ministers With M.B.A.s

… In the past five years, programs that combine master’s degrees in divinity with business credentials have sprung up, Aleshire says. He sees two reasons: leadership studies have become more common as an academic field, and Christian ministry has expanded beyond the church into nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurship — start-up businesses that try to serve a larger good.

But many joint business and divinity programs are intended for students who want to work for religious nonprofits, or for Christian students studying for professional degrees — like business or law — who want some theological background.

Seattle Pacific University’s School of Theology offers an M.B.A., but recommends it for students who want to “serve in the marketplace as a Christian grounded in the Scriptures and theology” or be a business manager for a church or religious nonprofit. Palmer Theological Seminary and Eastern University offer an M.B.A. for seminary students who want to work with the poor. Duke University has an option for students to pursue a seminary credential and a law degree.

In most cases, “they’re going to be using it in the broader ministries, where the work of the church and the broader culture intersect and the alternative to the divinity degree is an asset,” Aleshire says. …

I had the option of doing the joint M.B.A. and M.Div. degree offered by Eastern University and Palmer Seminary (then Eastern Baptist Seminary) back in the late 1980s but went with the M.B.A. option that included theological education at Palmer but not the full M.Div. It ruined my life! 😉 My education there is what put me on the path to exploring the intersection between faith and economics, and I haven't been able to shake it since.