Entrepreneurial Ministry Certificate
This certificate is designed for individuals who already hold an M.Div., are currently enrolled in the M. Div program, or have a combination of experiences and education that is comparable that prepare them for this experience. In this certificate program, ESR provides a foundation, content, plus a cohort group to help those individuals called to entrepreneurial forms of ministry, including the launch of that ministry before the program’s conclusion.
Entrepreneurs and innovators dream of new solutions to generational problems and current conundrums. An increasing number of individuals find themselves called to minister and serve in contexts without ready-made organizational support. Often their dreams languish simply because there is no clear path forward.
As ministry, entrepreneurial efforts are never merely about bringing innovative ideas to life. They arise from a sense that the Divine is nudging us to offer our gifts and service via new forms and avenues. They seek to serve God and humankind in ways that transform and improve our lives together.
About The Entrepreneurial Ministry Certificate
There are two ways to earn an Entrepreneurial Ministry Certificate:
- Audit (no graduate course credit)
- For credit
The Entrepreneurial Ministry Certificate is an 18-month, cohort model program and courses must be completed in sequence, starting in August ’22. EM Certificate seekers will be required to be on the ESR campus for August and May intensives. The rest of the work will be online in Moodle and Zoom. The first fall semester includes two courses (besides the August intensive). There will also be two courses in Spring and one during the last fall semester. As coursework decreases, time devoted to the ministry will increase. Successful students will receive a small stipend to help plan and implement their ministry.
Required Sequence of Courses:
- Courage, Commitment, & Cohort: the Spirituality of the Entrepreneur
- Developing your Ministry Canvas
- Money Matters in Ministry
- Firm Foundations: Developing Your Organizational Structure
- Marketing as Storytelling
- Engagement with Ministry: Experience, Reflection, and Networking
Our faculty
This certificate program is led by Jay Marshall, former dean of ESR and director of the Entrepreneurial Ministry program.
Next steps
Ministry isn’t just a vocation or a calling—it’s a way of being in this world, seeking to make it whole. ESR is ready to support you in answering your own call to ministry, whatever shape it takes.