GCC, Gordon-Conwell offer accelerated M.A., M.Div. program

Grove City College is partnering with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary to offer students an accelerated pathway to pastoral leadership.

The program, which launches in fall 2022, allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Grove City College and a Master of Divinity or Master of Christian Ministries degree from the highly regarded evangelical seminary in just five years. Students will be holistically prepared to become church leaders on an accelerated track that saves students time and money by eliminating curriculum redundancies.

For four years, students will live and learn at Grove City College, working on their undergraduate degree and, in their fourth year, taking seminary courses online. In year five, students can continue with their online seminary studies or relocate to Gordon-Conwell’s South Hamilton, Mass., campus for a distinctive New England residential experience. In person or online, students will be prepared for careers in ministry by participating in various discipleship opportunities, including retreats, service learning and church internships.

“Grove City College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary have a long-standing partnership in the work of equipping students for ministry and theological studies,” Grove City College President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said. “The College is pleased to collaborate with one of the nation’s leading seminaries to create this new, more efficient pathway for our students to pursue careers in ministry and provide desperately needed, theologically sound leadership for the church.”

“We are excited to strengthen our historically strong relationship with Grove City College to form well-equipped pastors for churches,” Gordon-Conwell President Dr. Scott Sunquist said. “This partnership is about building the Church in a way that lowers barriers for future pastors. The church in America is facing strong challenges from the culture. And yet, we know Christ is on the throne and more than ever we need strong pastors to proclaim the Gospel.”

Both institutions have long prepared high-quality leaders for the church based on shared commitments to the gospel of Christ, the church and academic rigor. Over the years, many students from Grove City College have matriculated at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Some of the seminary’s best and brightest graduates have even gone on to faculty positions at the College.

Both schools are also beneficiaries of the legacy of J. Howard Pew, an oil industry pioneer and philanthropist who helped found Gordon-Conwell five decades ago with famed evangelist Billy Graham and noted theologian Harold J. Ockenga. A 1900 graduate of Grove City College, Pew was a major benefactor of the College and served for decades as the chairman of its Board of Trustees.

The program is funded by a generous grant from the Kern Family Foundation of Waukesha, Wisc. The foundation seeks to empower the rising generation of Americans to build flourishing lives anchored in strong character, inspired by quality education, driven by an entrepreneurial mindset and guided by the desire to create value for others. The Foundation intentionally focuses on systemic change rather than charity by partnering with broad-impact, long-term programs that align with one or more of their focus areas.

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational, evangelical seminary representing over 85 denominations from 50 countries on four campuses—united around a common commitment to Christ and the authority of Scripture. Over the past 50 years, the Seminary has graduated more than 10,000 alumni serving Christ throughout the world.

For more about the program, visit: gcc.edu/admissions.

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