B.A. Theology – Missions
Overview
The department offers two degrees – B.A. and M.A. – in Christian Education. The department prepares students for a teaching career in churches and schools. It also prepares students to develop curriculum for churches and schools. Any graduate of this department may serve as a pastor, a missionary, educator, teacher or curriculum developer. The courses offered in the department help students to lead, teach, organize and disciple others in any Christian organization, and provide leadership in educational ministries of the church.
Overview
The department offers two degrees – B.A. and M.A. – in Christian Education. The department prepares students for a teaching career in churches and schools. It also prepares students to develop curriculum for churches and schools. Any graduate of this department may serve as a pastor, a missionary, educator, teacher or curriculum developer. The courses offered in the department help students to lead, teach, organize and disciple others in any Christian organization, and provide leadership in educational ministries of the church.
Message from the Head of Department
Welcome to the Department of Christian Education and General Studies. Our department exists to equip individuals who will engage in church, Christian organizations and educational institutions for the work of ministry. We offer education that is Christocentric and our target is to prepare people who could disciple others since Christian education is a disciple-making ministry of the church as it is stated in the book of Matthew 28:18-20. Therefore, we train people in the light of the evangelical mission of education with the aim of restoring the image of God in mankind by developing them in all areas as “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
Christian Education is founded on the teachings of Jesus. Preaching or evangelism without teaching is not balanced. Pre
THE UNIQUENESS OF OUR DEPARTMENT
- We are doing the work of the Triune God.
As stated in 2 Timothy 2:14-16, whoever wants to know how to divide the word rightly must be trained.
God was a teacher. This is confirmed by Job (Job 36:22) “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?” Even the Lord Jesus was a teacher. John 13:13: “You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am”. Also, the Holy Spirit is a Teacher. John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you”.
- Any graduate of this department may serve as a pastor, a missionary, educator/teacher or curriculum developer. Moreover, our graduates can:
- Integrate the biblical teachings in different contexts and demonstrate skills in the use of resource materials in the teaching profession.
- Develop teaching manuals for Sunday school, and serve in church educational ministries.
- Provide leadership in educational ministries of the church.
- Serve also in church or parachurch organizations
- We offer some courses that help our students to preach and teach effectively. In additional to theological courses taken by our students, our students are doing courses like Sociology of Education, Teaching and General Methodology, Psychology of Education, Curriculum Development, Educational Ministries of the Church, Educational Administration, History and Philosophy of Christian Education, Guidance and Counseling, and Educational Research and Writing. Our department is also in charge of general courses such as General Studies, Use of English, Advanced English, Research Methods and Computer Studies.
Our students are exposed to teaching and different methods of teaching right from the classroom. They go for a six-week teaching practice outside the school. They may do their teaching practice in a private or public school of their choice, or their churches. They will do micro-teaching while taking Teaching and General Methods which is a prerequisite to teaching practice. Before a student is qualified to go for teaching practice, he or she might have registered and passed the course.
You have made the right decision by choosing our department. It is a place where students are thoroughly guided in both academic and spiritual matters. Welcome!
Facilitation of Missions Courses
We train students on missions-related courses to equip them for cross-cultural ministry. After their training, the students can comprehend the biblical and theological foundation of the Christian mission, employ different approaches in missions to lead people of other faiths and cultures to personal faith in Christ, and disciple converts in the mission field into wholesome growth.
Required Courses
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Annual Missions Convention
This is conducted in September of every year where we invite a speaker to talk about missions. It is a three-day event, and we hear the experiences and testimonies of our sprinboarders and the news they bring from their field. Missionaries from other agencies and churches are also invited to share their mission involvement with the community. At the end of this event, many hearts receive God’s call to be missionaries.
Springboard program
Springboard is an annual event when we deploy students to various missions fields to gain field experience. In doing this, we collaborate with different churches, para churches, and mission agencies locally and abroad. The funds are raised by the WATS community and the students whom we call springboarders. We collect offerings for eight-month during the chapel services which covers the feedings of the springboarders for the two months they would be in the field while the springboarders raise their flight ticket or bus fare to and fro the field. The department writes a letter of appeal that the springboarders use to raise the funds from their churches, friends, and family. Through this short-term mission experience, some who participated in the activity have become full-time missionaries like me. I decided to become a full-time missionary after I went on springboard missions in 1999 because of the enormous riped harvest and the mission field’s needs. Springboard equally attracted some missionaries to study at WATS due to their interaction with WATS springboarders.
Monthly Mission Chapel
The department handles the chapel service every third Wednesday. It is called missions chapel because we use the opportunity to sensitize the community for missions, share missions news, mobilize the community for missions, and pray for missionaries. We equally use it to enlighten the community about the department and the prospect for those who major in missions.
Research
In the World Christianity, Theological Education and Scholarship, Andrew Walls avers that ‘the pursuit of the scholarly life is a Christian vocation within God’s mission to the world.” (Walls 2011, 236) Our department emphasizes and engages in quality academic writing, publication, research, seminars, etc.
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- We have successfully aided five faculty members in writing some articles presented at a conference waiting for publication.
- We have represented WATS in Transform: A Journalof Biblical, Theological, and Practical Studies through our membership as Editors and published an article with the journal in February.
- WATS is now a member of a renowned journal body (Africa Humanity Research Development Circle) domiciled in UNN through our department.
Lay Institute
Lay church workers, untrained pastors, and missionaries in the field without theological education are equipped with the skills, tools, and knowledge to do the ministry work. Most of these people do not have the essential qualification to enroll in theological training. Thus, we provide this avenue to equip them to serve God better. This training has introduced many people to WATS, while some migrated to WATS full-time program.
Mission
The missions department aims to produce holistic, God-fearing, mission-minded, and academically balanced students.
Felicia Chinyere Priest, Ph.D
Head of Department
E-mail: feliciap@wats.edu.ng
mobile; +23470 3570 6360
