Specialized Urban Ministries

• OUR MISSION
Specialized Urban Ministries: designed to strengthen Urban Churches, Pastors and Lay Persons in the active participation of ministry and mission. The pathway of this concept focuses on educating men and women for leadership that is strong in faith and broad in knowledge. We are committed to preparing men and women to serve the church as pastors, lay leaders, teachers, and scholars. In all our programs we strive to provide intellectual challenge, spiritual guidance, and practical knowledge that can help students to lay a foundation for their ministerial practice. If you have been called by God for a vocation in the church we invite you to consider SUM as a place for your theological studies and spiritual growth.

• OUR VISION
To train men and women for strong, theological grounded leadership. Our aim is to equip students for lifelong learning in their practice and ministry. Essential to this, we help our students engage in the rigorous inquiry that can give meaning and direction to their ministerial practices.

The Urban Ministry Experience

The programs are designed for busy urban church leaders, future leaders, and persons who have little or no previous college experience. The degrees can be earned in as little as two and one-half years (5 semesters) of full-time study. Part-time study options are also available. Upon completion, the student is eligible to earn a bachelor degree through Regent University degree completion program or other more traditional programs at Regent. SUM seeks to promote urban transformation by developing students who know how to serve their communities. With this in mind, the SUM program is uniquely designed to:
1. Equip urban Christian leaders for the challenges of modern urban ministry and work.
2. Promote Biblical teaching about ministry and business that influences lives and communities
3. Help church leaders train members to use their gifts to serve the Lord in the urban community.
4. Assist the church to develop urban communities that are economically and spiritually strong.
5. Address the needs of urban families and the crises they face.
6. Encourage all students to pursue excellence in life, service, work, and ministry.

The SUM program is distinctive because of its focus on:

Ministry in an urban setting.
A practical curriculum taught from a Christian perspective.
Convenient class schedules for busy students evenings and Saturdays.
A curriculum designed to help students integrate faith and learning.
To engage responsibly in the social struggle of our, teaching, and learning how to incarnate the Christian gospel in the society around us in and around the world.
To inquire into all aspects of theological truth using all pertinent disciplines; and from within a basic commitment to the Christian tradition, to reappraise and reformulate the Christian faith in response to our increasing knowledge.
To improve study, instruction and ministry, and to apply appropriate academic and professional standards to research, teaching, learning, and practice.

Christian Leadership Certificate Program

Invest in yourself and the Lord’s work to be done through you today! Sign up for our Christian Leadership Certificate Program to participate in courses offered in Spiritual Formation, Evangelism, Urban Ministry and much more. This program is offered through a partnership between Specialized Urban Ministries and Clayton County Minister’s Conference Alliance.

• Join this program:
- If you want to grow in the Lord and in your ability to minister effectively
- If you’d like to learn from the best pastors and teachers in the region along with others just like you
- If you desire more ministry training but don’t have the time

• What you will study:
- Spiritual Formation for Preaching and Teaching
- Reaching the Next Generation for Christ
- How to Build an Effective Ministry Team
- Evangelism
- Urban Ministry
- Basic Technology and Computers for Ministry

• Instructors:
Dr. William Marshal
Rev. Barbara M. Shoemae
Dr. Maria A. Waterhouse
Minister Monica Johnston
Dr. Miguel D. Gonzales

• Class Times- 2 Semesters

Monday evenings in September-November 2011
6 - 8:30 pm

February-April 2012 6 - 8:30 pm

Graduation: May, 2012

Location: TBA

To Register: Call 1-877-408-9663