Russell School of Ministry

Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership

Your calling is heavy. Don't carry it alone.

A degree for the whole leader.

Build a biblical foundation, deepen your character and spiritual life, develop practical ministry skills, and bring it all together in work that serves a real ministry context.

The Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership at Central Bible University’s Russell School of Ministry is designed to help you think biblically, lead wisely, live with integrity, and serve faithfully.

Find your starting point

Which beginning sounds like yours?

The MAML serves people at different points in their ministry journey. Find the starting point that sounds most like where you are today.

Path 1

I’m ready to begin ministry well.

You recently completed your undergraduate degree, sense a call to ministry, and want preparation for what comes next.

“How do I get a strong start and become the kind of ministry leader I hope to be?”

Build a strong foundation while gaining experience.

Path 2

I’m ready to grow where I already serve.

You are already serving and carrying growing responsibility.

“How do I become the leader my ministry now requires me to be?”

You do not have to leave ministry to prepare for greater ministry.

Path 3

I’m discerning a new vocational chapter.

You have a bachelor’s degree, professional or life experience, and sense that your next chapter may lead toward ministry.

“How do I prepare responsibly for this next calling?”

Build on the experience you already bring.

Formation for real ministry

You do not have to choose between ministry skill and spiritual depth.

The MAML is designed to form both.

Graduate study at Central brings Scripture and theology, pastoral leadership, and your own ministry context together—not as separate subjects, but as parts of one calling.

It asks for careful preparation, honest reflection, and meaningful application.

The goal is not simply to understand more.

Think biblically.
Lead wisely.
Live with integrity.
Serve faithfully.

Your MAML formation journey

A connected journey from foundation to faithful practice

01   KNOW

Build your framework.

Biblical, organizational, leadership, and critical-thinking foundations for complexity.

02   BE

Let your inner life grow with your influence.

Spiritual formation, relationships, ethics, communication, and mentoring.

03   DO

Strengthen the ministry skills your calling requires.

Focused study supporting your calling, responsibilities, and future direction.

04   BRING IT TOGETHER

Turn graduate learning into faithful practice.

Complete a capstone ministry project or thesis shaped by real questions, theological reflection, and faithful practice.

Explore the Curriculum

Explore the curriculum

How the MAML formation journey comes together

The MAML brings together biblical and organizational foundations, spiritual formation, ministry skills, and an integration experience shaped by real ministry questions and faithful practice.

The journey moves through Know, Be, Do, and Bring It Together.

Shape your degree

Your concentration is where the MAML becomes especially personal.

Choose one of four paths around your ministry context and future direction.

Organizational Health
Healthy churches, teams, systems, and people.
Preaching
Proclaim Scripture with theological faithfulness, pastoral awareness, and growing craft.
Co-Vocational
Your calling may cross ministry and another field. With program guidance, you can bring courses from a ministry-adjacent discipline into a coherent concentration.
Customized
Create an individualized path. Coordinate non-required courses with Integration work to create a purposeful concentration.

Why flexibility matters

Ministry rarely fits into one lane.

These options make room for the work God has already placed in your hands and the work you may be preparing to enter.

Can this work in my life?

Can I continue serving while I study?
The MAML is designed so you can continue serving while earning your degree.
Will what I learn connect to my ministry?
Yes. The program emphasizes meaningful application in real ministry contexts.
What kind of support will I have?
You will have access to faculty and someone specifically focused on helping you navigate the program and succeed.
Can graduate study fit alongside my responsibilities?
The structure is built to make graduate theological education possible alongside work, family, church, and life.
What about cost?
RSM is intended to provide an affordable pathway to a graduate degree, especially once scholarships are included.
What about previous learning?
Transfer and Credit for Prior Learning may be relevant where appropriate.

Where could the MAML prepare me to serve?

  • Churches
  • Community and social-service agencies
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • For-profit organizations
  • Parachurch and missions organizations
  • Missionary contexts

The setting may change. The calling to lead with biblical wisdom, skill, character, and integrity does not.

Student and graduate stories

See how the MAML becomes part of a ministry journey.

Recent college graduate

Where were you when you began?

What changed during the program?

How is your life and ministry different now?

Developing ministry leader

Where were you when you began?

What changed during the program?

How is your life and ministry different now?

Second-career adult

Where were you when you began?

What changed during the program?

How is your life and ministry different now?

Russell School of Ministry

Prepare for the work. Become the leader.

The Russell School is named for John and Bob Russell, whose legacy of service shapes Central’s commitment to ministry preparation.

To educate biblical servants for faithful lives of Kingdom ministry.

Your next step

What is your next faithful step?

You do not have to determine your whole path before taking the first step.

Start with a conversation about where you are, the experience you bring, and what you sense may be next.

Have a Ministry Leadership Conversation

A low-pressure, 15-minute conversation.

Where you are in ministry.
What experience you bring.
What you sense may be next.

Then consider the MAML in light of your ministry goals, your calling, and an area of study aligned with your direction.