Missiology of Movements
Especially for those passionate about seeing a movement of God in their area
About the Program
The Master of Arts with a focus in the Missiology of Movements equips leaders to recognize, understand, and participate faithfully in the movement of God within diverse cultural contexts. Rather than reducing movements to techniques or formulas, the program integrates biblical studies, missiological theology, cultural discernment, movement dynamics, and practical ministry formation. Students develop the knowledge, character, and adaptive leadership necessary to disciple the nations, cultivate relational ecosystems, strengthen local expressions of the ekklēsia, and encourage the multiplication of faith communities.
The program is designed for church planters, missionaries, movement catalysts, strategy coordinators, pastors, cross-cultural consultants, and cultural researchers who seek to engage their contexts with theological depth and missiological wisdom. Through study with experienced scholars and practitioners, students examine how movements emerge, how they are sustained, how leadership functions within them, and how ministry practices can remain biblically rooted while being culturally meaningful.
Graduates are prepared to serve as reflective practitioners who can listen carefully, interpret context, discern the activity of God, and collaborate with others in faithful participation. The academic rigor and interdisciplinary nature of the program may also provide a strong foundation for doctoral study in missiology, intercultural studies, theology, leadership, or related fields.
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Rooted in the New Testament: Students explore the foundations of movement thinking through deep engagement with Scripture, particularly the Book of Acts and the Pauline epistles, grounding movement strategy in biblical theology.
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Integrated Christology–Missiology–Ecclesiology: The program emphasizes a proper sequence of theological study: Christology first, which shapes missiology, which in turn leads to a biblically grounded and culturally relevant ecclesiology.
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Movement Catalyst Training: Designed for church planters, movement strategists, missionaries, and disciple-makers who want to multiply leaders and churches that reflect New Testament models.
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Interdisciplinary Missiological Reflection: Students are equipped to think missionally across cultures and disciplines, integrating insights from archaeology, history, theology, and contemporary sociological trends.
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Scholarly Yet Practical: Coursework and assessments are oriented around real-world ministry application, encouraging students to test ideas in their own mission fields while developing academic rigor.
Explore the Program
Many academic programs ask students to read the leading books in their field. The Missiology of Movements program offers something more: the opportunity to study with the authors who researched and wrote many of those books, and who have also spent their lives putting movement principles into practice.
Our professors are not detached observers of movements. They are missionaries, church planters, movement catalysts, organizational leaders, cultural researchers, and reflective practitioners. Their scholarship has grown from years of listening, experimenting, leading, evaluating, and participating in the movement of God across diverse cultural and ministry contexts.
Our professors are not detached observers of movements. They are missionaries, church planters, movement catalysts, organizational leaders, cultural researchers, and reflective practitioners. Their scholarship has grown from years of listening, experimenting, leading, evaluating, and participating in the movement of God across diverse cultural and ministry contexts.
Who studies with us?
Participants in the MA program are not simply students enrolled in a self-paced course. They join a learning community of like-minded experts and other explorers. We would love to welcome you into a creative and innovative global community.
Our typical student is . . .
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A prospective missionary preparing to go to the field
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A deployed missionary looking to sharpen cross-cultural effectiveness to successfully equip movement leaders
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A co-vocational pastor focused on equipping others to multiplying disciples
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A lead pastor transitioning a church to a movement orientation
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A church or lay leader desiring to learn what the New Testament church looked like and apply it to their ministry
12 Learning Experiences Designed to Provide a Foundation for Movemental Dynamics
Come study with some of the world's leading experts on missiology and movements including Alan Hirsch, Emanuel Prinz, and Wes Watkins
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EMC Library, Missiology of Movements, Church Planting
The Study of the Ephesian Movement
Learning ExperienceAre you passionate about learning how the New Testament Church grew? And how you might catalyze those lessons in your ministry? We are too!
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EMC Library, Missiology of Movements
Foundations for a Missiology of Movements
Learning ExperienceIn Foundations for a Missiology of Movements, you will explore fundamental principles in the study of movements in preparation for building a framework for a missiology of movements.
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EMC Library, Missiology of Movements, Church Planting, Leadership Studies
Movement Leadership
Learning ExperienceThis in-depth study will equip you with the tools to understanding the people you are engaging and join with God in His work of uniting all things in Christ. You will explore God’s DNA for the church as specified in Ephesians 4.
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EMC Library, Missiology of Movements, Leadership Studies
Movement Essentials and Becoming a Catalyst
Learning ExperienceThis learning experience is crucial for your future life and ministry because it will form a movement mindset in you that will shape your ministry praxis and equip you to grow into a movement practitioner.
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EMC Library, Missiology of Movements, Church Planting
Movemental Ecclesiology
Learning ExperienceMovemental Ecclesiology focuses on the movemental nature of the church with attention to the importance of cultural exegesis and adaptive strategies for ecclesial structures and leadership.
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EMC Library, Missiology of Movements, Leadership Studies
What Starts Movements?
Learning ExperienceThis course will equip you with evidence-based insights that distinguish effective movement catalysts from those who have not seen movements, helping you focus your efforts on the factors that actually matter for kingdom multiplication.
What our students are saying
My desire to pursue theological education and specifically why I am interested in the MA Missiology of Movements degree has to do specifically with the opportunity to study the missiology of movements.
Missionary to South East Asia
Honestly speaking, I feel wholly inadequate in my responsibility to help train up future leaders, disciple-makers, church planters, and pastors of our church. As a pastor, that weighs heavy on my heart and greatly concerns me. . . . What excites me most about pursuing the MA in Missiology of Movements is that it appears to provide exactly what I'm looking for - learning how to better train and equip future leaders so they can reproduce as disciple-making disciples and gospel-centered church planters.
Pastor, USA
I believe that this degree in the Missiology of Movement will help me continue on this journey. I believe I’m supposed to spend the remaining portion of my life focusing on researching and developing different biblical models of church multiplication, as well as training, equipping, and supporting future practitioners of those models. I want to become a catalyst in making disciples in my community and around this world and I strongly feel that this degree will equip me and fill in any gaps that I may have, in order to bring about change in my life and the lives of others.
Pastor, USA
I am pursuing a MA in Missiology of Movements because I want to continue to grow in wisdom, understanding, and passion for God’s Word and his mission and be faithful to steward the gifts God has given me for his glory among the nations . . . . I am incredibly excited to continue to be equipped and blessed by great instructors that I may pass on what I learn and teach/equip others for ministry as well!
Missionary Trainer focused on Unreached People Groups
As a pastor and church planter I desire to grow in my knowledge of how to expand my missional understanding. Our church desires to multiply other churches, leaders, and missionaries. This degree program seems perfectly suited to provide a combination of biblical, theological, missional, and practical insights on being more effective in these pursuits.
Pastor, USA
This degree thoroughly aligns with our church and our affiliation with the Acts29 church-planting network. Our church's mission is to "Make disciples, Equip the Saints, and Plant Churches." I am interested in this degree not only for myself, but also for many of the young men we are discipling in the church. We hope to promote this Master's degree in our church and in our region.
Pastor, USA
I pursuing the MA in Missiology of Movements to deepen my biblical foundation and practical understanding of how God is advancing his Kingdom through movements. I serve as a cross cultural worker in the Middle East, and this degree directly applies to what we are wanting God to do here. I believe this degree will equip me to better discern the specific role I have in God's unfolding Kingdom work, become a more effective disciple-maker, and sharpen my missiological thinking as a cultural outsider seeking to establish new, multiplying churches in a hard field. I don't think there is a degree that is better suited to my current time constraints or more relevant for the work God has called me too.
Missionary to the Middle East
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