Candler School of Theology
Certificate Requirements
Certification begins with a fall retreat which serves as an introductory session for interested students, highlighting a variety of potential avenues of exploration and specific course offerings. Subsequent to and evolving from this introductory session, each student will be assigned a mentor, usually the director. Since students enter seminary with varying levels of direct exposure to black and multiracial churches, an evaluative consultation of the student with the mentor will take place following the retreat. The consultation emphasizes correlating student issues, the certification process and general curricular requirements through the development of the student's own learning plan. MDiv students in the certificate program will fulfill the Contextual Education II requirement through placement in a black or multiracial setting and participation in the reflection group (BCS 500) to which they are assigned. MTS students seeking Black Church Studies certification will also be required to complete a contextual experience for credit and the reflection group (BCS 500) in consultation with the director.
The Program will help to identify teaching churches.
Requirements for Certification:
- BCS 501 - Introduction to Black Church Studies (3 hours, offered during the Fall semester)
- BCS 500 – Black Church Studies Monthly Reflection Seminar (0 hours, concurrent enrollment during both Fall and Spring semesters of Contextual Education II enrollment)
- BCS 502 – Black Church Studies Colloquy (1 hour, enrollment during the final semester at Candler required)
- BCS 504 – Black Church Studies Retreat (0 hours, enrollment during the Fall semester)
- BCS 505 – Black Church Studies Portfolio (0 hours, enrollment during the final semester at Candler required)
- Electives – 9 hours total, from the list of approved electives
*Note: Although Contextual Education II satisfies the contextual seminar requirement, candidates for BCS certification must participate in periodic reflection with peers in this program during the semester of the contextual placement. In order to coordinate the work of BCS with Contextual Education, students must notify both offices. MTS students seeking Black Church Studies certification will also be required to complete a contextual immersion and reflection seminar in consultaion with the director.
Recommendations
The program of certification in Black Church Studies will seek to draw on resources at I.T.C., Columbia Seminary, and the African American Studies program here at Emory. Further, the program will identify teaching churches in the Atlanta area as settings for the contextual experience.