School of Christian Studies

What’s your Mission?

The Great Commission is a key factor in why you could be called to Christian Studies at Asbury. With this calling for disciple-making in mind, we want to prepare you for meaningful, spirit-filled relationships and mentoring in this diverse and ever-changing cultural climate. By studying Christian Studies, you grow your understanding of faith and expand your worldview pertaining to scripture, theology, and philosophy. The majors offered are designed to prepare you for service in the church, the academy, society, and throughout the world.

Asbury University emphasizes the missional importance and enduring timelessness of rigorous Biblical and theological education. An instrumental component to any Christian liberal arts university, Christian Studies provides a foundation of biblical, theological, and philosophical thought to the curriculum for every student. This has long been the case for Asbury, whether students major in ministry or experience an initiation into Christian thinking. With the advancement to a new School of Christian Studies, these faith-based initiatives can find new application in the vision for an innovative ministry graduate degree, the elevation of these programs to higher level in university life, and the strengthening of biblical and theological training.

As a Christian Studies student, you have many opportunities and avenues in academia, ministry, and educational fields. Customize your Asbury experience and become involved with the many leadership opportunities on campus. Join a worship arts band, be a Bible study leader, a chapel intern, a class chaplain, or your residence hall’s spiritual life assistant (SLA). Serve in ministry positions at local churches during the school year or in distant localities during summer breaks. Become prepared to serve as a pastor, youth minister, director of Christian education, global missionary, children’s minister, and in other roles in ministry.

What makes the School of Christian Studies unique?

Our school combines liberal arts and ministry, blending theory and application to foster creative thinking and problem solving as a strategy for effective ministry. By studying Christian Studies at Asbury, you can grow in your faith and knowledge, elevating the cause of Christ around the world.

Depending upon your major, you can customize your classes in:

• Dynamics of Spiritual Growth
• Strategies of Intercultural Communication
• Ministry & Mission
• History of Israel
• Prophetic Literature
• Christianity & World Religions
• and more!

Meet Our Dean

Dr. Brian Shelton ’89 brings 20 years of higher education experience as professor and academic dean to the new School. With a Ph.D. in historical theology from Saint Louis University, his areas of interest include the early church in Rome, patristic exegesis, martyrdom, and Italian religious history. Shelton is a CCCU Leadership Development Institute Fellow, a Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellow, and a senior fellow with the John and Charles Wesley Center for Christian Thought.

Our Programs

We offer programs in the following areas of study:

• Bible-Theology
• Christian Ministries
• Intercultural Studies
• Online Leadership and Ministry
• Online Ministry Management
• Pastoral Ministries
• Philosophy
• Youth Ministry
• Worship Arts

Student Voices

Shawn Hamilton ’24 shares about his experience in the School of Christian Studies as a Bible-Theology major: “What I have enjoyed most are the bonds that I have gained with my professors both in and out of the classroom. I believe that one of the best ways to integrate faith and learning is to live out what you teach, and our professors do that well. This program has strengthened my discernment to go to seminary and move from there to a full-time pastoral role and possibly teach in the future.”