Why Choose Ministry at Bushnell?
Practical ministry training, personal faculty mentorship, and real-world ministry experience help prepare you for a lifetime of faithful leadership and service. At Bushnell, you’ll learn from faculty who are not only educators, but also active pastors and ministry leaders serving in churches and communities today. Their experience brings current ministry challenges, practical insight, and meaningful mentorship directly into the classroom.
Throughout the program, you’ll gain hands-on experience through preaching opportunities, discipleship leadership, internships, worship ministry, local church partnerships, and community service initiatives. Many students actively serve in ministry roles while completing their degree, allowing them to build confidence, leadership skills, and practical experience before graduation. Whether you’re preparing for pastoral ministry, missions, nonprofit leadership, or seminary, you’ll graduate equipped to lead and serve with purpose.
Internship Experience
Learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. You’ll gain hands-on ministry experience through internships in local churches, nonprofit organizations, and community ministries, including opportunities with organizations such as Eugene Faith Center, Willamette Christian Center, Twin Oaks Christian Church, and Everyone Village.
These experiences are tailored to your interests and calling, allowing you to apply biblical and theological principles in real-world settings while developing leadership, communication, and ministry skills. You may have opportunities to lead small groups, participate in preaching and discipleship ministries, support community outreach efforts, and serve alongside experienced ministry leaders.
Many students actively serve in ministry roles while completing their degree, building practical experience and confidence before graduation.
What You’ll Study
How the Curriculum is Structured
The Christian Ministry curriculum combines biblical study, theology, leadership development, and practical ministry preparation. Students build a strong foundation in preaching, discipleship, ministry communication, pastoral leadership, theology, and spiritual formation while developing the relational and leadership skills needed for effective ministry in churches and communities.
Coursework includes classes such as Leadership Skills for Ministry, The Worshipping Community, Social Justice in the Gospels and the Prophets, Orality: 50 Biblical Stories Essential for Ministry, and Preaching. Students also complete internships, ministry-focused electives, and a senior capstone experience that connects classroom learning with real ministry application.
Experiential learning opportunities are integrated throughout the program. You’ll have opportunities to lead small groups, preach, participate in worship leadership, engage in community outreach, and serve alongside local ministry partners. These experiences help you apply biblical and theological learning while developing the confidence and leadership skills needed for effective ministry.
Concentrations & Pathways
Christian Apologetics
Develop the skills to thoughtfully defend and communicate the Christian faith through coursework in theology, philosophy, ethics, and apologetics. This concentration prepares students for pastoral leadership, apologetics ministry, and seminary study.
Missions
Prepare for cross-cultural ministry and global outreach through coursework focused on missions, intercultural communication, global issues, and world religions. Students develop practical skills for serving in local and international ministry settings.
Pastoral Ministry
Focused on preaching, pastoral care, church leadership, and discipleship, this concentration prepares students for leadership roles in church ministry and pastoral service.
Youth Ministry
Learn how to disciple, mentor, and lead the next generation through coursework in youth ministry, small group leadership, preaching, and discipleship strategies.
Graduate Career Ready
What Can You Do with a Degree in Christian Ministry?
Students who graduate from the Christian Ministry program at Bushnell go on to pursue careers in:
- Pastoral ministry and church leadership
- Youth, children’s, and family ministry
- Missions, outreach, and community engagement
- Nonprofit and faith-based organizational leadership
- Chaplaincy, discipleship, and spiritual formation ministries
- Graduate study in ministry, theology, counseling, and related fields
Skills You’ll Gain
Through Bushnell’s Christian Ministry program, you’ll develop practical, ministry-focused skills, including:
- Lead and serve effectively in ministry and organizational settings
- Communicate biblical truths through teaching, preaching, and discipleship
- Apply leadership principles to ministry, outreach, and community engagement
- Develop pastoral care, mentoring, and relationship-building skills
- Navigate ethical, cultural, and spiritual challenges with wisdom and compassion
- Build a strong foundation for ministry leadership and graduate study
Where Our Graduates Serve
Bushnell Christian Ministry graduates are serving in churches, nonprofits, schools, and ministry organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including:
- Hearts With A Mission (Medford, OR)
- The Intersection (Spokane, WA)
- Everyone Village (Eugene, OR)
- Village Church (Adair Village, OR)
- South Lane School District
- High Lakes Christian Church (La Pine, OR)
- Pilgrim House (Santiago)
- The Bible Project
Graduate & Seminary Programs
Many graduates continue their education and ministry preparation at:
- Bushnell University
- Fuller Theological Seminary
- Multnomah Seminary
- Emmanuel Christian Seminary
- Grand Canyon University
Whether serving in churches, nonprofits, schools, community organizations, or pursuing graduate study, Bushnell Christian Ministry graduates are equipped to lead, serve, and make a meaningful impact in their communities and around the world.
Frequently Asked Questions?
Yes. The curriculum provides a strong theological and biblical foundation that prepares you for seminary studies leading to ordination or licensure, depending on denominational requirements. Many graduates continue into seminary or graduate ministry programs.
The program integrates opportunities for spiritual growth through mentoring, chapel involvement, service learning, and reflective coursework. You will engage practices that deepen your faith, strengthen your character, and help you discern your calling in community with peers and faculty.
Yes. Students may participate in mission trips, cross-cultural ministry courses, or internships with global ministry partners. These experiences help you develop cultural awareness and skills for international or multicultural ministry contexts.
Yes. Christian Ministry students regularly participate in internships, church partnerships, discipleship leadership, preaching opportunities, worship ministry, community outreach, and service-learning experiences. Many students serve in ministry roles while completing their degree, allowing them to apply classroom learning in real ministry settings before graduation.
Contact Us
Have questions about Bushnell’s Christian Ministry program? An admissions counselor can walk you through requirements, discuss transfer credits, and help you figure out your next step.
Troy Dean
Director of Outreach, Center for Calling & Community
Assistant Professor of Christian Ministry
View Bio
Our faculty and staff are 100% committed to your learning and invested in your success.
Come learn with us!
Related News
Bushnell University Honors Two Students at Commencement
EUGENE, Ore. – Two graduates of Bushnell University’s Class of 2026 were awarded the University’s most prestigious student awards during its Spring 2026 Commencement ceremony. The Dr. Kendall E. Burke…
Read More
The Register-Guard: See Inside Bushnell’s University District Campus Renovation
Written by Miranga Cyr, Eugene Register-Guard Even as sections of the former PeaceHealth University District hospital are demolished, one part of the campus is getting a second life. Bushnell University…
Read More
Faculty Features: Joshua Little, M.A.
Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Formation Joshua Little has always experienced learning as something meant to be shared. “Whatever I’m learning is something that I also want…
Read More
Next Steps
Interested in becoming a part of the Beacon community? We’re here to answer questions and help you see if Bushnell is right for you.
