Intercultural Studies & World Missions
Associates of Applied Science (AAS) – 2 year degree
Missions Cognate within Bachelor of Arts (BA) – 4 year degree
Missions Minor accompanying Bachelor of Arts (BA) – 4 year degree
- Campus program
- Online program
Enhancing our Missions Program to Meet 21st Century Needs
From our start, GBSC has included a strong focus on global ministry — this is why our founder included “missionary training home” in our institutional name. Just as “missionary training home” is still part of our official name, we’re still passionate about missions and the global nature of our mission as a college.
That’s why we are excited for a new approach to missions education and training!
A New Approach
Over several years we have engaged in prayer, planning and discussion about how missions education can best be done today. Our discussions have included missionaries, missions educators and missionary leaders from conservative holiness denominations, Bible colleges and missions organizations, from Florida to Pennsylvania to Indiana and around the world.
Every single missionary and missions leader has agreed: a standalone “missions major” isn’t the answer.
In response, we have developed a different approach that provides missions education in three ways.
- A standalone 2-year missions degree
- A missions minor open to every GBSC BA student, as well as all GBSC alumni with a bachelor’s degree
- A missions cognate that can be included in the Biblical and Theological Studies major or the Integrative Studies major
Combined, these approaches open missions training to every single GBSC student!
GBSC Chancellor Michael Avery, himself a past missions leader, comments,
Taking the Gospel to the unreached people groups of today’s world holds enormous challenges — challenges that can and must be faced with new thinking, a variety of approaches and flexible training methods.
GBSC’s new approach to missionary training is a bold response to this daunting challenge.
A New Vision
Our vision includes graduates prepared for a range of vocations with a deep passion for and understanding of missions work. Success looks like…
- Long-term missionaries who use professional skills to open doors for missionary outreach
- Missionaries who serve a shorter period on the field and then bring their missions experience to US churches and ministries
- Pastors, teachers and others who knowledgeably support missions work and share their passion with others
- Laity who support missions organizations financially and with services
In addition to curriculum structures that enable missions to permeate the college, we’ve also begun a Visiting Professor of Missiology program. Each year, we’ll bring a current or recent missionary or missions leader to campus multiple times for teaching, preaching and mentoring.
These visiting professors will connect our missions students directly with God’s frontline work in various fields, providing them with multiple perspectives on how mission work can be done.
Our Visiting Professor of Missiology
We are excited to have Rev. Steven Hight serving as our Visiting Professor of Missiology for 2020-2021.
A veteran missionary and pastor with a heart for people, Bro. Hight brings decades of cross-cultural experience to the classroom. In addition to pastoring in the United States, he has served as a missionary both in Central America and Dominican Republic. Bro. Hight has held leadership roles both with Friends of Missions and Evangelistic Faith Missions. God has also used Bro. Hight in writing devotionals and in translating several books into Spanish. He regularly teaches for the Instituto Bíblico Evangélico, a part of Hope International Missions’ Hispanic Bible school.
Bro. Hight holds undergraduate degrees in religion (Wesleyan Holiness Bible College) and history (William Jennings Bryan College). While serving as a missionary, he learned Spanish (Instituto de lengua Espan֮ola) and later completed a master’s degree focused on missions (Southeastern Bible College).
During this academic year, Bro. Hight will teach missions courses with a blended schedule, connecting with students online and through multiple visits to campus each semester.
Past Visiting Professors of Missiology:
Steve Stetler – 2017-2018
Tim and Becky Keep – 2018-2019
Tim Boyd – 2019-2020
Associates of Applied Science (AAS) – 2 year degree
Missions Cognate within Bachelor of Arts (BA) – 4 year degree
Missions Minor accompanying Bachelor of Arts (BA) – 4 year degree
- Campus program
- Online program
Enhancing our Missions Program to Meet 21st Century Needs
From our start, GBSC has included a strong focus on global ministry — this is why our founder included “missionary training home” in our institutional name. Just as “missionary training home” is still part of our official name, we’re still passionate about missions and the global nature of our mission as a college.
That’s why we are excited for a new approach to missions education and training!
A New Approach
Over several years we have engaged in prayer, planning and discussion about how missions education can best be done today. Our discussions have included missionaries, missions educators and missionary leaders from conservative holiness denominations, Bible colleges and missions organizations, from Florida to Pennsylvania to Indiana and around the world.
Every single missionary and missions leader has agreed: a standalone “missions major” isn’t the answer.
In response, we have developed a different approach that provides missions education in three ways.
- A standalone 2-year missions degree
- A missions minor open to every GBSC BA student, as well as all GBSC alumni with a bachelor’s degree
- A missions cognate that can be included in the Biblical and Theological Studies major or the Integrative Studies major
Combined, these approaches open missions training to every single GBSC student!
GBSC Chancellor Michael Avery, himself a past missions leader, comments,
Taking the Gospel to the unreached people groups of today’s world holds enormous challenges — challenges that can and must be faced with new thinking, a variety of approaches and flexible training methods.
GBSC’s new approach to missionary training is a bold response to this daunting challenge.
A New Vision
Our vision includes graduates prepared for a range of vocations with a deep passion for and understanding of missions work. Success looks like…
- Long-term missionaries who use professional skills to open doors for missionary outreach
- Missionaries who serve a shorter period on the field and then bring their missions experience to US churches and ministries
- Pastors, teachers and others who knowledgeably support missions work and share their passion with others
- Laity who support missions organizations financially and with services
In addition to curriculum structures that enable missions to permeate the college, we’ve also begun a Visiting Professor of Missiology program. Each year, we’ll bring a current or recent missionary or missions leader to campus multiple times for teaching, preaching and mentoring.
These visiting professors will connect our missions students directly with God’s frontline work in various fields, providing them with multiple perspectives on how mission work can be done.
Our Visiting Professor of Missiology
We’re blessed to have Dr. Tim Boyd serving as our Visiting Professor of Missiology for 2019-2020.
Dr. Boyd brings years of experience as a missionary and missions educator to the classroom, along with his undergraduate (Union Bible College) and graduate degrees in missiology (Columbia International University). Since 2003, Tim has served as a missionary with Hope International Missions, returning annually to Ukraine. From 2004-2009, Tim taught in Ukraine at Kiev Wesley Bible College and Wesley Bible College in Uzhgorod. Since 2013, Dr. Boyd has taught missions and theology at Union Bible College, where he currently chairs the ministerial department.
Dr. Boyd’s publications include John Wesley’s Christology and Factors Advancing or Limiting Evangelical Mission in Ukraine, which was translated and published in Russian. Tim is not only fluent in Russian, but also teaches Greek and Hebrew.
During this academic year, Dr. Boyd will teach missions courses during his frequent visits to campus, in addition to coaching missions students as they prepare to fulfill their calling.
Past visiting Professors of Missiology
Sample Classes
AAS
- OT / NT Literature
- Cultural Diversity
- Principles & Problems of the Missionary Life
- World Religions
BA cognate/minor
- Cross-Cultural Communication
- Historical Foundation of Missions
- Current Issues & Methods of Missions
- Theology of the Christian World Mission
Why choose Intercultural Studies & World Missions at GBSC?
The AAS degree is for laypeople who may be interested in short-term missionary work or in working with missionary organizations.
The BA degree prepares missionary candidates spiritually, academically, and practically for contemporary cross-cultural ministry abroad and at home thus helping to fulfill the Great Commission. Part of this degree, called a cognate, is intended to help the student develop professional or practical skills that may be used on the mission field.
Our BA degree allows you to customize a cognate from a variety of areas, including:
- Counseling
- Teacher Education
- Ministerial Education
- Children’s Ministry
- Business
- Music Education
- Teaching English as a Second Language
- Theological Education
Graduates went off to be a
- missionary in Mexico
- English teacher in Mongolia and China
pastor in Northern Irelandleader of Hispanic ministry in Indiana- inner-city mission church
- Christian school teacher in Guatemala
youth worker in Ukraine
AAS Program Requirements
Minimum Program Credits
60 credits
General Education: 19 – 25
Bible & Theology: 15
Program core: 28
Elective choices: 7
Standard Completion Time
2 years
BA Cognate/Minor Program Requirements
Minimum Program Credits
18 credits
Complete additional BA requirements
Program hours: 18
Standard Completion Time
4 years
(as part of BA)
Accreditation
We are accredited by both the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). See why having both matters.
