The Certificate in African American Ministry (CAAM) is a 2-year program that provides theological, biblical, spiritual, and leadership training for women and men as pastoral leaders with attention to the twenty-first century African American congregational context. It supports those enrolled in the program to pursue excellence in core areas of ministerial practice. This continuing education program is a partnership of Lexington Theological Seminary, The Office of African American Clergy Leadership Development, and the National Convocation. It is funded in part by the Thriving in Ministry Project at LTS with a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
To accommodate busy schedules, students attend synchronous courses online (via Zoom) as well as four-day, in-person intensive courses at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, KY, in the summer (these in-person gatherings are dependent upon changing circumstances pertaining to the COVID 19 pandemic). Upon successful completion of all 12 courses, students earn the Certificate in African American Ministry or they may apply them as continuing education (CEU) credits. Deadline to apply is October 1, 2021.
2021-2022 Course Schedule
October 16 & 23, 2021 / each session on Zoom / 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
December 4 & 11, 2021 / each session on Zoom / 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
February 12 & 19, 2022 / each session on Zoom / 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
April 23 & 30, 2022 / each session on Zoom / 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
June 6-9, 2022 / Summer Intensive on Lexington campus
June 10, 2022 / Graduation of Inaugural CAAM Cohort
Courses in the Certificate in African American Ministry Program
The curriculum of the CAAM program addresses sixteen areas of ministerial practice, including: biblical knowledge, church administration and planning, communication, cross cultural and anti-racism experience, ecumenism, teaching and leader development, ethics, evangelism, mission of the Church in the world, pastoral care, preaching, spiritual development, stewardship, theology, and worship. Please note: these courses are only offered once during the two-year program.
Over the course of enrollment, students in the CAAM program take the following courses:
IS 100 – Old Testament
IS 110 – New Testament
IB 100 – Christian Social Ethics
IB 110 – Diversity in a Globalized World
IF 100 – Systematic Theology in the Disciples Tradition
IP 100 – History of Christianity & History & Polity of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
LC 100 – Pastoral Care & Spiritual Growth
LF 100 – Christian Education & Faith Formation
LM 100 – Evangelism & Missions
LM 110 – Administration & Stewardship
LW 100 – Preaching
LW 110 – Worship
The application window for the Fall 2021 cohort opens May 1 with a deadline of October 1, 2021. Applicants are encouraged to apply early in the application window. If you have questions about the CAAM program, please contact CAAM@lextheo.edu.
Letters of Recommendation
To submit a letter of recommendation on behalf of an applicant, please visit this page.