ABOUT MI
Changing the future of theological education

Welcome from the President

Welcome to The Master’s Institute!

The great preacher and theologian, Charles Spurgeon, says this about theological education:

“If a student should learn a thousand things, and yet fail to preach the gospel acceptably, his College course will have missed its true design. Should the pursuit of literary prizes and the ambition for classical honors so occupy his mind as to divert his attention from his life work, they are perilous rather than beneficial.” C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students

Here at the Master’s Institute we couldn’t agree more. Our deepest desire is the development of Spirit-filled Christian leaders who understand the fundamental call to proclaim the Good News of Jesus in word and deed.

To that end we have two masters level opportunities that integrate excellent academics with extensive Christian character formation and practical leadership development training. We optimize their stewardship as they develop their individual calling. Our desire is for students to leave seminary with #nodebt so that financial concerns won’t be a roadblock to following your calling.

program offerings we currently have available:

MDiv– local and distance students/Full time/Part time, seminar driven not semester driven. The per credit cost for 2023-2024 is $210.

Micro-MDiv–18 month masters-level leadership training partnering with your local congregation featuring a selection of Seminary courses and experiences. ($4,830/18 months, 30 Credits).

Both of our programs actively integrate concurrent spiritual formation, mentoring, leadership training and coaching, biblical and theological teaching throughout.

We would love to walk with you as you prepare for your calling.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at seminary@miseminary.com to learn more.

Living for Jesus!

Per Nilsen, President
The Master’s Institute

OUR STORY & VISION, MISSION, & VALUES

OUR STORY

MI's founders saw a need for a seminary that cared more about the ongoing transformative work of Jesus in the heart of its students than just knowledge and competencies alone. That dream has become a reality with the help of the Holy Spirit since MI's first class in 2001. Today nearly 100 Master of Divinity graduates and more than 350 graduates from MI’s church-centric certificate programs are continuing the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. MI graduates have been transformationally formed from the inside out through MI’s educational and equipping culture that has prepared each of them to live and lead with transformational impact in their ministries, businesses, and communities.

OVERVIEW

The three fold philosophy of training at MI is working. Spiritual and character formation, biblical teaching, and leadership training are equipping, not just educating our graduates. MI is a school which embraces what author J.P. Moreland calls the Kingdom Triangle – a recovery of knowledge, renovation of the heart, and a restoration of the miraculous power of God. Our hope is for our students to have godly character and wholeness so they can live righteously, to know the Scriptures in a way that they can think biblically, and have ministry skills so they can lead effectively.

VISION

Building unity in the Body of Christ through the global expansion of the MI mission and models for Leadership Development.

MISSION

The Master’s Institute equips the heart, head, and hands of servant leaders to continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit through spiritual & character formation, Biblical teaching, and leadership training.

VALUES

The Lordship of Jesus Christ
He is the head of the Church. The single assignment of the Church is to discover and do the will of its head, the Lord Jesus.

The full authority of the Word of God
The Word of God is without error in the original languages. The Bible works with the Spirit of God to train Christians for every good work.

Radical dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit
The Spirit creates Spirit-empowered congregations and ministries releasing Spirit-anointed and equipped people into Spirit-driven ministries led by Spirit-filled believers.

Empowering Grace of God
God’s grace made known through Jesus Christ is our unchanging message. It empowers Christians to live responsibly, victoriously, and in authentic relationship with others.

Missional leadership for the Great Commission
The mandate of Jesus to disciple the nations has never been rescinded. We accept the Great Commission, together with the Great Commandment, as our highest priority.

THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Centrality of Jesus Christ – we focus on the incarnation, death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ

Orthodox – as formulated in the ecumenical creeds and the confessions

Charismatic – we seek the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit

STATEMENT OF FAITH

That God is One, revealed in the Scriptures as three persons, the Father, the source and creator of all, the Son, our Savior and Lord, and the Spirit, who calls us to faith and empowers us for effective service.

That Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, through His virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death on our behalf, and resurrection from the dead, offers eternal life to all who believe, that we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that the same grace that saves also empowers for victorious living.

That the whole human race has fallen and cannot be rescued from bondage to sin and to Satan without Christ.

That the Word of God, the Bible, is true, and that we can therefore trust in it without reservation. We accept all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as a whole and in all their parts as the divinely inspired and revealed Word of God and joyfully submit to it as the only infallible authority in all matters of life and faith.

That the Church is composed of all those who have been born of the Spirit by believing in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The Church is the Body of Christ, with Jesus Christ as the Head. We purpose to submit to Christ’s headship in all things.

That baptism unites us with Christ’s death and resurrection and the Lord’s Supper gives us fellowship with the living Christ in His true body and blood.

That the local congregation consists of true believers, submitted to Christ, and carrying out His ministry and mandates in the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, and that pastors help equip the members to do the ministry.

That the Holy Spirit gives gifts to all members of the Church to do the supernatural ministry of Christ until He returns. That Christ will return for His Bride, the Church, and that true believers will live forever with Christ, while unbelievers will be sent to eternal punishment.

That the Ecumenical creeds, the Apostles, the Nicene, and the Athanasian, are true declarations of the faith we affirm.

That how we live affirms or denies what we profess. We do not want to deny the Gospel by wrong living. We adorn our creed with our conduct.

That right relationships are as necessary as right theology. We will not invalidate sound doctrine by unsound attitudes and actions toward others.

OUR TEAM

Staff

Kyle Fever

*Director of Academic and Contextual Formation*

Eric McIntyre

*Director of Spiritual and Character Formation*

Caroline Goldenstein

*Seminary Coordinator*

Jesse Johnson

*Business Administrator & Technology and Communications Coordinator*

Eric Bluhm

*MDiv Cohort Academic Pastor*

Elizabeth Hedin-Schmidt

*Administrative Assistant*

Board of Directors

PARTNERSHIPS

Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC)The Alliance of Renewal Churches is an alliance of churches that network together in committed relationships because of common values and vision—not just theology. This strategic alignment of congregations provides … — Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC)
The Alliance of Renewal Churches is an alliance of churches that network together in committed relationships because of common values and vision—not just theology. This strategic alignment of congregations provides encouragement, fellowship, consultation, accountability, covering, and prayer.
allianceofrenewalchurches.org

Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC)Lutheran Congregations in Missions For Christ primary mission is that of sharing the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ. LCMC is focused on starting congregations in this country, supporting mission… — Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC)
Lutheran Congregations in Missions For Christ primary mission is that of sharing the life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ. LCMC is focused on starting congregations in this country, supporting missionaries around the world, and raising up and training leaders to serve Christ and His church.
lcmc.net

Canadian Lutheran Bible InstituteDiscipleship training center located in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. clbi.edu — Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute
Discipleship training center located in Camrose, Alberta, Canada.
clbi.edu

Harvest Network International (HNI)Harvest Network International is an international ministerial association with members, churches, and ministries in almost 30 countries around the globe.harvestnetworkintl.org — Harvest Network International (HNI)
Harvest Network International is an international ministerial association with members, churches, and ministries in almost 30 countries around the globe.
harvestnetwork.live

International Ministerial Fellowship (IMF)International Ministerial Fellowship is an association that can provide a spiritual covering, appropriate credentials and the opportunity for affiliation with others who share a like faith and calling.imfser… — International Ministerial Fellowship (IMF)
International Ministerial Fellowship is an association that can provide a spiritual covering, appropriate credentials and the opportunity for affiliation with others who share a like faith and calling.
imfserves.org

World EncounterInvesting in the talents of the least, the last, and the lost. Curt Rosen, Founder.worldencounter.org — World Encounter
Investing in the talents of the least, the last, and the lost. Curt Rosen, Founder.
worldencounter.org

Contact Us

OFFICE HOURS

Mon-Thurs|8AM-3PM
Friday|8AM-noon

EMAIL
info@miseminary.com

CALL
651-765-9756

VISIT 4000 Linden Street|White Bear Lake|55110

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is MI accredited?

At MI, we believe it is important that every seminary be held to the highest standards of accountability:
This is why The Master's Institute offers a demanding and innovative educational and formational Master of Divinity program to assure our students and partners of the quality of an MI education. MI offers a non-accredited degree that enables graduates to be ordained, and/or licensed through Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, Harvest Network International, International Ministerial Fellowship, and numerous other Christian networks, denominations, and agencies.

A careful evaluation of MI's programs will attest to these things:
1. A rigorous academic curriculum that provides students with a thorough grounding in Biblical Studies, Theology, and the History of the Church.
2. An understanding of the dynamics of practical ministry in the twenty-first century that includes the integration of hands-on and reflective learning in carefully selected internship environments concurrent with work in the classroom.
3. The Christian health and wholeness of our graduates, having been carefully tended through an ongoing, relational, spiritual and character formation process to leadership development.

MI chooses professors who are:
1. Currently engaged in fruitful ministry, and are well qualified to inspire, teach, and equip ministry leaders at a seminary level.
2. Godly, passionate practitioners who are educated, engaged, and culturally informed to speak to the needs of the church and culture in the twenty-first century.
3. Role models for godly leadership in the content of their character as well as the content of their courses.

The benefits of this approach to theological education are:
1. Flexibility in structuring an effective approach to transformational learning, allowing us to build the program to meet the needs of the students, the Church, and the communities involved.
2. Flexibility in making necessary changes quickly, allowing us to adapt to changing cultures and seasons as needed.
3. Freedom to focus financial and personnel resources on the mission of the school.
4. A holistic formation opportunity that enables MI to send graduates out to do the ministry God has called them to with little or no financial burden.

We believe that "the proof is in the pudding."
Our graduates' readiness for fruitful and effective ministry is well attested, and we find our credibility in the following:
1. The close relationships and our responsiveness to the leaders, churches, and church networks we have been called to serve;
2. Our accountability to our students, Board, and church partners to remain faithful to our God-imparted vision, mission, core values, and philosophy of education and leadership development;
3. The breadth, depth, experience, and credibility of our faculty;
4. The quality and proven track records of our graduates who are now in the field doing Kingdom ministry in the power of God's Holy Spirit.

Is MI a Lutheran school?

Our statement of faith is evangelical, creedal, and sacramental. Being Lutheran is an issue of substance rather than style, of theology rather than methodology. We are Reformational in our understanding of the authority of Scripture and the centrality of grace and faith. We are an approved Seminary for Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, and have placed students in Missouri Synod, ELCA and non-denominational settings. We teach Lutheran confessions as a partner of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, but we have a strong ecumenical value and welcome students of all denominational backgrounds.

Do students graduate with a degree?

MI graduates receive a Master of Divinity (Mdiv) or Certificate of Completion (Micro-Mdiv and School of Ministry) along with letters of recommendation from some of the faculty and staff of MI, their mentor or the church at which they interned. Seminary students graduate with solid leadership training, equipping them to serve as pastors, church planters, missionaries, worship leaders and director of music ministries, youth or Christian education ministers, para-church ministers, or workers in other areas of leadership. Many MI graduates are currently employed as senior, associate or youth pastors, and missionaries.

How does grading work?

The faculty, or, in some cases the Director, Spiritual Formation or the Dean of Students, will evaluate your homework assignments for “Clarity of Thought” and “Comprehension.” The papers are evaluated using the traditional grading system, A-F on a 100 point scale. Your grade is more than a measurement of performance; it reflects your preparation as you are being formed for Kingdom ministry. MI is equally concerned with excellence in character and equipping for leadership as it is with academics. If a student were to get an A in theology and a D in character, we would have missed our goal. We are training leaders who can think biblically and who’s character is conformed to the image of Christ.

What kind of jobs are available after graduation?

Graduates are currently serving in the ARC (Alliance of Renewal Churches), LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ), HNI (Harvest Network International) Churches, the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), or have returned to their sending church in some leadership capacity or as a church planter of that congregation. Other church networks are also beginning to discover MI and may receive MI graduates in the future such as Evangelical Free churches, Covenant churches, Vineyard churches, and more. MI has teamed up with IMF (International Ministerial Fellowship) to help with licensing and ordination. MI will assist students, as requested, in finding a position suitable to their gifts and training and will continue in this relationship with them throughout their ministry if desired. Placement is the primary responsibility of the graduates and their relational networks.

Who teaches at MI?

All of MI's faculty are adjunct. Some are pastors in the Twin Cities who have a gift and passion for communicating the Christian message. Some are seminary professors whose values and gifting fit well with our program. We teach from the Lutheran perspective on Reformation (Word alone, Grace alone, Faith alone).

What is the curriculum?

MI’s curriculum is fashioned in a seminar format, with each weekly seminar running from 8:00 – 12:00 pm on Thursdays and Fridays. Most seminars are contained in 1-2 weeks. Classes include biblical studies, systematics (the work of the Spirit, the nature of man, etc.), church history, apologetics (a defense of the faith), and practical theology (leadership, spiritual formation, discipleship, etc.).

Does MI teach Greek or Hebrew?

Students desiring to study Greek/Hebrew are encouraged to do so through intensives or summer courses through various seminaries. MI does not currently offer a Greek or Hebrew class.

Does one need a bachelor degree to apply?

Younger students are encouraged to complete their college degree before applying. Second-career people who sense God leading them into some form of ministry and who demonstrate Christian maturity and leadership are welcome to apply to MI’s credentialed program whether or not they have a college degree. (Equivalencies for life experiences, leadership, and Christian service are considered.)

What is meant by "character formation" or "mentoring?"

Academic training is insufficient for Christian leadership. Students need character formation. The MI approach is three-fold: Biblical teaching is one-third of the program, character formation and hands-on leadership training are the other two-thirds. Character formation includes weekly personal time with a mentor who helps to give encouragement, direction, and correction when needed, group mentoring (students meet together for encouragement and accountability), and personal daily devotions (which includes the reading of devotional classics). The mentoring is personal and relational rather than academic. Students are more likely to be asked questions about how they are handling temptation or strengthening their devotional life than about homework assignments.

Does MI offer options for people wanting training but not a full M.Div?

Yes. The Micro-MDiv is an 18 month masters level program that develops advanced leaders in their congregational context. Credits from this program are transferrable to the credentialed MDiv if completed at a masters level and approved by MI faculty.

Can I take a class online?

Yes, courses are offered online. Contact the school for more info.

Is there a school like this near me?

We only have one permament location in St. Paul, Minnesota. However, we have distance students all over the country (and sometimes the world!) and we also have Micro MDiv programs in several different locations. See our Micro MDiv page for more info.

Non-Discrimination Policy

The Master’s Institute admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded and made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational or admissions policies, scholarship or other school-administered programs. The Master’s Institute recognizes, respects, and honors diversity due to an individual’s culture, race, and ethnicity.