Discipleship Ministry teaches students how to design and implement programs that build authentic community and biblical knowledge within the church. The major emphasizes small group philosophy and the importance of the Great Commission.


The vocational track encourages students to pursue minors in other disciplines, in order to prepare for a variety of vocations.

Career Opportunities

  • Author
  • Associate Pastor
  • Chaplaincy
  • Christian School Headmaster
  • Christian School Teacher
  • Counselor
  • Discipleship Coordinator
  • Educational Ministry Pastor
  • Family Ministry Pastor
  • Lead Pastor
  • Parachurch Ministries
  • Professor
  • Small Group/Life Group Pastor
  • Social Media Ministry
  • Teacher

What to Expect

Weekend Sunday Shadowing

Weekend Sunday Shadowing, or WSS, is a weekend experience offered one time every semester where faculty and students visit a church, typically within a one-hour drive of Cleveland. The students and faculty visit on Saturday to interact with the church staff, do Q & A sessions, and have lunch. The day typically lasts from 9 a.m. – noon. Then on Sunday, the group returns to the church to “job shadow” respective staff members. Pastoral majors “shadow” the pastor, youth majors “shadow” the youth ministry, and so on, to see how the church functions “behind the scenes” during a service. Both the Saturday morning and Sunday morning components are required to receive credit for that weekend, in addition to a short post-event questionnaire. Students are required to complete four of these events during their four years at Lee.  

Travel/Global Trips

  • Honduras Global Ministry and Benevolence Global Trip
  • Israel Study Abroad  
  • Selected students are invited to travel to Chicago in the summer for a three-week inner-city immersion experience supported by the Scholl Foundation. 

Club/Social

  • Theta Alpha Kappa  
  • Pi Alpha Sigma (Koine Greek)  
  • TAK - STM Honor Society  
  • Missions Alive is the Intercultural Studies Ministry club 

Awards/Honors

  • STM Award – pending faculty vote  
  • Discipline Award – by nomination of DISM Discipline Coordinator  
  • Students are invited to join the TAK Honors society for STM Majors 

Capstone

The Capstone course is designed to help graduating students integrate their faith with the academic knowledge they have gained throughout their studies. It is regarded as the final reflection of the essential Core Values of Lee University. All STM majors take a capstone class just prior to graduation (RELG 495).

Home/Location

Students spend the majority of their time in the STM Building and STM Commons area. 

Internships/Practicum

  • Required 8 week/150 hours after completion of all pre-requisites typically at 60+ academic hours.  

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This is a double major option wherein a streamlined version of the Biblical and Theological Studies major is coupled with a second major of the student’s choice from any department at Lee. There are two iterations of this track.

In this track, instead of a dual major, students combine the streamlined theology major with two minors from academic departments across the university. This program does not require foreign language study.

Career Opportunities

  • Teaching
  • Editing and Publishing
  • Pastoring
  • Worship-leading
  • Chaplaincy
  • Law
  • Ministry and Curriculum Writing
  • Missions
  • Graduate Study – Scholarly work
  • Research
  • Not-for-Profit Organizations/Social Justice GNOs and Lobbies

What to Expect

Hub/Support/Tutoring

Tutoring is provided for all disciplines. The Writing Center also provides help with research/reflection writing assignments. 

Travel/Global Trips

  • Italy Spring Break Religion Global Trip  
  • Israel Biblical Study Tour (Summer)  
  • Israel Archaeology Trip (Summer) 

Club/Social

  • Theta Alpha Kappa Theta Pi Chi 
  • Theology Club  
  • Pi Alpha Sigma-Koine Greek Club  
  • Philosophy Club 

Awards/Honors

  • TAK - Honor Society  
  • Theta Alpha Kappa-National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology 
  • The School of Theology & Ministry selects a disciplinary award winner and gives awards in several disciplines each spring. 

Capstone

  • The Capstone course is designed to help graduating students integrate their faith with the academic knowledge they have gained throughout their studies. It is regarded as the final reflection of the essential Core Values of Lee University.  
  • All STM majors take the 1-hour STM Capstone course during their final year. It is offered during the spring semester.

Home/Location

Students spend much of their time in the STM building, where the department is located.

Career/Mentorship

  • Weekend Sunday Shadowing—further information on this can be garnered from the Office of the Associate Dean
  • Student mentors—upper division students are chosen to mentor new and incoming majors  
  • Teaching Assistantships are given to upper division students for the fields of Old Testament, New Testament, Hebrew, and Greek 

Research

McNair Scholars: STM faculty have supported and sponsored numerous scholars since the beginning of the program.

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This major focuses on the content of Christian faith and practice with specific attention to the Biblical source, historical traditions, philosophical concepts, and theological perspectives.

Similar vocational tracks are also available within the discipline of theology.


This is a double major option wherein a streamlined version of the Biblical and Theological Studies major is coupled with a second major of the student’s choice from any department at Lee. There are two iterations of this track.


In this track, instead of a dual major, students combine the streamlined theology major with two minors from academic departments across the university. This program does not require foreign language study.

Career Opportunities

  • Teaching
  • Editing and Publishing
  • Pastoring
  • Worship-leading
  • Chaplaincy
  • Law
  • Ministry and Curriculum Writing
  • Missions
  • Graduate Study – Scholarly work
  • Research
  • Not-for-Profit Organizations/Social Justice GNOs and Lobbies

What to Expect

Hub/Support/Tutoring

Tutoring is provided for all disciplines. The Writing Center also provides help with research/reflection writing assignments. 

Travel/Global Trips

  • Italy Spring Break Religion Global Trip  
  • Israel Biblical Study Tour (Summer)  
  • Israel Archaeology Trip (Summer) 

Club/Social

  • Theta Alpha Kappa Theta Pi Chi 
  • Theology Club  
  • Pi Alpha Sigma-Koine Greek Club  
  • Philosophy Club
  • Theology House

Awards/Honors

  • TAK - STM Honor Society  
  • Theta Alpha Kappa-National Honor Society for Religious Studies and Theology 
  • The School of Theology & Ministry selects a disciplinary award winner and gives awards in several disciplines each spring. 

Capstone

  • The Capstone course is designed to help graduating students integrate their faith with the academic knowledge they have gained throughout their studies. It is regarded as the final reflection of the essential Core Values of Lee University.  
  • All STM majors take the 1-hour STM Capstone course during their final year. It is offered during the spring semester.

Home/Location

Students spend much of their time in the STM building, where the department is located.

Career/Mentorship

  • Weekend Sunday Shadowing—further information on this can be garnered from the Office of the Associate Dean
  • Student mentors—upper division students are chosen to mentor new and incoming majors  
  • Teaching Assistantships are given to upper division students for the fields of Old Testament, New Testament, Hebrew, and Greek 

Research

McNair Scholars: the STM faculty have supported and sponsored numerous scholars since the beginning of the program

Want a Scholarship?

Lee University offers a wide variety of scholarships for all our schools and programs.

See Scholarships

Explore The Campus Through
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Daniela Augustine

Daniela Augustine, DTH

Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Theology & Ministry / Professor of Theological Ethics
Specialty: Theology of Social Transformation, Theology of Economics, Studies in Forgiveness & Reconciliation
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 150C
Phone: (423) 303-5101
Email
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Jodie Augustine

Jodie Augustine, BA

Lecturer in Greek & Latin
Specialty: Ancient Greek Philosophers
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 150G
Phone: (423) 303-5105
Email
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Bob Bayles

Bob Bayles, PhD

Associate Dean of the School of Theology & Ministry / Professor of Practical Theology
Specialty: Discipleship, Family Ministry, & Next Generation
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 208B
Phone: (423) 303-5110
Email
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Terry Cross

Terry Cross, PhD

Dean of the School of Theology & Ministry / Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology
Specialty: The Theology of Karl Barth, & The Doctrine of Church (Ecclesiology)
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 108A
Phone: (423) 303-5080
Email
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Dana Crutchfield

Dana Crutchfield

Executive Secretary to the Dean of the School of Theology & Ministry
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 108B
Phone: (423) 303-5080
Email
Robert Debelak

Robert Debelak, DMin

Professor of Bible
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 250A
Phone: (423) 303-5127
Email
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Michael Fuller

Michael Fuller, PhD

Professor of Biblical Studies
Specialty: Intertestamental Period and the Early Church
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 150D
Phone: (423) 303-5102
Email
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Daniel Glover

Daniel Glover, PhD

Assistant Professor of New Testament
Specialty: Pauline literature, the Book of Acts, and the Catholic Epistles
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 250B
Phone: (423) 303-5128
Email
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Steve Hall

Steve Hall, DMin

Executive Director of The Paul L. Walker Center for Pentecostal Preaching / Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry
School of Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 226B
Phone: (423) 303-5119
Email
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Skip Jenkins

Skip Jenkins, PhD

Professor of Historical Theology
Specialty: Early Church History and the Trinity
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 250D
Phone: (423) 303-5130
Email
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Lisa Long

Lisa Long, PhD

Executive Director of "The Story Program"; Professor of Practical Theology
Specialty: Practical Theology, Discipleship, & Christian Spirituality
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 126B
Phone: (423) 303-5090
Email
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Julie Martinez

Julie Martinez, PhD

Director of Intercultural Studies Program / Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies
Specialty: Global Ministry, Cross-Cultural Ministry, & Missiology
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 150A
Phone: (423) 303-5099
Email
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Kevin Nordby

Kevin Nordby, PhD

Chair for Integration & Apologetics / Assistant Professor of Religion, Culture, & Philosophy
Specialty: Epistemology, Philosophy of Religion, & Apologetics
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 226A
Phone: (423) 303-5118
Email
Brian Peterson

Brian Peterson, PhD

Professor of Old Testament
Specialty: Old Testament History, Archaeology, Hebrew Language
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 250E
Phone: (423) 303-5131
Email
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David Roebuck

David Roebuck, PhD

Director of Dixon Research Center
Assistant Professor of History of Christianity
Theology & Ministry | Location: LIB 316
Phone: (423) 614-8575
Email
Kevin Snider

Kevin Snider, PhD

Associate Professor of Christian Ethics
Specialty: Virtue Ethics, Moral Philosophy, and Analytic Moral Theology
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 150B
Phone: (423) 303-5100
Email
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Lisa Stephenson

Lisa Stephenson, PhD

Professor of Systematic Theology
Specialty: Benevolence, & Theological Anthropology
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 126C
Phone: (423) 303-5091
Email
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Justin Walker

Justin Walker, PhD

Associate Professor of Old Testament and Christian Ministry
Specialty: Biblical Poetry, Old Testament Theology, Preaching/Teaching
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 150E
Phone: (423) 303-5103
Email
Mark Walker

Mark Walker, PhD

Professor of Pastoral Studies
School of Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 226E
Phone: (423) 303-5122
Email

Maria Zapata

Secretary
Theology & Ministry | Location: STM 208
Phone: (423) 303-5110
Email

We cannot truly love what we do not know rightly. Everything we do in Lee’s Theology department revolves around that principle. Our highly trained faculty are deeply committed to the Lordship of Christ and life in the church. Our low student-teacher ratio means that our students receive a high level of care, attention, and mentorship inside and outside of the classroom. Students who study with us acquire the vocabulary to express and explain their beliefs and religious experiences, which are continually enriched through living and learning together. 

Look Inside

Take a quick tour of our School of Religion, home to Lee’s Department of Theology and the facility housing our dynamic and close-knit learning community.
Department of Theology

CJ Edwards

Christian (CJ) Edwards majors in biblical and theological studies with a philosophy emphasis. Also a music minor, he is a member of the the university’s a cappella ensemble Voices of Lee, which has been a rewarding experience for him. “I have been pushed and stretched in a way that made me a better musician and person.” CJ is grateful for his friendships at Lee and getting to experience the value of community in his daily life. After graduation, CJ wants to pursue a career in music in Nashville, Tennessee, but also feels led to minister to inner-city youth. 

The Department of Christian Ministries is committed to sending forth graduates who have the greatest potential of leading churches and ministries that effectively engage the world with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. God desires to redeem the world through Jesus Christ and has commissioned the church as His Spirit-filled witnesses to fulfill this mission in the earth. The future of the church depends on educated and equipped servant leaders; therefore, we believe that spiritually empowered, academically informed, and practically trained Christian Ministries graduates are imperative to the mission of God's redeeming work in the world. 

Look Inside

Take a quick tour of our School of Religion, home of Lee’s Department of Christian Ministries and the facility housing our dynamic and close-knit learning community.