Page 106 - COG Publications

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ministry with articles from specialists in the primary ftelds of .
interest. Participation from sabbatical ministers is anticipated.
The graduate school will also work in developing resource tools for 0
the Church. That will include works such as the Systematic Theology
Project and other reference sources and aids.
Formal programs of the graduate school will incLude the 30-unit certi­
ficate of the ministry program which will begin its third year of
operation this fall. According to ministers who have been through the
program, this sequence of study has been especially practical and en­
riching to the vast majority. This program will offer more courses
this year and will form the first year of study in the graduate school.
A master of arts program in religious studies (60 units) will focus
on subjects of direct importance to the local church and the Church
as a whole. Areas of specialization will be in church growth and
development, marriage and family counseling, theological journalism,
church educational programs, and youth ministry. Work in the graduate
school combined with practical experiences from the entire pastoral
ministry will further help develop a full professional master's
degree serving the unique needs of our ministry.
Expansion of the graduate program promises another benefit to the
local church congregation. According to George Geis, who has been
asked to coordinate educational activities of the school, "We're
hoping to have up to 30 non-ordained students enter the program this
fall." They will be in addition to the ministers on sabbatical.
Dr. Geis continued, "We see the student who has specialized in one
of the five areas of concentration becoming a part of a major support
system which would provide the field minister with a tremendous
resource to help build the programs he wishes to incorporate into
his pastorate."
While much work must be done in organizing these plans, all of the
needed resources are there: Hundreds of ministers with numerous
years of pastoral experience, many men with graduate degrees in areas
0
of special interest to the Church, a library responsive to the infor­
mation needs of the Church operations and Graduate School, a beautiful
campus at Church headguarters,, and a world full of people in need -of �--...�
what we in the ChurcfC?:5r Gbt1 have to offer.
CENTER FOR MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY TO BE OPENED Along with the many
new developments taking place in the Work will be the establishment
of a Center for Marriage and the Family. Operating in conjunction
with the Ambassador Graduate School of Theology in Pasadena, the
center will provid·e actual counseling services, a practicum program
for the graduate school, and hopefully, a source of vital information
on marriage and family counseling for the entire ministry.
David Antion has been asked by Garner Ted Armstrong to guide the
initial development of the new center and he will be assisted by 0
Robert Oberlander. Mr. Antion said: "We expect that the center will
provide not only a place to obtain marriage and family counseling,
but more than that, it will deal with the causes of marital and family