Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry

STM in Rural Ministry and Community Development

The Saskatoon Theological Union, with the guidance and support of CiRCLe M, is offering this accredited graduate degree in a cohort-based, distance-education format.

This 3-year Master of Sacred Theology degree (STM) aims to help rural ministers lead their congregations in more effective engagement with their communities.   The program is interdisciplinary and will be drawing on resources and teachers from theology, rural sociology, rural health care and other disciplines.

Each cohort of students will meet together for three, one-week periods each year to do an intensive course. In the third year students who elect to do a thesis will work on that while the rest will take two more courses. The cohort will graduate together at the end of the three years. 

• If you have a basic theological degree and are interested in honing your skills in rural ministry and community development this is for you. 
• The program is open to anyone in any denomination or faith group.
• The emphasis in this degree is on working out of your context. So students’ employers (congregations, judicatories or agencies) must agree in writing to release and support their church worker for the periods of time during each year needed for the study. And of course the study will directly benefit, not just the ministers but the ministry sites. 
• Open this document for a look at how this program might benefit your congregation and community. 

Below are the students from the 2009-11 Rural STM Class. They are from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and from United, Anglican and Lutheran churches. 

   

What are the STM Students Doing?

One of the goals of the STM in Rural Ministry and Community Development is for our students to become resource people within their denominations.  This goal is being met. For example...

Greg Kiel (Lutheran, Swift Current, SK) is leading a synod-sponsored study of small churches. 

Catherine Holland (Anglican, Oyen, AB) did an appreciative inquiry with youth at the request of the Alberta Health Services and she also served as a consultant for them on the development of mental health capacity in the region.

Tim Wray (Lutheran, Millet, AB) was keynote at the MNO (Manitoba/Northwestern Ontario) synod convention and at the Alberta synod youth gathering on how small communities, congregations and youth groups can make a big impact.

Leigh Sinclair (United, Slave Lake, AB) spoke to the Athabasca diocese (Anglican) on women in rural communities, held a workshop on the Church’s response to stress in rural communities in Lloydminister AB, and will be speaking on rural ministry and community development to an Anglican Women’s Conference in Collington, Alberta in May 2011.

Lois Knudsen-Munholland (Lutheran, Strasbourg, SK) is engaging residents in a senior’s home to build community within by facilitating story-telling  and appreciative inquiry.