The Director of Christian Education (DCE) program prepares men and women to serve as lifespan educational leaders in various team ministry settings in the congregation. With different emphases and specializations, the DCE is there to help teach the Christian faith to children and adults across the lifespan. The DCE program is five years in duration, entailing the core Bible and theology component, a cluster of more specialized courses, and one year devoted to a supervised internship.
DCE certification requires majoring in Christian Ministry. This program is designed to equip students for exemplary service in Christian ministry settings in the areas of education and/or outreach. It presupposes the minor in Lutheran Theology, which represents the theological core of the program and is taken by most church work students.
For Certification in the LCMS as a Director of Christian Education (DCE), add 12 credits of internship and 8 credits of additional coursework (as specified in the course listings). The DCE certification also requires completion of the Lutheran Theology minor.
DCE students work and grow through a final, fifth-year internship as part of their coursework.
This program requires majoring in Christian Ministry.
View ProgramFull-time eligible students enrolled in a church work program will receive the guarantee that the cost of their tuition will not exceed $6,000 each academic year. To be eligible, students must be an LCMS member, a U.S. citizen, and be pursuing their first bachelor’s in a Church Work program full-time.
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