The landscape of ministry is changing as never before. At the Hazelip School of Theology, we will train you for the challenges you face today. We are here to equip you with the knowledge, skills and abilities that will empower your calling in the Kingdom, whether that’s in local congregations, faith-based nonprofit spaces, chaplaincy roles or other forms of ministry you are supporting.
Your degree is more than just an academic experience. It is also about the personal journey you take as you study the complexities of Scripture, the textures of church history, the breadth of Christian theology and the pastoral practices of personal and communal formation. Here at Hazelip, the classic theological disciplines are meaningfully connected to the practical concerns of how to sustain Christian faith within your circles of influence.
Our way of educating is holistic regardless of the particular program you choose. We consider ourselves theological educators first and foremost, women and men that are willing to share our scholarly resources alongside our personal pieces of wisdom that flow out of our own journeys with Christ. We are thus accessible outside the classroom for other kinds of formative conversations because we highly value the personal dimensions of a seminary experience.
The Hazelip School of Theology offers several innovative graduate programs specifically created for professionals serving in today’s congregations and other faith-based initiatives. Learn from expert faculty and understand how to serve more effectively in your calling. Join our learning community and grow with us in our commitment to advance the Kingdom of God.
View Graduate Programsgraduates in church or para-church ministries
Our accreditation through the Association of Theological Schools means we are a seminary focused on our educational mission. We continually examine our classroom practices and improve our ways of teaching so that our students flourish in this learning community. Accredited by ATS since 2011, we pursue excellence in all that we do and regularly ask our students and graduates for feedback on how we might improve our work together.
Our Academic Programs
We seek to provide higher education to every person who desires it. Our Lipscomb Initiative for Education (LIFE) program provides one of the most extraordinary learning experiences available at the university. Through LIFE, traditional graduate students are able to journey alongside residents of the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center (DJRC) as together they earn their Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degrees. This graduate program is currently the only ATS-accredited degree being offered inside a prison setting within the United States.
About LIFEstates served by our graduates
Meet the key people that make up the Hazelip School of Theology.
Lipscomb Missions would like to welcome our new team member, Johanna Newsome! She started in the Program Coordinator role a few weeks ago and is quickly becoming familiar with our program, processes and all of our host partners. Johanna is originally from Chattanooga and moved to Nashville in 2019 to finish...
"It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t matter.” “It’s not enough to have the best class in the world if it doesn’t connect,” says Randy Willingham, Director of Lipscomb’s new Competency-Based Theological Education (CBTE) program. “The question becomes ‘does it work or not?’” With the launch of the CBTE, Lipscomb’s Hazelip School of...
Walter Surdacki, professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Lipscomb, has co-authored Practical Wisdom for Youth Group Parents (2022). It is a quick start guide for adults in youth ministry structured around these four practical questions. Its authors, David Fraze and Walter Surdacki, wrote Practical Wisdom to help readers “get ready...
Our graduate programs provide theological training in a relational context, emphasizing advanced knowledge of Scripture, theology and the history of Christian thought. Your education experience at Hazelip will be filled with purposeful, personal growth.
