Brand New Certificate
Missions and Intercultural Studies Certificate
Answer the Call to Go
The Missions and Intercultural Studies certificate program at Ascent College is designed for students who sense a call to global missions and cross-cultural ministry. This 12-credit program provides a strong biblical and practical foundation for engaging the world with the gospel – equipping you to serve effectively across cultures, contexts, and communities.
Through a blend of classroom learning, spiritual formation, and hands-on experience, students are prepared not just to understand missions but to live it.
Why Missions and Intercultural Studies at Ascent?
This program goes beyond theory, helping you develop the mindset, skills, and spiritual depth needed for real-world ministry.
- Biblically grounded approach to global missions
- Practical training in cross-cultural engagement and disciple-making
- Spiritual formation that shapes your calling and character
- Global experience through a short-term overseas missions trip
- Partnership opportunities connected to Assemblies of God World Missions
By the end of this program, students will understand intercultural ministry, developing practical skills as they engage diverse cultures with wisdom, sensitivity, and clarity, deepening their calling as they cultivate a Spirit-led commitment to serving across cultures.
Certificate Details
Academic Dean
Dr. Rob Shipley
Adjunct Dean of Intercultural Studies and AGWM Director of Missiological Resources
Level
Duration
1 Year
Type
Certificate
Dr. Anna Morgan
If you went on a short-term missions trip and something came alive in you while overseas, the Missions and Intercultural Studies certificate program is the perfect next step for developing in your missionary call. Those who recognize they need more training in cross-cultural ministry but aren’t ready to commit to a full Bachelor's or Master's degree can obtain this certificate to continue their development and continue to discover more of God’s plan for their lives. Students will be taught by global missionaries and will have the exciting opportunity to participate in a missions trip over Spring Break.
Courses Needed
About the Certificate
The Missions and Intercultural Studies Certificate is a 12-credit program, consisting of five courses, each lasting eight weeks, that introduces students to the core principles of missions and intercultural ministry.
Students will explore the mission of God throughout Scripture, develop skills for engaging unreached people groups, learn strategies for contextualizing the gospel, and grow in their personal sense of calling and preparation for missions.
A key component of the program is a Spring Break overseas missions experience that provides firsthand exposure to missions and intercultural ministry in action. This global missions component requires additional travel, with related airfare, room and board, and any other expenses, to be borne by the student in addition to all related tuition, academic fees, and book expenses.
MIS105 Missions and the Local Church (3 Credits)
This course enables the student to mobilize and train local churches and church networks to participate in God’s global mission and engage unreached persons and people groups with the gospel. Topics addressed include participating in the Harvest, giving through faith promises, networking through partnerships, being goers and/or senders, and facilitating church planting movements.
MIS302 The Missionary Call & Preparation (3 Credits)
This course is a study of the motive, objective, call, qualifications, and opportunities for missionaries today, with particular attention to the practical issues of personal, spiritual, and administrative preparation for missionary service.
MIS306 Historic & Contemporary Issues in Missions (3 Credits)
Beginning with the New Testament Church, this course evaluates movements and leaders throughout missions history, providing a rubric and guide for present and future missionary endeavors. Special consideration is given to the history of the Assemblies of God and Pentecostal missions. A Pentecostal approach to the unique challenges and opportunities facing missionaries today guides the content of this course. Spirit-empowered missiological thinking, grounded in Biblical truth, is applied to diverse contemporary missions issues to assist the church and the missionary to communicate Christ to the world.
MIS350 Disciple-Making in Global Contexts (3 Credits)
This course equips students to become disciple-makers who multiply across cultures, religions, and worldviews, following the model of Jesus, Paul’s adaptive strategies, and lessons from global disciple-making movements. Students will learn and practice simple, reproducible methods that foster multiplying communities of faith, transcending cultural boundaries, and reshaping how the Church is understood and expressed.
*All Ascent College students pursuing the Missions and Intercultural Studies certificate program are required to complete GEN102 Orientation and Library Resources (0 credits).
Students are not required to have completed (or be pursuing) a traditional degree program (Bachelor of Arts in Ministry Leadership or Associate of Science in Ministry Leadership, for example) to participate in certificate programming tracks at Ascent College. Certificate programs may be completed independently of any other academic program.
Skills Acquired
Articulate methods and theories of effective intercultural ministry.
Demonstrate effective skills for intercultural ministry.
Embody a commitment to serving interculturally that emerges from their own spiritual development.
Tuition
Ascent College delivers accredited academic instruction for $400 per credit hour. Participants in the Missions and Intercultural Studies certificate program receive an exclusive 25% scholarship off their tuition.
In Partnership with AG World Missions
Ascent College partners with Assemblies of God World Missions to provide students with meaningful pathways into global ministry. This connection opens doors for mentorship, training, and future opportunities to serve around the world.
Want to go further in your development as a ministry leader called to missions and intercultural studies? Check out our Bachelor of Arts in Ministry Leaders (BAML) online degree program, with a concentration in Intercultural Studies education, here.
Captivated by the conversation surrounding missions and intercultural studies, but not sure you can handle college-level work right now? We get it. Auditors welcome! You can audit this program at our special auditor’s rate of $50 per credit hour (not eligible for scholarship) and engage with all course materials without the pressure of submitting assignments, receiving graded evaluations, or taking tests. Learn more about how auditing a course works here.
Auditors are welcome to participate in the overseas missions experience, noting any related airfare, room and board, and any other expenses, to be borne by the student in addition to all related tuition, academic fees, and book expenses.
Join us in preparing ministry leaders to make a lasting impact for God.
Learn how you can become a part of the Ascent College community, where we equip passionate individuals to grow spiritually, lead effectively, and make a lasting impact for Christ. Join us in our mission to prepare leaders who transform their world.
