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Pioneering the Way Forward
“We believe SEU will be the flagship institution in our nation for training ministerial leaders. We want to be the university students want to attend because they know that they will be equipped with the knowledge and the tools they need to impact the kingdom of God. And we aim to be the university that churches and nonprofits look to when it comes to recruiting their ministry leaders.”
—President Kent Ingle
Barnett College of Ministry and Theology
PIONEERING THE WAY FORWARD
The new academic year brought many exciting changes within the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology. As the university’s largest college, the Barnett College announced new partnerships, mergers and initiatives that will enhance the educational experience and better prepare students for ministry and to live out their callings.
To better position the university for service to the local church, the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology merged with SEU’s Global Ministry Network in the fall of 2021. The network houses the university’s educational partner sites. Previously, the network operated independently under the College of Unrestricted Education.
“As a university, we are always evaluating every aspect of what we do and how it plays into our mission,” said President Kent Ingle. “At our core, SEU’s heart is to train the next generation of ministerial leaders to serve Christ and the world around them.” The merger of the college and the ministry network allows the university to provide even more experiential learning opportunities for students as they are placed within churches — offering hands-on experience, learning from leading pastors in the nation and providing students with the opportunity to be placed in a church staff position upon graduation.
The Global Ministry Network started with six partner sites in 2012 and currently has over 200 sites with more than 2,173 undergraduate students enrolled in 40 states. The merger enables SEU to train students for ministry at our Lakeland campus, online or at a partner site.
The Vision of the Dean
“The goals for the Barnett College and SEU Global Ministry Network are informed by the needs of the local church. SEU strives to understand these needs and to then create educational solutions to meet them. In this way, both the academic content and its delivery help students to be faithful and fruitful in the work of the ministry.”
— Dean Nick Wallsteadt
With a fresh vision for the Barnett College of Ministry and Theology, SEU introduced a new dean, Nick Wallsteadt, to lead the college. Previously, Wallsteadt served as the vice president for network development and advancement. Since first starting at the university in 2014, Wallsteadt has served in various roles including vice president of unrestricted education, which encompassed extension site partnerships, regional campuses, the online learning platform and certificate programs.
“SEU is already leading the way in the innovation, quality and experiential components in developing and deploying the next generation of ministry leaders,” said Wallsteadt. “The vision for the college is that it would become the premier platform for preparing women and men for vocational ministry. Barnett College will be an essential piece of SEU’s Global Ministry Network, offering the academic foundation for ministry students.” In the coming years, Wallsteadt’s vision for the college is that it would serve as a cutting-edge academic and research center by offering students the opportunity to learn from world-class faculty, guest lecturers and other students. In this environment, students will be able to participate in and contribute to Spirit-empowered research and formation.
One of the goals of the college is to continue to diversify academic offerings and deliveries in order to increase the diversity of faculty and students. Currently, 53% of the students within the college are female, and 40% are ethnic minorities.
“This diversity is so encouraging,” said Wallsteadt. “SEU’s ministry development reflects the Kingdom of God — people from different ethnic, sociodemographic and geographic backgrounds — all coming together to play a role in God’s story of redemption.”
Training the Next Generation of Ministers
Serving the local church is at the heart of SEU. Although we have grown and added new career paths in the past eight decades, our commitment to equipping the next generation of students to make a difference in the world for Christ has not changed. The Barnett College of Ministry and Theology has the largest enrollment of any college at the university.
6,776
ministry graduates since 1935
2,058
ministry graduates in the past 5 years
4,390
ministry graduates in the past 25 years
519
ministry graduates in the 2020–2021 academic year
2,772
ministry graduates in the past 10 years
2,173
students currently enrolled in ministry programs
Key Initiatives for the Barnett College
Partnering with the local church has enabled the university to provide educational access for ministry students across vast socioeconomic tiers and allows us to fulfill our mission of preparing students for effective vocational ministry. Through six key initiatives, the Barnett College plans to increase opportunities for students and practicing ministers.
Ministry Deployment Hiring Platform Providing a digital hiring network to assist students with ministry placement and to create a hiring platform for partner churches to hire SEU graduates from other sites, campuses or learning deliveries.
Center for Pastoral Health and Sustainability Gathering current and future pastors from throughout the SEU Global Ministry Network and creating opportunities for reflection and health.
Scaling the SEU Ministry Network
Creating a model for larger format churches (as regional campuses of the university) to onboard their own network of partner churches, learning together with their distinct ministry DNA.
Youth Pastor U: Developing, Deploying and Sustaining the Next Generation of Youth Pastors
Continuing to build SEU’s youth ministry programs (both in for-credit and not-for-credit deliveries) by utilizing some of the leading voices in student ministry today, including current partners and SEU staff. SEU Lead Institute: Becoming the Leader in Cohorted Graduate Education
Continuing the success of the Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership cohorts, both in Lakeland and around the country, by creating graduate learning platforms consisting of SEU cohorts around the country and also in partnership with other learning communities.
SEU Lat-Am: Building a Network of High-Impact Churches for Ministry Development in Latin America
Expanding SEU’s international partnerships, specifically focusing on beginning a ministry network at high-impact churches throughout Latin America, centered on developing and deploying leaders for a lifetime of effective ministry.
Bob and Hazel Hoskins
Bob Hoskins speaks at SEU’s chapel service
Bob and Hazel Hoskins School of Mission
With the Great Commission in mind, SEU announced the Bob and Hazel Hoskins School of Mission in the fall of 2021. Through a partnership with OneHope, an international ministry founded by Bob that reaches children and youth across the globe, the school aims to provide interdisciplinary degree programs with a combination of ministry and marketplace skills. The school was named after the couple who served as missionaries in Africa, South America, Lebanon, France and Asia.
“Students will be equipped to live out a missional life in any sphere and to serve the global church around the world in new and innovative ways,” said Bob Hoskins. “The School of Mission provides students with interdisciplinary degree programs, and combines ministry and marketplace skills for roles of Spirit-empowered leadership.”
Programs within the school will blend missions courses with hard skills, such as business, digital media and TESOL, to help students graduate with degrees that are more marketable and versatile. In addition to this, the school also seeks to develop students within every college on campus to live with a missional mindset upon graduation. Finally, the school plans to collaborate with local churches around the globe to provide educational opportunities for students to pursue certificates, undergraduate or graduate degrees from SEU.
Carrión Hispanic Leadership Center
A recent partnership with the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) will enable SEU to equip more Hispanic and Latino students for leadership positions in ministry. NaLEC, a national coalition of several thousand Hispanic evangelical congregations in the United States, was founded by Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero.
“The launch of the Carrión Hispanic Leadership Center, coupled with the agreement with NaLEC, is an exciting and promising collaboration that will equip and empower Latino students and congregations, who are the fastest-growing segment of Pentecostalism,” said Salguero. “Through this agreement, the local church will be enriched by educating, equipping and empowering students to serve and lead within their local context.” The Carrión Hispanic Leadership Center was named in honor of Adolfo Carrión, Sr., who was the superintendent of the Spanish Eastern District of the Assemblies of God for nearly 40 years.
The center will encourage and create educational opportunities for Hispanic students, build relationships across the nation through partnerships with the local church, and fulfill the university’s mission of equipping students to discover and develop their divine design. This partnership will enable SEU to better serve NaLEC pastors and congregations by providing affordable, accessible education. This education will be delivered at the local church level and in collaboration
with the Lakeland campus.
Adolfo Carrion, Jr., speaks at the center’s naming ceremony
