Ignite and Equip Conference Cohorts
Cohort-based degree pathway—in partnership with regional conferences of the Evangelical Covenant Church
Relational seminary education you can accomplish
Earn your Master of Arts in Christian Formation (MACF) in four years while building mission-friendships across the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Our conference cohorts provide a custom schedule and an affordable funding model that bring a credentialing degree for ministry within reach for many.
Why seminary through Ignite and Equip?
- Gain biblical, theological, and practical foundations for powerful ministry.
- Learn from professors with academic expertise and pastoral vision.
- Meet educational requirements to seek Ordination to Word and Service in the ECC.
- Blend the friendship of an embodied learning community with the flexibility of online delivery.
- Engage with the broader Covenant denomination and build relationships with conference leaders.
- Build it all through the most affordable option for a North Park Theological Seminary degree.
Master of Arts in Christian Formation
The MACF is an accredited, 48-credit-hour master’s degree designed to equip leaders for ministries focused on Christian formation, discipleship, and spiritual growth in congregational and educational settings.
Coursework provides a foundation in Bible, theology, Christian history, spiritual formation, and ministry practice, alongside specialized electives in Christian education and intercultural engagement. With a blend of academic study and practical ministry, graduates may pursue Ordination to Word and Service in the ECC.
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A shared investment in your call to seminary
We’ve designed our cohort funding model to be as affordable as possible.
- 50% = Tuition discount from North Park Theological Seminary for admitted students
- 25% = Financial commitment from sponsoring congregation
- 25% = Remaining student responsibility
Financial support from a sponsoring congregation or church is determined independently by that organization and may vary. Any amounts listed are estimates for planning purposes only and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of financial support.
How to pay your invoiceHow it works
The four-year part-time program schedule is designed for those juggling ministry, family, or work, combining predictable evening courses with in-person intensive weeks for condensed learning.
Fall and Spring Semesters
Monday night classes
Live online courses meet for 1.5 hours each Monday night (7:00–8.30 p.m.). The schedule stays locked in so you can plan life ahead of time.
September
Fall intensive at cohort base camp
A week of in-person classes and cohort connection. Equip meets at Carol Joy Holling Camp and Retreat Center in Ashland, Nebraska. Ignite meets at Mission Springs Camps and Conference Center in Scotts Valley, California.
January
Covenant Midwinter Conference
In the first program year, cohort students attend the Covenant Midwinter Conference for pastors. Students complete a course-intensive program and attend conference events outside class time.
June
Summer intensives at NPTS
Summer brings cohort students to the Chicago campus of North Park Theological Seminary for in-person courses, engagement with North Park faculty and staff, and connection to students across programs.
Featured courses
BIBL 6290 – Intercultural Readings of the Bible
The course interprets select biblical texts from the Old and New Testaments with an appreciation for how African American, Asian American, Latin American, and other ethnic American scholars hear these same texts from their respective cultural locations and social histories. Special attention is given to exegetical method, theological reflection, and cultural hermeneutics.
CEDF 5100 – Christian Education and Formation in the Church
This course will introduce the tensions and dimensions of historical, theological, and pedagogical foundations of Christian formation. Time will be given to discussing leadership concerns as pastors of Christian formation, and will facilitate a broad awareness of Christian formation in the church.
Ignite and Equip cohorts embody the best kind of partnership between church, conference, denomination, and seminary. Every Covenant church is stronger when led by healthy, missional, and theologically equipped leaders.
ECC President Tammy Swanson-Draheim
I hope that every student in my courses walks away with greater knowledge of the culture and social values of the first-century world, a greater love for reading the New Testament in its ancient context, and a greater faith to live out this same Gospel message more radically today.
Professor of New Testament Dr. Max Lee
What a blessing! NPTS has created a pathway that is affordable, intensive, and prepares students at a high level in missions and ministry.
Equip Student Melvin Cole
During our intensive, we gathered together and prayed and interceded for each other. A significant part of the Ignite experience has been my cohort—doing life-on-life in this authentic, embodied learning space.
Ignite Student Bethany Groot
FAQ
NPTS offers this degree as a part-time, cohort-driven program that takes four years to complete. View this sample course sequence to see what your schedule may look like.
Cohorts begin only in the fall term. The next Ignite cohort begins in fall 2026, and the next Equip cohort begins in fall 2027. The intensive dates for the 2025–26 academic year are as follows:
- September 15–19, 2025: Equip fall intensive course and cohort connection at Carol Joy Holling Camp in Ashland, Nebraska
- January 26–30, 2026: Midwinter Conference in Chicago
- June 1–6, 2026: Summer intensive course and cohort connection at NPTS’s Chicago campus
Students take three–seven credit hours of online coursework each fall, spring, and summer semester. In the fall (late August to mid-December) and spring (mid-January to mid-May) semesters, students meet each Monday evening virtually for 1.5 hours. One week of in-person time is required each fall and summer semester. First-year students also have a week of in-person classes at the ECC’s Midwinter Conference in the spring semester.
NPTS generally advises students to plan for three hours of weekly personal reading and study per credit hour, though this may vary depending on course requirements.
The MACF is the principal ministerial degree for those seeking Ordination to Word and Service—specialized church ministry—with the ECC.
Yes, both cohort programs accept students from any conference. All students work online during spring and fall semesters and travel to their cohort location (Ignite in the Pacific Northwest and Equip in the Midwest) for annual in-person immersion experiences.
For questions about church sponsorship and updated intensive locations, email the corresponding conference office.
- Ignite: Pacific Southwest Conference office
- Equip: Midwest Conference office
The Office of Seminary Admissions can assist you with any program questions.
We do! Church leaders or conference staff can contact the Office of Seminary Admissions for the latest materials to share with those interested in the program.
Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
In partnership with
Contact
Office of Seminary Admissions
Old Main, third floor
3225 W. Foster Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 244-6229
semadmissions@northpark.edu