Master of Divinity Degree (Online M.Div)

The LTS M.Div degree is both in-person and online. Most of our courses are online, with a select few required courses scheduled as on-campus intensives.

Most students complete the program within 5 years, but time to completion depends on how much time a student can devote to coursework.

Most students spend around 10 hours per week on coursework plus 10 hours per week in hands-on practice in their congregation.

The M.Div degree includes a congregational component of approximately 10 hours of practical, supervised experience. Students already working in a church can use their work experience to supply this field-based learning. If not working in a church, one needs a congregational sponsor.

LTS is dedicated to making our degree programs accessible to students from all walks of life. All M.Div students receive 30% off tuition (full tuition is $480/credit hour).

Students who are members of the Disciples of Christ or United Church of Christ and are under the care of their ordaining bodies receive a 50% tuition waiver.

We also offer 10 full scholarships for M.Div students, regardless of denomination, who show potential for congregational and transformative ministry, and who can successfully complete 12 credit hours per year.

A further 10 75% tuition waiver scholarships are awarded to M.Div students, regardless of denomination, who show potential, demonstrate need, and can successfully complete 12 hours/year.
Outside scholarships are also available. Learn more about our scholarship opportunities, student loans, and payment plans by visiting our Student Services page.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church, and many other denominations require an M.Div for those seeking ordination. A Master of Theology (MTS) degree requires fewer hours and can be used for church leadership or to go on to doctoral level work. LTS MTS classes are on the same track as M.Div students. The major difference between the M.Div degree and the MTS degree is that MTS students take fewer classes and complete fewer credit hours than M.Div students do.

Divinity schools are often associated with larger universities, while seminaries tend to be stand-alone institutions. Lexington Theology Seminary, as our name indicates, reflects our commitment to sound theological education that prepares students for ministry.

Professors, employers, ministers, and conference or regional leaders in the church can write letters for applicants.

Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dean and Professor of Constructive Theology

M.Div Courses Taught

• DMin 814

The Rev. Dr. Loida I. Martell joined the LTS faculty in August of 2017. Prior to that, she was Professor of Constructive Theology at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Martell is a licensed doctor in veterinary medicine as well as an ordained minister in the American Baptist Churches/ USA. She is a bi-coastal Puerto Rican who has taught in various institutions of higher learning including Gordon Conwell’s Center for Urban Ministerial Education in Boston, and the University of Puerto Rico’s College of Allied Health Professionals.

She pastored in New York City for 15 years, and served as President of the Board of American Baptist Churches/ Metro New York City from 1994–1996.

Dr. Martell pioneered the study of evángelica theology. She has published articles on evangélica soteriology, Christology, doctrine of God, eschatology, Scriptural hermeneutics, globalization, embodiment, and vocation. Her research on Taíno religious beliefs led to the publication of “My GPS Doesn’t Work in Puerto Rico,” on evangélica spirituality. She co-edited Teología en Conjunto: A Collaborative Hispanic Protestant Theology (1997), and more recently co-authored the well-received Latina Evangélicas: A Theological Survey from the Margins (2013).

Dr. Martell is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association. As a member of the American Academy of Religion, she currently serves as President of La Comunidad of Hispanic Scholars of Religion. She was appointed to represent the American Baptist Churches/ USA on the National Council of Churches Convening Table for Theological Studies and Matters of Faith and Reason. The American Baptist Home Missions Societies awarded her the 2015 Richard Hoiland Christian Education Award, its highest recognition for “faithful and effective leadership in Christian education,” for her long-standing work in nurturing culturally and racially diverse classrooms and for exceptional leadership.

Dr. Martell is an avid amateur photographer.

Professor of Biblical Studies

Dr. Sumney joined LTS in 1997. Prior to that time he taught in the religion department at Ferrum College from 1986-1997.

Dr. Sumney is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and is past president for the Southeastern Region of the Society. At the national level, he also served as the chair of the steering committee for the Theology of the Disputed Paulines Group from 1996-2001 and as the chair of the steering committee for the Disputed Paulines Section from 2004-2012. He also chaired the Pauline Epistles and Literature Section of the International Meeting of the SBL 2003-2008.  He was elected to membership in the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS) in 2005.

He has written seven books: Paul: Apostle and Fellow Traveler (2014); The Bible: An Introduction (2010; 2nd edition, 2014); Colossians; A Commentary, New Testament Library Series (2008); Philippians, A Handbook for Second-Year Greek Students (2007); Servants of Satan, False Brothers, and Other Pauline Opponents (1999); Preaching Apocalyptic Texts (co-authored with Larry Paul Jones; 1999) and Identifying Paul’s Opponents (1990).

He is editor of Reading Paul’s Letter to Romans (2012); The Order of the Ministry; Equipping the Saints (2002) and co-editor of Theology and Ethics in Paul and His Interpreters (1996) and Paul and Pathos (2001).

He also has written over 30 articles in journals and books. He also contributed entries to the New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible and the Dictionary of the Later New Testament and Its Developments, and the Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics. In addition, was a contributor to the The College Study Bible and the CEB Study Bible.  He is currently working on a book on Paul’s use of tradition, a commentary on 1 Corinthians, and the Bible study section of an issue of the New International Sunday School Lesson Annual.

Sumney has presented papers at regional, national, and international academic conferences.  He has also led numerous workshops for elders and deacons, and Bible study workshops and series, including in the Lay School of Theology at LTS and in the school for licensed ministers sponsored by the Kentucky region of the Christian Church.

He is the regular teacher of an adult Sunday School Class in his home church.

Dr. Sumney and his wife, Diane, have three daughters: Elizabeth, Victoria, and Margaret.

Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky. An ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA) for more than twenty years, Leah earned both her MDiv and PhD degrees from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary). She has pastored three Pennsylvania congregations in suburban, urban, and rural contexts.

Her book, Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), explores how clergy and congregations can address controversial social issues using nonpartisan, biblically-centered approaches and deliberative dialogue. She is also the author of Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015), as well as For the Beauty of the Earth , a Creation-centered Lenten devotional (Chalice Press, 2019). She is co-editor and author with Margaret Bullitt-Jonas of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), and co-author with Jerry Sumney of Apocalypse When?: A Guide to Interpreting and Preaching Apocalyptic Texts. She is also the EcoPreacher blogger for Patheos.

In December 2021, Dr. Schade was elected 2nd Vice President of the Academy of Homiletics, a three-year position that will culminate with serving as President of the Academy in 2024. She has been a featured speaker for the Festival of Homiletics, leads workshops and retreats, and keynotes events throughout the country. She is the director of a Wabash grant exploring the use of deliberative dialogue in congregations and theological education and is part of a research exchange with the Kettering Foundation studying the role of religious organizations in democratic community building. Dr. Schade is also conducting a longitudinal research study about ministry, preaching, and social issues that has surveyed nearly 3,000 clergy and 1,000 laity since 2017.

Dr. Schade received the Kentucky Council of Churches award in 2019. She is also co-founder of the Clergy Emergency League, a network of more than 2,600 pastors throughout the U.S. who provide support, accountability, resources, and networking for clergy to prophetically minister in their congregations and the public square in this time of political upheaval, social unrest, and partisan division.

Visiting Assistant Professor for Pastoral Leadership and Ethics.

Dr. Sharon Ellis Davis is a United Church of Christ Pastor and Professor. She brings over 30 years of experience as a pastor and chaplain. She is a Womanist Practical Scholar and Ethicist and serves Lexington Theological Seminary as the Visiting Assistant Professor for Pastoral Leadership and Ethics.

Dr. Sharon Ellis Davis lectures both nationally and internationally in Sexual and Domestic as they intersect with issues of race, class, culture, gender, gender identity and the Criminal Justice System. Sharon served over thirty-one years as a career Chicago Police Officer. In this capacity she served as patrol officer, police chaplain, and a criminalist in the Department’s crime laboratory division, examining evidence from crime scenes and testifying in court as an expert witness in forensic science. Dr. Sharon Ellis Davis is a trainer with the FaithTrust Institute based in Seattle, Washington and offers training to pastors and church leaders in the areas of Safe and Healthy Churches and Healthy Clergy Boundaries. Dr. Sharon Ellis Davis earned her M.Div., (Pastoral Care), and Ph.D., (Theology, Ethics and the Human Science, sociology) from Chicago Theological Seminary and McCormick Theological Seminary, respectively.

She serves as Affiliate Professor with McCormick Theological Seminary and served as Mentor of Doctor of Ministry Students, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH, leading over 30 Doctor of Ministry Students successfully through the program earning their degrees. Sharon is a published author. She published in 2014, as part of her PhD studies and research, African American Battered Women: A Study in Gender Entrapment. Her most recent book was recently released, (July 2022), The Trauma of Sexual and Domestic Violence: Navigating My Way Through Individuals, Religion, Policing and the Courts. Sharon is a Board-Certified Chaplain, (BCC) with the Association of Professional Chaplains, (APC).