Christian Health and Wellness
Ministry Department
Description
Purpose of the Department
Hartland College’s Christian Health and Wellness Ministry Department’s purpose is to prepare missionaries to touch people’s lives with God’s love through degrees that integrate spirituality with health and wellness within a distinctively Seventh-day Adventist biblical worldview.
Why This Program Exists
This program prepares students to take the wholistic approach taught by the Seventh-day Adventist church in restoring physical and mental health in the lives of those who have been struggling with illness. We believe that leading people to experience optimal health and wellness will also lead them to God, our Creator as Jesus and the apostles frequently exemplified in their ministry.
Our Philosophy
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we are instructed in the Bible to abstain from practices that are harmful and to practice temperance in good things. Thus, following the biblical principles of health and wellness is an integral component of the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine and religion. Ellen White stated: “The only hope of better things is in the education of the people in right principles. Let physicians teach the people that restorative power is not in drugs, but in nature. Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health. In case of sickness, the cause should be ascertained. Unhealthful conditions should be changed, wrong habits corrected. Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and to re-establish right conditions in the system” (Ministry of Healing, p. 127).
Traditionally, healthcare is associated with sick care. Although we believe there is a place for traditional care, we also encourage a more wholistic approach. Our aim is to complement the goals of allopathic treatment in restoring optimal health by focusing on educating on the importance of adhering to the laws of health established by God, our Creator.
Who Should Attend This Program?
This program is designed for anyone who is:
- Passionate about educating people in the natural laws of health.
- Highly interested in learning natural ways to treat disease.
- Highly interested in integrating faith, a biblical worldview, and science.
Student Learning Outcomes
This program is designed to:
- Equip students to see the hand of the Creator in all living systems and the natural world.
- Prepare students with an understanding of key creation and life science concepts derived from biblical principles.
- Prepare students to be innovative thinkers in considering current challenges and new applications for life sciences that align with biblical principles of spiritual, mental and physical health.
- Prepare students to share scientific principles from the Creationist perspective.
- Equip students to defend their faith in a literal six-day Creation.
After successfully completing their studies, students will be:
- Biblical-Worldview Researchers: Students develop a biblical worldview in health and wellness as they apply Bible and Spirit of Prophecy principles to the essential concepts of the basic sciences, while discerning the relationship between the two.
- Health and Wellness Educators: Students practice and effectively communicate key principles of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing and key concepts of the core sciences while they engage in educational activities in schools, churches, and other community venues.
- Comprehensive Health Ministers: Students advance spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical restoration as they effectively participate in community outreach, wellness center programs, and church programs in the foreign or home mission field.
- Critical Thinkers: Students evaluate issues, problems, or situations related to health or illness cases by analyzing evidence, considering alternative solutions, and assessing potential outcomes. Guided by a Christian worldview, they will seek to identify biases, contextual influences, and underlying assumptions while applying biblical principles of wisdom, integrity and compassion to develop well-informed and faith-centered conclusions.
- Scientific Problem Solvers: Students explain and resolve typical quantitative problems associated with health and wellness.
Degrees Offered
The Health Ministry Department currently offers 2 programs for health majors and 3 minors for non-health majors.
This degree equips students for ministry in the fields of health evangelism and wellness education. It leads to service opportunities focused on wellness and health. Students are prepared to understand the origin of illness and how it relates to transgression of the law of life and natural law.
Degree Type: Bachelor’s degree
Course duration: 4 years
Credits: 173
Internship: 20 weeks
For more information see the Academic Bulletin
This program qualifies students to serve in health and wellness missionary work. Graduates from this program will be able to work as an associate in a lifestyle/wellness center, a comprehensive health minister, and a wellness and health spiritual coach.
Degree Type: Associate’s degree
Course duration: 2 years plus internship
Credits: 94
Internship: 10 weeks
For more information see the Academic Bulletin
This minor builds a biblical foundation in nutrition, physiology, and the science of nourishment. Students desirous of adding a Biblical Principles of Nourishment minor to their program of study must declare a minor with their academic advisor and complete a minimum of 22 credits in health and wellness. Students should spend at least one term, or its equivalent, during a Redemptive Service Experience break in the context of a Lifestyle Center.
For more information see the Academic Bulletin
This minor builds a biblical foundation in anatomy, physiology, and the laws of health. Students desirous of adding a Christian Health and Wellness Education minor to their program of study must declare a minor with their academic advisor and complete a minimum of 18 credits in health and wellness. Students should spend at least one term, or its equivalent, during a Redemptive Service Experience break in the context of a Lifestyle Center.
For more information see the Academic Bulletin
This minor builds hands-on skills in hydrotherapy, massage, and the biblical principles behind them. Students desirous of adding a Christian Health and Wellness Service minor to their program of study must declare a minor with their academic advisor and complete a minimum of 18 credits in health and wellness. Students should spend at least one term, or its equivalent, during a Redemptive Service Experience break in the context of a Lifestyle Center.
For more information see the Academic Bulletin