March is Social Worker Appreciation Month across the nation, and specifically, March 19 is World Social Worker Day. These observations celebrate the various spaces that social workers engage with marginalized and oppressed people groups.
I have been involved in human services in some way since 1988, completing my Master of Social Work degree in 2003 and today teaching and advising social work students at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School. Most of my service took me to places of extreme darkness that children experienced through abuse and neglect by their caretakers. Yet God was preparing my heart to enter these spaces with his love and empathy, allowing me to learn the resilience and grit of humans as they navigate the complexity of their own dysfunction. Being called to love others through social work is an honor, taking Jesus to environments that seem devoid of the hope that comes from serving Jesus.
How can you appreciate a social worker this month?
Dr. Kurt Miller, Director of LBC | Capital’s MSW program, which earned CSEW accreditation in February 2024.
- Share an encouraging word with a social worker. Show that you see them by acknowledging the work they do.
- Ask a social worker what gives them purpose and meaning. Engage in a conversation with a social worker about their work and service to others.
- Get to know the social services within your own community and talk with a social worker about the good they see all around them.
- Pray for social workers and the social service agencies that have helped you or a loved one. God’s heart is moved by the heartbreaks of humanity. Prayer connects our needs to God’s heart.
- Be kind to others who are different from you—which is everyone. Christian social workers have the privilege of working with diverse populations and inviting Jesus into the relationship.
Social workers are found in every aspect of community life. Most people will encounter the work of a social worker throughout their life. They become the superheroes in their community, helping people during most difficult times.
Additionally, the Counseling & Social Work Department at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School is pleased to announce that the Master of Social Work (MSW) program has earned accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Board of Accreditation as of February 2024. The accreditation status, which resulted after many months of diligent work by college faculty, staff and students, is valid through February 2032.
LBC | Capital’s fully online MSW degree positions graduates to serve in leadership roles in the field of social work. After beginning in a cohort model in the fall of 2021, the program uniquely prepares students to competently practice within a biblical framework, while focusing on the integration of biblical truth and equipping students to serve Jesus as advanced practitioners. The blend of online learning and personalized residencies with synchronous and asynchronous components offers students a flexible and learning-focused education.
LBC | Capital’s innovative MSW program has options for both graduates of a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree (Advanced Standing, 33 credits) and individuals desiring to enter the field of social work without a BSW degree (Regular Standing, 60 credits). Post-BSW, those with Advanced Standing can complete their MSW in just three semesters.
Lancaster Bible College undergraduate social work students have interned at agencies and organizations such as children and youth agencies, COBYS, Align Life Ministries, Church World Services, Garden Spot Village Retirement Community, The Factory Ministries, CrossNet Ministries, the Salvation Army and youth intervention centers.
Likewise, social work graduates at LBC | Capital are prepared for a wide range of professional and/or ministry contexts. Just a sampling of careers and opportunities this degree affords includes an adoption agency caseworker, career counselor, developmental disabilities caseworker, job placement professional, mental healthcare staff and social work caseworker—just to name a few.