Doctor of Ministry

Overview

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is the highest professional degree for Christian leaders engaged in vocational ministry and is designed to increase their ministry effectiveness. The Doctor of Ministry is regarded as a professional degree focusing primarily on the practice of Christian ministry rather than intensive academic research. However, faculty members are committed to maintaining high academic standards and to building ministry on a solid biblical and theological foundation. Therefore, the degree involves both academic research and practical application.

The Doctor of Ministry is an in-service program that allows participants to complete the program while remaining in full-time ministry. The curriculum consists of nine, 4-hour courses, a 4-hour dissertation proposal, and an 8-hour dissertation (48 hours). Students may develop a concentration in one of two areas: Strategic Leadership or Christian Apologetics. Participants will be assigned a faculty member who will serve as their advisor. The required courses normally are conducted in a modular format as intensive resident seminars although a limited number of DMin courses are available on DVD. In order to remain active in the program, DMin students must take no fewer than three courses during a twelve-month period. Applications will be considered when the following have been received:

1. Completed application form (including signature);
2. $40 application fee;
3. Completed tuition payment worksheet;
4. Three recommendations (clergy, personal, academic) attesting to the applicant’s commitment to Christ, leadership and decision making ability, emotional stability, and facility in interpersonal relationships;
5. Official transcripts sent directly to the institution from all colleges, universities, seminaries, and other institutions of higher education attended;
6. Autobiographical essay (maximum 5 pages typed) that discusses the applicant’s conversion and call to ministry, past ministry experience, profile of current ministry situation, goals for personal and professional development, and ways the program will help in achieving those goals;
7. A substantive academic paper that demonstrates an ability to research and write at the doctoral
   level (10-15 pages); and
8. Acceptable TOEFL score if English is not the applicant’s primary language.
   Applicants must have read and signed that they are in agreement with and will uphold the Doctrinal Statement (pages 14 -15), that they will abide by financial policies and academic policies, and that they will adhere to the regulations described in the Code of Conduct and Drug Policy.

Note: Other application and academic requirements (including additional coursework as part of the program) may be required as determined by the DMin Committee.

Residency and Transfer Credit

A minimum of four courses must be taken in residence. A maximum of 8 quarter hours from an accredited, similar doctoral program may be accepted as transfer credit.

Graduation Requirements

In addition to normal graduation requirements, all DMin students must submit a completed and approved draft of the doctoral dissertation at least 90 days prior to the scheduled date of graduation: March 30 for the June commencement and June 30 for the October commencement.

Strategic Leadership Concentration

Christian leadership must be developed to the highest degree possible because values-based leaders have the ability to transform the world around them. Therefore, the goal of this program is to encourage transformational leadership through a better understanding of strategic vision, ethics, partnerships, coaching, and discipling in the Global/Local Church based on biblical principles.

The Strategic Leadership concentration is open to applicants who hold an accredited Master of Divinity degree or equivalent. An equivalency degree should demonstrate a minimum of 72 semester or 108 quarter hours of graduate study in Bible, theology, or Christian ministry. The applicant normally must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, extensive full-time pastoral or other Christian leadership experience (a minimum of seven years), and meet all other admission requirements.

Learning Outcomes

1. Enhance leadership and communication skills by analysis and assessment of current leadership ministry;
2. Acquire new skills in leadership, vision, conflict management, care systems, and other strategies for accomplishing effective ministry; and
3. Acquire skills of spiritual formation to personalize the Christian message for effectively reaching our diverse world with the Gospel.

Christian Apologetics Concentration

The need to defend Christianity against the charges of its critics is as great today as at any other time in its history. The Doctor of Ministry in Christian Apologetics is designed to equip Christian leaders with the biblical, historical, scientific, and philosophical knowledge requisite to employing various apologetic methodologies effectively in defense of the Christian faith.

The Christian Apologetics concentration is open to applicants who hold an accredited Master of Divinity degree or equivalent. An equivalency degree should demonstrate a minimum of 72 semester or 108 quarter hours of graduate study in Bible, theology, or Christian ministry. The applicant normally must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, extensive full-time pastoral or Christian ministry experience (a minimum of seven years), and meet all other admission requirements. In addition, the apologetics concentration requires that the applicant have a minimum of one year of Greek and one year of Hebrew (or demonstrate acceptable proficiency in these languages) and possess an ability to use various exegetical tools.

Learning Outcomes

1. To equip the student with sufficient competence in philosophy and logic to construct cogent arguments in Christianity’s defense and expose inadequacies in anti-Christian arguments and worldviews;
2. To equip the student with sufficient historical knowledge to defend the credibility of the Bible’s claims about the life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus Christ;
3. To equip the student with sufficient competence in the sciences to refute pseudo-scientific objections commonly leveled against the Christian faith; and
4. To equip the student with sufficient interdisciplinary knowledge to understand and refute a wide range of objections and alternatives to Christian belief.

Note: All students accepted into the program are subject to the rules, regulations, and time-lines published in the Doctor of Ministry Handbook.