Doctor of Ministry

Program Description

The DMin is a professional degree program primarily designed to serve the needs of pastors, mission executives, church leaders, and other ministry professionals. The purpose of this degree program is to equip people with a higher level of ability in the practice of ministry. This is achieved through an experience of further education, which renews the personal life of faith, sharpens ministerial skills, and stimulates growth in understanding the biblical and theological foundations of ministry and mission.

Admission Requirements

A master’s degree in religion, with a minimum GPA of 3.33.
A minimum of five years of gospel ministry experience is normally required.
The following documents must be submitted to the Office of Admissions and Records:
- Letters of recommendation from two church administrators with whom the applicant has had a working relationship for the past five years.
- A personal statement of approximately 500 words explaining the applicant’s reason for seeking the DMin degree.
- A statement of their philosophy of ministry.
Demonstrated proficiency in English.
An interview with the candidate if necessary.

Prerequisites

A pass (B or above) in a research writing course equivalent to GSEM 600 Applied Theology Research or GSEM 630 Documentary Research and Writing.
Twenty-four graduate semester credits in ministry/mission.
Twelve graduate credits in biblical studies.
Twelve graduate credits in historical-theological studies.
A pass (with B or above) in teaching course such as GSEM 608 Advanced Methods of Teaching Bible.

Core Courses and Emphasis

All DMin candidates will take core courses in Applied Theology, Leadership, and Research and Writing. Under the guidance of the DMin program director, the student will also choose four courses in Church Ministry or Leadership in order to develop an emphasis that is related to the area of research.

Candidacy Requirements

Admission to the DMin program does not guarantee advancement to candidacy. A student may be advanced to candidacy only after

Fulfillment of all deficiencies and prerequisites indicated as conditions for admission.
Completion of all coursework with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.33.
Acceptance of the DMin project proposal by the student’s project committee.

Timeline and Limits

In residence students will normally finish the program within three years. All DMin students are required to finish the program within 10 years from the start of their program.

Curriculum

In order to graduate from the DMin program the following courses (45 semester hours) must be completed.

Program Structure	Credits
Core	15
Emphasis	18
Research and Writing	12
TOTAL	45

Core	15
Complete the following five courses:
CHMN 709 Seminar in Applied Theology Methods	3
CHMN 685 Biblical Foundations of Ministry and Mission	3
LEAD 721 Leadership and Spirituality	3
LEAD 733 Theology, Theory and Practice of Leadership	3
MSSN 721 Seminar in Contextualization and Mission	3
TOTAL	15

Emphasis	18
Complete the following courses:
CHMN/LEAD Electives	15
______ Elective from an alternative emphasis	3

Research and Writing	12
Complete the following courses:
______ 703 Applied Theology Research Seminar	3
CHMN/LEAD 796 DMin Project	9

DMin In-Ministry Program

The In-Ministry DMin Program is designed for church leaders who are engaged in fulltime ministry

to come to the main campus for one to two months of each year in order to take two or four intensive courses.

Admission Requirements

1. A master’s degree in religion, with a minimum GPA of 3.33.

2. A minimum of five years of gospel ministry experience is normally required.

3. The following documents must be submitted to the Office of Admissions and Records:

• Letters of recommendation from two church administrators with whom the applicant has had a working relationship for the past five years.

• A personal statement of approximately 500 words explaining the applicant’s reason for seeking the DMin degree.

• A statement of their philosophy of ministry

4. Demonstrated English proficiency (see English Proficiency).

5. An interview with the candidate if necessary.

Course Requirements

There will be pre-course, on-campus and post-course assignments for each course associated with the In-Ministry DMin program. Each course requires 48 hours of face-to-face regular meeting, conducted in 12 days, 4 hours per day. Reading and work assignments may be given prior to the start of the course.