The Doctor of Ministry degree does more than update professional skills and encourage individual growth; it also seeks to tap into the very wellspring of creative ministry. The program brings together a wide variety of active ministries to learn, explore, and envision creative approaches to community growth and spiritual connection.  

Throughout its 50-year history, the program’s hallmark has been the interfaith and international character of the student body and faculty, as well as its engagement with forward-looking scholarship at the intersection of spirituality and social justice. The seminary’s collaborative environment is an incubator for the research and development of alternative understandings, new tools, and novel resources for ministry in a rapidly changing world. It is also the only Doctor of Ministry program in the country to feature a concentration in Chaplaincy/Spiritual Care Research Literacy. 

The interdisciplinary/contextual focus of the D.Min. degree provides students with a framework to integrate critical theological analysis and Biblical reflection with contextually applied social analysis to examine current issues in ministry. It also opens the door to the development of innovative and creative approaches to the challenges of ministry today.

Two foundational courses

• DM-6017: Pastor as Person
• DM-6039: Theology, Culture & Mission
  AND
• DM-6014: Dissertation/Project Orientation Seminar
• DM-6001: Dissertation/Project Proposal Seminar
  Four elective three-credit (tuition bearing) seminars
• DMin Supervision I and II (post-coursework)

Dissertation/Project (D/P)

The Dissertation/Project is the culminating requirement of the DMin degree. The D/P is an original project that effectively analyzes a practical problem of ministry, formulates solutions, and evaluates the effectiveness of those solutions. As the name suggests, the D/P combines a research dissertation and a practical project relevant to the student’s particular ministry. During this period, students are enrolled in DMin Supervision.

• M.Div. degree, or equivalent Master’s degree in theological or religious studies
• 3 years post-M.Div. professional ministry experience, typically but not necessarily, recognized through ordination
• An active practice of ministry, providing a context for the student’s research project

• Six 3-unit seminars
• Dissertation/project orientation and proposal seminars
• Final dissertation/project
• Designed to be completed within a five-year period; most students are expected to begin with a summer session.

• Pastoral Care and Counseling  
• Pastor as Spiritual Leader
• Chaplaincy/Spiritual Care Research
• Literacy Executive Leadership
• Interdisciplinary Studies of Ministry