Doctor of Ministry Degree (DMin)

The DMin in Leadership in Public Ministry and Social Transformation brings together professionals from diverse ministry contexts who are dedicated to ministry in the public square.  This specialization equips leaders to see the relationship between various religious and social movements, participate in liberatory praxes, and create public ministries rooted in social justice. At the end of the experience, the student will complete and present a project that utilizes liberative and/or decolonial methodologies for developing justice-oriented ministry praxis that can be applied in public ministry contexts.

Specialization Courses

Each student will take at least two of the five courses offered as part of this specialization:

• Education as An Act of Freedom
• History of Social Justice in the US
• Theology and Social Justice
• Preaching for Social Transformation
• Preaching Across Platforms

In consultation with the specialization coordinator, the student will also take an elective that gives them a deeper understanding of a particular topic in which they are especially interested. Students enrolled in this specialization may begin specialization phase courses at any point in their program. See the DMin Handbook for specific program details.

The Pastoral Leadership in Worship and Preaching (PLWP) specialization is designed to enable pastors to gain greater clarity in preaching as a major function of congregational leadership and to develop their preaching gifts and abilities in service to the proclamation of God’s work in the world. Students enrolled in the PLWP will normally begin Specialization phase courses in January of their second year in the program. In order to complete coursework, they will need to have computers that support programs for viewing sermons (see the DMin handbook for details).

Graduates of this DMin program will be prepared to exercise advanced skills in homiletics including abilities to:

• articulate an understanding of preaching as a function of pastoral leadership that is grounded in theological and biblical reflection and responsive to the history of Christianity particularly as it is reflected in student’s own denominational heritage
• utilize comprehensive analysis of a congregational setting as a tool for understanding the effectiveness of preaching in a given situation
• demonstrate advanced skills in biblical exegesis, sermon construction, and oral and visual communication (e.g., spatial considerations, use of digital and electronic media).

Contact Ulysses Allen to start your application.

Pastoral Leadership in Improvisational Ministry

Specialization Coordinator: Dr. Lisa Davison

Tumultuous times require agile leadership skills. The tools of improvisation help leaders adapt to changing demands. Ministerial leaders must balance a broad range of general skills with competencies needed in their specific context. This specialization allows the flexibility to design a program with more elective options in order to tailor studies to a particular focus.

After completing the foundation phase courses, students craft their specialization seminars in consultation with their adviser, drawing from the available offerings. Through this 32 semester hour program, pastors will develop their gifts according to a direction they design themselves for casting new visions and implementing transformation for God’s work in the world.

Graduates of this DMin program will be prepared to exercise advanced skills in leadership including abilities to:

• Articulate an understanding of social change as a function of pastoral leadership that is grounded in theological and biblical reflection and responsive to the histories of Christianity, particularly in relation to the student’s own denominational heritage;
• Articulate and engage from a theological, biblical and ethical standpoint important cultural issues as they intersect with race, gender, economic and cultural globalization, and interfaith relations;
• Analyze and interpret contexts, not only of ministry settings, but also of the context in which people live and practice their faith;
• Develop justice-seeking strategies including tools of innovation and improvisation for community engagement and social change around particular issues of common concern.

• Application form and $60 application fee(fee is waived if application is submitted by Feb. 15)
• 2 essays, described on the application form
• 4 references, one each from the following individuals:
  • Church or denominational official
  • Official of your congregation or institution
  • Seminary professor familiar with your academic work
  • Professional colleague familiar with your recent work
• Official transcripts from any undergraduate school and seminary from which you have received degrees. Official transcripts are ones that have the official institution seal and are mailed directly from the institution, not by the applicant. For full admission, the undergraduate transcript must show the degree and date received.
• Authorization for criminal background check
• FAFSA for anyone interested in taking out a student loan
• Applicants for whom English is a second language must submit an official TOEFL score of at least 600 (paper-based) or 90 on the iBT

Applications for the DMin program are accepted twice a year.

To begin the program in January, a completed application must be received by October 15 

To begin the program in June, a completed application must be received by March 15