Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
Purpose
The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program at United Theological Seminary brings together religious leaders to pioneer new models of ministry that empower both minister and context to transform society.
The D.Min. program provides an advanced professional degree in the practice of ministry, undergirded by action research methods to call participants toward deeper spiritual and intellectual synthesis that strengthens prophetic and pastoral competence.
It empowers religious leaders to strengthen both their prophetic and pastoral competence while also equipping others for ministry in the church, in religious education and in a variety of community-based ministries.
The D.Min. degree is designed to:
- Empower people in ministry to become more self-reliant and to take responsibility for their own project needs from within the contexts of active ministry
- Emphasize learning as a process of action and reflection, or praxis, taking place in the context of daily living
- Embody the principle that learning needs and interests determine the structure and content of learning
- Invite learners to test their perceptions through processes of mutual inquiry
- Challenge doctoral participants to discover insight for themselves as well as profiting from their mentors and peers
I was looking for a way to learn about the spirituality of children.
Retired from a 35-year career in the field of child development and family relationships, my volunteer work in children’s ministry led me to realize that my secular training as an educator left out this vital aspect of the “whole child.”
United has the only program in the country, so far as I know, that offers what I am seeking.
Curriculum
The educational process in this degree program is a contextual model of ministry engaging self-initiative and collegial action/reflection.
Individual leadership development and support of others’ leadership development are of equal importance.
Into this contextual process, specialized content and focus are woven. For example, the Preaching and Leadership in the 21st Century Focus Group will allow one person to concentrate on preaching for commitment and another person to develop the use of telecommunications in rural parishes. The process by which each person attains competence in a specific focus is the same. It is not only an educational process, it is a model of ministry.
Therefore, completion of the D.Min. program reflects doctoral competence in both a process of doing ministry and in a specialized focus.
The entire program is intended to be completed in five semesters, but with the permission of the Director of Doctoral Studies it may be extended to a total of ten consecutive semesters. A student may not qualify for the degree beyond ten semesters.
Program Components
The program is divided into five phases. Each phase begins with a five-day Intensive.
The first four Intensives are followed by Peer Sessions which constitute a minimum of 32 contact hours per phase. The final exam (project defense) is scheduled after the fifth Intensive.
Each phase requires the interweaving of course work, process and content, making it possible to develop a high degree of expertise in a particular area of ministry, rooted in academia, and to test a specialized ministry model that can then be made available for others to use.
All phases involve personal and contextual growth.
Intensives
The five Intensives introduce methods and other resources. Each Intensive is five days in length.
Six (6) semester hours of credit are granted for each Intensive completed.
Four (4) semester hours of credit are granted for completion of 32 contact hours in Peer Sessions for each of the Phases I through IV.
The Intensives are held each January and August. Academic credit is given once the Intensive and Peer Sessions are completed for each phase.
Phase V Intensive (6 sem. hours) is followed by two (2) sem. hours for the Final Project Exam. The D.Min. degree requires forty-eight (48) semester hours of credit.
The Intensives include the following components:
- Worship
- Plenary Sessions which focus on the theme of the Intensives
- Peer Sessions emphasize each phase of the program
- Focus Group Information in which the subject matter of the focus group is presented
- Core Course Work concentrates on the required academic courses
United Theological Seminary’s Doctorate of Ministry program offers the flexibility to learn and do the practice of theology in one’s own context. This is very important when doing ministry that will affect the lives of various churches and communities. United offers a great selection of focus groups.
For me, Christian Education and Urban Ministries ties together two important biblical concepts—to learn and study the word of God and to be witnesses of the Gospel message in the community. This is the essence of James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”
Peer Sessions
The functions of the Peer Sessions are multi-layered.
Faculty Mentors
United faculty mentors serve as instructors for each focus group. Our mentor faculty are experienced and respected in various areas of academia and ministry and impart wisdom to assist their students in developing their phase papers and designing their projects.
Learning through Collegial Relationships
The agenda consists of presentation of written material for the program phases and is a natural setting for biblical, theological and spiritual reflection as each individual’s focus area raises questions and issues for discussion and reflection.
Peer to Peer Learning
Participants develop relationships that enable them, simultaneously, to be critical and supportive, challenging and affirming. They further provide a corrective to subjective judgments about events occurring in the local context and often discern growth needs.
Although the Peer Session is an important evaluation group, the primary purpose is theological reflection on every Phase of work.
Evaluation
Evaluation of the program is conducted by faculty mentors and through the Doctoral Studies Office.
The evaluation process consists of:
- Phase Reviews for each phase
- Candidacy Review
- Results of the Model and the Final Examination
Evaluation takes place at three (3) levels:
- Faculty Mentor evaluation
- Faculty consultant
- Peer reviews
It is important that participants provide constructive criticism and be honest with each other. The mentor should ensure that each student receives a review in each phase.
The standard forms used in the evaluation process are the Phase Review, the Candidacy Review Team Evaluation and the Final examination forms.
Professional Consultants
Each student is required to seek the advice of experts in the field of study for the focus group. Students should be prepared to compensate professional consultants for their work. A recommended amount is $300 per day for consulting.
A student may list a consultant on his or her Application for Candidacy after the Consultant Certificate Form is completed and sent to the Doctoral Studies Office.
Phase Process
Each of the five phases of the program focuses on a particular aspect of the work toward the Doctor of Ministry degree.
Phase I focuses on analysis of the participant and the context with an emphasis on how the two come together.
Phase II provides foundational undergirding for the synergy of these two components with emphasis on resources.
Phases III, IV, and V focus on the design, implementation and documentation of a model of ministry for the Doctor of Ministry degree.
Degree Conferral
Degrees are normally conferred in December and May.