D.Min. Program Requirements & Course Emphasis
Degree
Requirements
The D.Min. degree is conferred upon the attainment of pertinent personal and academic requirements. In addition to the general seminary requirements
outlined on pages 30-31, degree candidates must (1) give evidence of a genuine Christian character, orthodox belief, and conduct consistent with a God-given call to a position of leadership; and (2) complete all components of the program, accumulating at least 30 hours of credit. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the program. If the student receives a grade for any one course below a “B,” he or she will be placed on academic probation and continuance in the program will be in jeopardy. Two grades below a “B” are grounds for dismissal from the program.
Up to three hours of Th.M. credit and up to six hours of D.Min. credit may be transferred into the program from other accredited seminaries. The maximum number of credits transferred shall not exceed six. Transfer
of credit is not automatic. The student must show that the work to be transferred is relevant to the program emphasis in church leadership, and was completed at a comparable advanced level. Requests for acceptance of credit from other seminaries should be made at the time of admission to the program. Later transfer will only be done by prior approval through the program director and the Registrar’s Office.
The statute of limitations for the Doctor of Ministry program is six years. If the circumstances warrant, an extension of this time limit may be granted by the Doctoral Standards Committee based upon petition submitted to the Doctor of Ministry program director.
Course
Schedule
Doctor of Ministry courses are offered throughout the year. Courses encompass
four or five month enrollment periods, with a week-long intensive seminar scheduled approximately in the middle of the course. Pre-seminar preparation and post-seminar projects are part of each course, and are completed by the student over the enrollment period. Specific dates for courses are available from the D.Min. Office.
Course
Emphasis
Students are required to take two introductory courses followed by six courses of their choice. Each course has been designed to contribute to the overall goal of equipping pastors to lead healthy ministries. Knowledge, skill, and character formation are part of the curriculum of every class. Each course, therefore, will stretch students intellectually, enabling them to exercise library and field research skills conducive to personal growth and enrichment of their ministry. Students must be prepared to articulate and defend an advanced biblical philosophy of ministry that demonstrates knowledgeable and competent use of Scripture, as well as historic and contemporary thinking. In addition, because of the practical nature of a D.Min. program, courses are aimed to enhance students’ skills for ministry. Finally, it is the mission of every course to bring ministers to a deepened level in their spiritual walk.
This curriculum takes place within the context of a community of faith, where consecrated scholars are gathered for studies and mutual enrichment. Instructors are encouraged to view their class as a community of learners, where the professor’s role is primarily interactive. Students are invited to participate with respected practitioners and ministry peers, with a view to learning from each other.
The Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Missiology programs at Western Seminary are two professional degrees with significant compatibility: one shared “gateway course,” a non-residence module format, field research, and the dissertation. Students enrolled in one program may cross-register for up to two electives (six credit hours) in the other. The module format of both programs is designed to make doctoral level training programs accessible to active practitioners in ministry.
The curriculum is guided by the following emphases:
Pastoral Preaching: Courses encourage exegetical, expository preaching,
equipping students to develop sermons that are true to the text of Scripture and relevant to the listening audience. In other words, preaching that does not dumb down but elevates peoples’ understanding of Scripture, enables churches to address contemporary issues using sound theological methods, and attracts so that people will listen. Within this grid, there is also the intent to equip pastors to lead their congregation into genuine spirit and truth worship of God.
Pastoral Leadership: Courses equip pastors to think strategically and administrate successfully. In particular, courses enable pastors to train their lay people effectively, take leadership through a vision-mission-structure process, develop a staffing philosophy, recruit and develop a church leadership
team, assess cultural trends, revitalize the church for the 21st century, exercise change and deal with conflict management skillfully, and release the church’s potential.
Pastoral Care: Courses center around spiritual formation, developing people, mentoring lives, building community, building a church through small groups, marriage & family counseling, and teaching effective visitation, discipleship, and evangelism.
Pastoral Life/Spirituality: Courses address the importance of one’s spiritual walk. Classes aim to develop a pastor’s intimacy with God, and nurture his prayer life and ability to engage in trained attentiveness before God. Other subjects include motivations for ministry and a pastor’s marriage and family life.
A minimum of six courses are offered per year. The goal is to schedule at least three years ahead, so that students can plan wisely in their curriculum selection, gaining the very best instruction in Pastoral Leadership.
Required D.Min. courses:
PTS 711 Foundation for Ministry and Missions – David Fisher and John Johnson
PTS 712 Research Design & Methodology – John Johnson and Enoch Wan
A sample of D.Min. courses:
PTS732F The Preacher and the Message - Haddon Robinson
PTS732G Increasing the Clarity and Relevancy of Your Preaching - Don Sunukjian
PTS 737D Classical Pastoral Ministry in a Postmodern Age - Brian McLaren
PTS 737F Leadership That Works - Leith Anderson
PTS737I The Shaping of Things to Come - Michael Frost
PTS737J Shaping and Leading Missional Churches - Eddie Gibbs
PTS737K Shepherding in an Intel World - E. Glenn Wagner
PTS737L Leading a Church in a Post-Christian Age - Gerry Breshears/Mark Driscoll
PTS 747B Shepherding God’s People - Dave Hansen/Steve Matthewson
PTS747H Evangelism and Discipleship in Contemporary Context - Todd Hunter
PTS747I The Connecting Church - Randy Frazee
PTS 752B The Private Life of the Public Person - Gordon MacDonald/Gary Thomas
PTS 752C Pursuit of Godliness - Jerry Bridges
PTS752G Choose the Life: A Study of the Life Jesus Called - Bill Hull
PTS752H Ancient and Future Worship - Robert Webber/Brian Fuller
PTS752I Sacred Family - Gary Thomas
PTS 780 Independent Study (course designed by the student and program director—may be completed in conjunction with approved ministry seminars, such as T-Net, Purpose Driven Church, etc.)
PTS 791 D.Min. Dissertation
D. Min. Core Outcomes
Upon completing the program, the student should be able to:
1. Be more effective in his/her ministry skills, think more carefully and theologically about one’s ministry, and develop and execute a plan for enhanced ministry effectiveness, including the ability to assess (and learn from) that plan’s actual outcomes.
2. Be able to articulate and defend an advanced biblical theology of pastoral leadership, based upon competent use of Scripture and engagement with contemporary thought.
3. Be able to exercise library and field research skills conducive to ministerial growth, as appropriate to subjects investigated.
4. Demonstrate advanced ministry knowledge and skills in at least one of four grids of ministry: Pastoral Preaching, Pastoral Administration, Pastoral Care, and Pastoral Life/Spirituality.
5. Be able to think, write, and speak critically and logically on biblical, theological, and practical ministry issues.
6. Be more sensitive to one’s walk with God, discerning the activity of the Spirit in his/her own life and in the lives to whom one ministers.
