Doctor of Global Leadership

Note: The Doctor of Global Leadership is included in this Academic Catalog for informational purposes only. This program has received accreditation approval from the Association of Theological Schools and is currently under review with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). No students will be enrolled until all necessary approvals have been granted. The institution reserves the right to modify or postpone the offering of this program based on the outcome of the accreditation review process.

OFFERED BY DISTANCE THROUGH THE PORTLAND CAMPUS

Program Overview

The Doctor of Global Leadership (DGL) program is a Christ-centered professional doctoral degree offered in partnership with the Lausanne Movement and other like-minded organizations and designed to empower and equip global leaders to engage effectively in intercultural mission and ministry. Inspired by John Stott’s (Lausanne) vision for the whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole world, this program fosters leaders who embody servant-hearted leadership and a collaborative spirit, enabling them to navigate cultural complexities and champion unity in the global Church.

Program Learning Outcomes

Program learning outcomes:

  • Cultivate a theologically grounded understanding of global leadership issues and practices in alignment with a global vision. 

  • Contextualize leadership philosophy and practice within both local and global ministry settings. 

  • Integrate Christ-centered, gospel-driven leadership principles with their unique ministry focus areas. 

  • Embody gospel-centered transformation in personal life and global leadership roles. 

  • Engage collaboratively with peers and global leaders, fostering networks aligned with a spirit of unity and partnership. 

  • Demonstrate doctoral-level research proficiency, communicating ideas effectively in both written and oral forms to inspire reflection and action.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Doctor of Global Leadership (DGL) program must possess an Association of Theological Schools’ (ATS) accredited MDiv or a comparable two-year master’s degree in appropriate intercultural, biblical, and theological disciplines with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and present at least two years of effective intercultural ministry experience relevant to the proposed DGL program focus. 

In addition to the standard application process, applicants to the DGL must provide a 10 page or longer, research-oriented writing sample which demonstrates grammatical and compositional competency. Please send the writing sample to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

The DGL is a partnership program between Western Seminary and the Lausanne Movement. As such, Lausanne leadership evaluates all applicants before they apply to Western to ensure they meet Lausanne’s criteria for involvement in the DGL. All DGL applicants are asked to fill out a pre-application which will be reviewed by Lausanne’s leadership or designated representatives. Once Lausanne has approved a prospective student they will be invited to apply to the DGL at Western Seminary. Students must meet all Western Seminary admissions criteria. The final admissions decision will be made by Western Seminary’s Admissions Committee.

Residence Requirements

There are no requirements for DGL students to come to Western’s Portland campus. This program plans to conduct three courses as one-week intensive modules in conjunction with Lausanne meetings that will be happening outside the U.S.

Degree Requirements

The DGL program includes a total of 36 credits and consists of core required courses (27 credits), one  elective (3 credits), dissertation coursework (6 credits), including a comprehensive examination.

Four components are included in the program: program focus, competency modules, comprehensive examination, and dissertation.

Program Focus: The program focus expresses the student’s opportunities or concerns in ministry leadership and will become the focus of their dissertation.

Competency Modules: Competency modules include lectures, seminars, practical assignments, and fieldwork intended to introduce the student to a specific area and, through student-faculty interaction, chart the applications to the individual student’s leadership in ministry. These modules are comparable to what is often called “courses” in post-graduate studies.

General Education and Specialization Studies: All students are required to receive general education in intercultural leadership by earning 27 credits. Each student will be guided by his/her program focus throughout the DGL program. Development in an area of specialization is facilitated by a three-credit elective, six credits of research methodology (included in the 27 credits), and six credits of dissertation research.

Comprehensive Examination: The written comprehensive examination is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding and application of intercultural leadership and practical insights into the program focus of their choice.

Dissertation: The DGL dissertation is the result of research, reading, reflection, and fieldwork centered around the program's focus. It contains recognition and clarification of a major topic in mission leadership  and a process to research the topic at hand, leading to implementation in ministry or career advancement. The dissertation brings together work done in the competency modules and the refining of thought through interaction with faculty and field research.

Proposed Courses for Doctor of Global Leadership (36)

1.  Proposal and Research Design (3 credits)  

Including: 1) basic research design and survey of methodologies, 2) Learning Contract for completion of program, and 3) framework for research planning leading to dissertation

2.  Theological Foundations for Global Leadership (3 credits)  

This course begins with the “Lausanne Covenant” and proceeds to formulate theological foundation for global partnerships, and polycentric missiology.  Efforts will be invested to integrate globally shared and locally unique theologies to develop theological foundation for global leadership. 

3. Spirituality and Character of Christian Leader (3 credits)  

Theories of spiritual/character formation will be reviewed for the purpose of gaining the understanding of “what,” “why,” and “how” of spirituality and character of a Christian leader.

4. Intercultural Communication and Global Leadership (3 credits)  

This course provides a framework of intercultural communication for the practice of global leadership. The learning process includes class lectures and discussions, readings in both scholarly and popular literature, and reflective papers.  

5. History of Missions and Polycentric Missiology (3 credits)  

In this course, students will study the history of Christian missions (e.g. including the Lausanne Movement, Mission Commission of the WEA, etc.) and the recently emerging paradigm of polycentric missiology.  

6. Mission and Global Leadership (3 credits)  

Various types of leadership (e.g. polycentric leadership, movement leadership, organizational leadership, adaptive leadership, etc.) will be studied in the context of Christian mission.

7.  Global Community and Leadership (3 credits)  

Cross-cultural/global/intercultural/polycentric leadership and partnership.   

8. Global Leadership and Networks/Movements/Organizations (3 credits)  

Mission Networks/Movements/Organizations will be studied and integrated with issues of leadership development, leadership transitions, inter-generational leadership, and relational mentoring.

9. Integrated Research Methodology (3 credits)  

Including various types of qualitative and quantitative methodologies pertinent to global leadership with the purpose of preparing students to conduct research for their dissertation on global leadership.

10. Elective (3 credits) focus on specialization and/or dissertation

11-12. Dissertation (6 credits)

Including comprehensive examination for 1 credit.

Total credit hours: 36