Doctor of Ministry

Rationale

The Doctor of Ministry degree program is an advanced professional degree for preparation for the Christian ministry. This degree requires a three to four year program of study. It is designed to correlate classical research with the development of practical skills in the ministry. Based upon a core curriculum of graduate theological education with a functional major, it is combined with Supervised Ministry. A professional project in ministry is performed, involving research and practice, which is reported in acceptable thesis form.

The D.Min. Program provides opportunity for advance training for pastors and other Christian workers of demonstrated creative ability to develop their theological knowledge and practical skills for ministry in Asia.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have earned a B.A. degree or its equivalent in scope and a M.Div. Degree or its equivalent in scope and content. They must have maintained a minimum grade average of 3.0 (B) on a scale of 4.0 in their M.Div. studies. The applicants must have engaged in vocational Christian service for at least two years (other than Seminary Field Education), preferably beyond their M.Div. studies, and should have the definite intention to engage in vocational Christian work after the completion of their graduate studies. Applicants must pass the doctoral entrance examination in Theology.

Professional Project in Ministry

The professional project is a creative Christian ministry project designed to utilize the student’s insights from his or her academic study in the field of practical experience. While academic study may be done at the Area Learning Center, the project must be done in the student's home country so that it will make the Christian faith contextual.

The purpose of the project for students is to facilitate their growth in capacity for ministry by demonstrating ability in various area of accomplishment:

To articulate understanding of the nature and meaning of ministry.
To analyze concrete situations in ministry.
To formulate a possible solution to meet the needs which exist in concrete situations.
To apply acquired knowledge, attitude, and skills in the practice of ministry.
To evaluate the student’s ministry in the pursuit of goals in commitment to Christian service.

The prospectus of the project should be approved at least one year before graduation. Four copies of the project prospectus should be submitted: one copy to the Supervisory Professor, one copy for the Area Learning Center, one copy for the Field Supervisor, and one copy for the student. If the prospectus is written in a language other than English, the ALC will forward an English synopsis to the Dean.

The project thesis should be submitted at least 120 days before graduation. The student will submit four copies of the thesis as follows: one for the Area Learning Center, one for the student’s own seminary, one for the Administrative Office, and one for the student. It should be at least 100 and not more than 200 pages in length not including bibliography and appendixes. It may be written in either English or in the student’s working language. The thesis shall be in standard thesis form and of acceptable academic quality. Turabian’s: A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertation (latest edition) is our standard guide for English form and style. Students are encouraged to publish their works with appropriate acknowledgement given to ABGTS. A detailed description of the steps involved in the Professional Project and guidance about content and form will be provided for the student by the Area Learning Center.

The project topic and prospectus are to be prepared in consultation with the student’s Supervisory Professor and submitted to the Associate Dean of the Area Learning Center. The project thesis is to be prepared under the supervision of the student’s Field Supervisor and approved by the Supervisory Professor before its submission to the Associate Dean of the ALC. The faculty of the Area Learning Center and the Associate Dean must approve the prospectus and thesis. A copy of the D.Min. project prospectus will be submitted to the Dean.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Ministry course work includes the following basic requirements:
Credits
General Seminars & Contextualizing
Practical Theology 16
Colloquium in Christian Ministry 2
Research & Design Seminar 2
Supervised Ministry 4
Prospectus & Project Thesis 10
Total 34

Students will study seminars related to their ministry from a variety of fields. Courses will be chosen in consultation with the Faculty Supervisor.

Supervised Ministry

All students are required to participate in an intensive program of Supervised Ministry, usually in the country where they minister. This must be related to a professional position in the ministry. The Field Supervisor will provide careful supervision. Four semester hours of credits are granted after successful completion of this requirement.

Field Supervisor

The Associate Dean, in consultation with the student, will appoint a Field Supervisor to each student. The Field Supervisor will supervise the Professional Project in Ministry and the Supervised Ministry requirements.

Defense

After completing the required course work, the student will prepare and defend a prospectus that describes the proposed research topic. This prospectus must be at least 20 pages in length (excluding bibliography). The student, accompanied by his or her supervisor, will defend the prospectus before the faculty. In the event that the supervisor can not be present, the student has the option to request a circulated prospectus defense. In this case, the Associate Dean will request the faculty members to evaluate the prospectus privately. If there are problems, the Associate Dean will meet with the faculty and supervisor to determine a course of action. Upon approval of the prospectus by the faculty, Associate Dean, and the Dean, the student may proceed with research and writing for the project thesis.