Nov 22, 2024

Academic Catalog - Fall 2020

Academic Catalog - Fall 2020 [ARCHIVED]

Doctor of Ministry, DMin

The purpose of the Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program is to equip the student for the practice of ministry at a high level of professional competence. The program provides opportunities for advanced study in intensive seminars, courses, and field settings. It combines academic study and experiential learning under faculty and field supervision to integrate theology and practice.

Student Learning Outcomes

The DMin program promotes the following student learning outcomes:

To provide graduate professional training to Masters level graduates who have shown outstanding ability and potential for ministry.
To offer effective qualified supervision to students.
To broaden the student’s understanding of the nature and purposes of ministry.
To improve the student’s personal, spiritual, and professional development.
To provide the student with an interactive peer-cohort learning community where experienced ministry practitioners engage each other and world-class scholars to address critical ministry issues.
To strengthen the student’s competence in applying biblical and theological reflection to ministry context.
To expand the student’s knowledge of the basic principles of Christian leadership with special application to Christian ministry both in the church and the community.
To enable the student to establish a growth initiative within his/her respective ministry that is biblically sound, measurable, and effective.
To engage the student in research and practice, producing practical contributions to the Church and to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
To equip the student to complete a successful Ministry Project by addressing a ministry issue through research and analysis that impacts church and Kingdom life.
To enable the student to move beyond routinely accepted techniques of ministry toward new dimensions, methods, and outreach.

Admission Criteria

Graduates of accredited colleges or universities who have also earned the Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent with distinction and have otherwise demonstrated an aptitude for academic work on the doctoral level may apply for admission to the program of studies leading to the Doctor of Ministry degree.

In the judgment of the faculty, the DMin program is most effective when the students bring to it a period of experience in a ministry that follows the attainment of the first professional degree. Students should have three years of full-time post-M.Div. ministry experience prior to beginning the DMin program and must be continuously engaged in some type of Christian ministry during enrollment. The extremely rare exception to this policy will be based upon the normal considerations for admission plus age, years of experience, history of excellence in ministry, or outstanding prior academic performance. The DMin Director and the DMin Program Committee will consider any exceptions.

Admission to the Doctor of Ministry program is determined by an evaluation of the applicant’s academic ability and potential for excellence in ministry. Decisions on admission to the program are made by the Director and the Committee on Doctor of Ministry Studies.

Academic ability is assessed on the basis of transcripts of all college, seminary, and graduate divinity school work. Some applicants may be required to take the Miller Analogies Test or any other tests the Director and the Committee on Doctor of Ministry Studies consider appropriate based on academic concerns.

Potential for excellence in ministry is assessed on the basis of a letter of recommendation from the applicant’s church; references from at least five persons acquainted with the applicant’s ministry; and an essay describing one’s Christian experience, calling, ministry service record, and goals in pursuing the Doctor of Ministry degree.

Application to the DMin program must be approved at least 90 days prior to the matriculation date.

Additional information may be obtained from the Doctor of Ministry Office, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 1889, Wake Forest, NC 27588-1889. The Doctor of Ministry Office may be reached by phone at: 919-761-2216 or dmin@sebts.edu.

Degree Requirements

In order to continue in the program and to be awarded the degree, the student must maintain an academic average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Additional hours beyond those taken to meet the requirements outlined below may not be taken to bring up the academic average to the required level. Students are required to maintain continuous enrollment. Any exception to this rule must be approved by the Director and the Dean of Doctoral Studies.

Transfer of credit from other accredited DMin programs or post-MDiv programs will be considered by the Director on a case-by-case basis. Minimally, all transfer students must satisfactorily complete at least 11 credit hours of DMin work at Southeastern, including the Ministry Project and Project Report (6 credit hours) and the Project Design Workshop (3 credit hours).

Fees for the program are based upon a per hour tuition rate along with an initial non-refundable deposit and admission fee. The Doctor of Ministry Office can provide more information.

The DMin program is designed to be completed in three years. Enrollment beyond three years requires the consent of the director and the faculty chair. Continuous enrollment and extensions may be granted with additional fees. In no case shall the program extend beyond six years from the date of admission (exceptions are made for missionaries under appointment with the Southern Baptist International Mission Board.)

Curriculum Design

Applicants in the Doctor of Ministry Program will select a specialization and be assigned to a cohort team. Upon admission, the student will participate in the program with his or her cohort throughout the course of study. The vocational emphases are:

The Doctor of Ministry program requires a total of 31 hours involving 4 trips to campus for seminars. Curriculum offerings are:

Program Orientation Workshop - 1 Hour

The workshop provides orientation on the various aspects of the program.

DMN 8160 - DMN Program Orientation Workshop 1 semester hr(s).

Integrative Theology Workshops - 5 Hours

The course focuses upon a contextual examination of the biblical and theological basis and nature of missions, evangelism, and church growth. These workshops are designed in two-day formats meeting on the same days as the seminars.

DMN 8170 - Integrative Theology Workshop 2 semester hr(s).
DMN 8161 - The Minister as Person and Professional 3 semester hr(s).

Intensive Seminars - 12 Hours

The seminars are presented in three-day formats designed for each specialization in the program. The student is a resident on the campus for that week with access to faculty, library, and other Seminary resources. These seminars provide the student a peer learning experience with fellow students as well as interaction with faculty and guest facilitators. (4 seminars at 3 hours each)

Contextualized Learning Experience - 4 Hours

The CLE course requirements are accomplished from the student’s field of ministry between the on-campus seminars. Each course contains an online component to maintain interaction between the student, cohort, and faculty. The course assignments correspond to the previous and upcoming seminars and application of content to the ministry context.

DMN 8x11 - Contextualized Learning Experience in (Emphasis Track) I 2 semester hrs.
DMN 8x13 - Contextualized Learning Experience in (Emphasis Track) III 2 semester hrs.

Project Design Workshop - 3 Hours

This workshop will be conducted in a two-day format on the Friday and Saturday prior to seminar 4. The workshop provides the necessary instructions for conducting the project and writing the report.

DMN 8141 - Project Design Workshop 3 semester hr(s).

Supervised Field Experience: Ministry Project and Report - 6 Hours

The student submits a Ministry Project proposal to his or her supervisory committee following the Program Design Workshop. Upon acceptance, the candidate begins his or her project. The candidate begins meeting monthly with his or her field mentor and faculty supervisor. Final draft copies of project report must be submitted to the supervisory committee at least 90 days before graduation.

DMN 8151 - Ministry Project and Project Report Writing I 3 semester hr(s).
DMN 8152 - Ministry Project and Project Report Writing II 3 semester hr(s).

Additional Information

Candidacy for the D.Min. degree is declared when the student has completed the required courses, has maintained at least a 3.0 grade point average, has an approved Ministry Project Proposal, and has the approval of the supervisory committee for candidacy. Candidacy permits the student to begin the 6 hours of supervised field experience in the ministry project and in the writing of the project report.

The ministry project shall require the supervision of the committee. The candidate submits monthly reports to the supervisory committee chair.

Upon completion of the project, the candidate writes and submits a copy of the final draft of the Doctor of Ministry Project Report to each member of the supervisory committee at least 90 days before graduation following the calendar established with the committee. The committee will then review the report and meet with the candidate for an oral evaluation. The project and the report are graded on a pass-fail basis. Committee approval of the report is required before credit is granted. Such approval should be achieved no later than the catalog deadline for submission of the report for binding or else an extension may be necessary and graduation may be delayed. Extensions in enrollment require additional fees.

A copy of the Project in Ministry Report in final approved form should be submitted to the director. The copies must conform to the regulations provided by the director. The copies of the report must be in the Library for binding 15 days prior to graduation.