Doctor of Ministry

36 credit hours | 4-6 years

Why study for a Doctor of Ministry at TEDS?

This professional doctoral degree is a practical, ministry-focused degree designed to equip pastors, missionaries, key church leaders, and parachurch leaders with ministry tools for service in today’s complex and challenging world. Our focus is to help you develop advanced ministry skills, strategies, and theology for solving problems and building Christ-honoring ministries. The DMin at TEDS is an in-service program, enabling you to complete the degree while taking minimal time away. As such, it will deepen your current vocation and ministry skills. 

PROGRAM FOCUS

The DMin Program is designed for personal and ministry-based transformation, with a focus on equipping leaders to meet the challenges of a Post-Christendom context and culture. This requires an emphasis on continuous spiritual growth and formation, devotion to Christ and His Kingdom purposes, renewed clarity about ministry gifts, focused mastery of key skills, and the ability to think biblically about the issues facing our community and world. The program uses a hybrid model, combining learning experiences that include classroom teaching, with in-ministry, competency-based practices. Therefore, your Ministry Project is not a final paper, but rather the culmination of the strategic work and learning you do along the way, resulting in the renewal of your local ministry throughout the entire program.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

1. Develop INCREASED LEADERSHIP CAPACITY evidenced by the ability to deepen personal spiritual maturity, thrive in current ministry contexts, and increase the scale and scope of ministry effectiveness, responsibilities, and opportunities.
2. Practice INTENTIONAL THEOLOGICAL INTEGRATION evidenced by the ability to effectively engage one’s cultural context with advanced theological acumen and critical thinking.
3. Engage in IN-DEPTH CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS demonstrating the ability to identify and frame crucial ministry issues and outline potential solutions.
4. Utilize INNOVATIVE STRATEGIC PLANNING evidenced by the ability to create and develop key ministry initiatives and achieve desired ministry goals

WHAT ARE THE PREREQUISITES FOR
ADMISSION TO THIS PROGRAM?

1. Possess a Master of Divinity degree or other acceptable master’s level qualifications (see full prerequisites for details).
2. Have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for all master’s work. For students who have not achieved a 3.0, the Miller Analogies Test will be required to confirm their capacity to handle doctoral level studies at a graduate institution.
3. Have had at least three years of consistent full-time ministry experience after receiving the Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent. Exceptions may occasionally be made on the basis of extensive ministry experience prior to receiving the MDiv degree. Such exceptions are normally considered on the basis of three years full-time experience prior to the MDiv as equivalent to one year of post MDiv full-time experience.
4. Recommendations from the following four people (to be submitted electronically through the online application): (1) Ministry supervisor, (2) Ministry colleague, (3) Lay leader, (4) Chairman of church board, professor, denominational official OR professional acquaintance.
5.  Since the program is heavily dependent on computer skills, applicants should be able to use a current word processing program. Ownership of a desktop or laptop computer is required, along with Internet and email capabilities.

MORE PREREQUISITES

In lieu of an MDiv, other acceptable master’s level qualifications are defined as an earned ministry or theology related master’s degree, including at least 74 semester hours of graduate study in areas that closely parallel Trinity’s MDiv curriculum. Specifically, this should include 12 semester hours of Old Testament, 12 semester hours of New Testament, 12 semester hours of Systematic Theology, 3 semester hours of church history, and 35 semester hours of free electives. On rare occasions, credit may be given for distinguished teaching experience. Students who lack a limited number of these prerequisites may be admitted with a deficiency that must be removed through appropriate master’s course work taken at or through an accredited seminary before enrolling in the fifth DMin course.

Those who have ministry experience prior to their MDiv work can be admitted on this basis: normally, three years full-time experience prior to the MDiv are considered as equivalent to one year of post MDiv full-time experience. 

WHAT WILL I STUDY?

Since the DMin is not designed to be a residential program, all classes are offered in one-week intensive class sessions. Each year classes are held on the Deerfield campus, typically in March, July, and November. Non-residential courses may include those taken in conjunction with a ministry conference or event in a wrap-around format. There also exists the potential for courses to be taken in partnership with other doctoral programs at Trinity, such as our PhD programs.

TEDS Korean DMin |학사 안내

TEDS also offers a Korean DMin. Please click the link below for more information.

Korean DMin

Special Instructions for
International Applicants

You’ll need to meet the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations in obtaining an F-1 (student) visa. This requires additional admissions information and paperwork. International applicants whose first language is not English must also submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

All international DMin program students, including Visiting DMin students and students from Canada, are now required to enter the United States with an F-1 visa and must comply with the visa requirements.

The DMin is not a residential program. Classes are offered as multi-day intensive courses. We hold courses each year on the Deerfield campus. Multiple courses are offered primarily in March and two weeks in July, with some course offerings in other months.

DMin students commuting to the Deerfield Campus on a course-by-course basis must also obtain an F-1 visa. Students who enter the United States to pursue the Doctor of Ministry degree without the F-1 visa potentially jeopardize their ability to complete the degree and reenter the United States. F-1 visas will remain valid as long as reentry into the United States for the purposes of study occurs at least once every five (5) months. A new visa will be required if reentry does not occur within this time period.  Hence, full-time progress for DMin international nonresidential students is defined as taking at least one course in each of the three sessions (Fall, Spring, Summer) per year.

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