Ministry (DMin)
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Introduction
The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree is a terminal professional doctorate that provides the opportunity for a post-Master of Divinity (MDiv) education to pastors, missionaries, para-church ministry leaders, teachers, and other Christian leaders to heightened professional development. The DMin at Capital Seminary and Graduate School provides academic coursework in leadership studies with the integration of research and application. The delivery of the program does not require full-time residency for students. Ministry professionals can pursue intensive advanced study through blended learning while remaining employed full-time in their vocational settings. The degree serves people who have earned the MDiv degree (or its equivalent), and currently serve as associate or senior pastors or executives of church-related or other Christian service organizations.
Program Purpose
The DMin promotes empirical research, creative reflection, and entrepreneurial application to the practice of ministry through interdisciplinary studies in Bible, theology, and ministry practice. The degree's purpose is to enhance the critical thinking, research, and leadership skills of persons engaged in the leadership of congregations or faith-based organizations.
Program Philosophy
The Doctor of Ministry is a cohort-based program. Students will enter with a group of 10-14 other students. The cohort will follow a prescribed sequence of courses together. Because cohort learning involves students who start and finish their degrees together, students will experience several educational advantages. Cohort learning, combined in a blended manner with both face-to-face and internet-enhanced learning, offers one of the most effective learning opportunities available to doctoral students. Genuine, rich, and deep relationships will be developed through the course of the program as students support and serve each other in the quest for knowledge. As part of a cohort group, doctoral-level students will be expected to exhibit a posture of collaboration, not competition.
Educational Philosophy
This program combines faculty-mediated online interaction with face-to-face seminar participation. This model enables students to benefit from a range of educational delivery systems while maintaining the highest academic quality. Students participate in online discussions and other learning activities led by the professor and fellow students. On-campus, interactions involve open dialogue in face-to-face seminar sessions led by nationally renowned and published faculty members.
Program Core Competencies
Three core competencies are developed in the Doctor of Ministry program. These include specialized skills in contextualized leadership studies, theological/biblical reflection, and applied research focusing on program evaluation.
Advanced Ministry Concentration - The student will gain the ability to think and execute skillfully in the field of Strategic Leadership.
Theological/Biblical Analysis– In each of the course's students will have the opportunity to reflect on the relationship between the course's general content and its biblical/theological foundations. By doing so, students will be able to integrate their understanding of leadership concepts to the study of Scripture and practical theology.
Applied Research Skills - The student will gain research skills in program evaluation to assess ministry effectiveness. To this end DMIN students will gain the essential quantitative and qualitative methods skills needed to develop and implement a Ministry Research Project in a local context. Lifelong research skills will be developed. These skills are transferable to ministry after the completion of the degree program.
Locations for Residencies: Lancaster, PA and Greenbelt, MD. Blended format.
DMin Curricular Structure/Degree Requirements
Core Values
Core Values
At the heart of the program students will encounter the following core values. These core values frame how the program is delivered:
Emphasis on collaborative, cohort-based learning. – The best learning is done in the community, so we are intentional about creating environments and experiences that promote collaboration.
Emphasis on academic and personal mentorship that supports students' development of self-awareness, spiritual formation, and recognition of capacities.
Emphasis on global and contextualized instruction that considers the understanding and application of knowledge to diverse environments.
Emphasis on academic rigor and excellent scholarship that promotes meaningful contributions to the knowledge and practice of Christian Ministry.
Emphasis on the integration of theory and practice to support diverse vocational callings.
DMin Curriculum
Course Sequencing
Students will be required to take six core seminars in the program and two courses on the dissertation. Among the six seminar courses the students will take, 4 of them will be in their concentration area of strategic leadership (i.e., MIN 811, MIN 842, MIN 843 & MIN 844), and two seminars will be on research and writing (i.e., MIN 850 & MIN 851). After completing the six-seminar sequence, students will work specifically on their dissertation (i.e., MIN 890 & MIN 891). As part of the sequence, students will take two courses per semester in the fall and spring semesters. In the summer semester, students will do independent work researching the literature and clarifying research questions for their dissertation before their last semester. What follows is a description of this format.
Year #1
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Fall Semester
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Spring Semester
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Summer Semester
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MIN 850 Contextual Ministry Praxis (Research 1)
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MIN 811 Marriage and Family Issues
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No Classes –
Dissertation Literature Review
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MIN 844 Formational Leadership in the Digital Age
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MIN 842 Innovation and Change
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|
Year # 2
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Fall Semester
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Spring Semester
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Summer Semester
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MIN 851 Applied Research Seminar (Research 2)
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MIN 890 Mentored Research Design – Prospectus (Dissertation Chapters 1-3)
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No Classes –
Program Delivery and Assessment
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MIN 843 Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships
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|
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Year #3
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Fall Semester
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Spring Semester
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Summer Semester
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MIN 891 Applied Research Dissertation (Dissertation Chapters 4-5)
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MIN 891 Applied Research Dissertation (Continuation) - (Dissertation Chapters 4-5)
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ORI 800
| Orientation | 0 |
| MIN 811 | Marriage and Family Issues | 4 |
| MIN 842 | Innovation and Change | 4 |
| MIN 843 | Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships | 4 |
| MIN 844 | Formational Leadership in the Digital Age | 4 |
| MIN 850 | Contextual Ministry Praxis Seminar | 4 |
| MIN 851 | Applied Research Seminar | 4 |
| MIN 890 | Mentored Research Design | 4 |
| MIN 891 | Applied Research Dissertation | 6 |
Strategic Leadership Concentration
As a result of this concentration, the student will do the following:
- Describe strategic leadership as portrayed in the Bible.
- Develop personal leadership knowledge and skills for the current ministry context.
- Generate a set of strategies for leading the current ministry context.
- Formulate an action plan for change within the current ministry context.
- Select a set of initiatives to increase the effectiveness of the leader within a current ministry context.
- Support conclusions identifying truth and discerning deception using critical thinking.
- Compose documents that express logical conclusions with support from scholarly literature gathered through research.
- Develop qualitative and quantitative research skills for the design and analysis of effective program evaluation.
| MIN 811 | Marriage and Family Issues | 4 |
| MIN 842 | Innovation and Change | 4 |
| MIN 843 | Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships | 4 |
| MIN 844 | Formational Leadership in the Digital Age | 4 |
| MIN 850 | Contextual Ministry Praxis Seminar | 4 |
| MIN 851 | Applied Research Seminar | 4 |
| MIN 890 | Mentored Research Design | 4 |
| MIN 891 | Applied Research Dissertation | 6 |
Application, Admission, Retention, and Graduation
Admission Requirements
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must have:
• A completed application
• A personal testimony of faith in Jesus Christ
• An earned and accredited Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree or its equivalent
• A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) in previous master’s work
• A minimum test score of 600 on the paper-based TOEFL General Test (250 on the computer-based exam or 100 for the Internet-based test) or an equivalent demonstration of the ability to read, write, and do academic research in standard English (If English is not his/her first language)
• References
Application Process
Application files are not considered complete and students are not considered for admission until the following tasks are completed:
• Complete the DMin Application
• Pay $40 non-refundable application fee. (Checks made payable and mailed to "Capital Seminary & Graduate School"; or call the Business Office to make credit card payment)
• Submit additional documents:
o Official transcripts from all degree-granting post-secondary schools attended
o Two Recommendations for Admissions forms (one academic, one pastoral)
o Personal Testimony
o A 15-page sample research paper written at the master's level
• Complete Standardized Testing:
o Applicants whose first language is not English must also submit scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam (TEOFL).
• Complete an Interview
o Students are required to complete an in-person or Zoom interview.
Application Response
Application Deadlines and Admission Evaluation
For an applicant to be considered for participation in a DMIN cohort, all application requirements should be completed 90 days before the cohort start date. Once an application file is complete and the interview has taken place, the director of the DMIN program will evaluate the applicant's profile in terms of demonstrated and potential ability to complete doctoral studies successfully. The following criteria will be used in the evaluation of applicants:
• Full Acceptance: The applicant is entirely accepted with no deficiencies or leveling requirements.
• Accepted with Deficiencies: The applicant is accepted into the program with admission's academic deficiencies identified. In those cases, the prospective student may be asked to take additional courses (in either bible/theology; writing/composition) to meet the admissions requirements.
• Accepted on Review Status: The applicant is admitted pending further review. This option may occur because the applicant's application was incomplete (e.g., a score was not received in time) or because the applicant did not meet one of the admission requirements.
• Delay: The applicant may receive an application delay. This situation may be due to the program being filled, a change in the student's life situation, or an event preventing the applicant from attending the first program session. The delayed status applicant will not have to reapply to the program but must pay the program down payment fee.
• Declined: The declined applicant will be notified by mail or email. Specific reasons for the decline are not provided. Finally, because of our priority on creating excellent cohort communities, admissions decisions are made and communicated approximately 60 days before the cohort start date rather than the date the application process is complete.
Enrollment
Prospective students who are admitted have 30 days to accept or decline the admission offer. Acceptance of admission requires a $500 deposit to hold a position in the cohort. Prospective students who fail to respond within 30 days automatically forfeit the admission offer. Doctor of Ministry students are automatically enrolled in upcoming seminars by Adult Learner Services, assuming they are in good academic and financial standing. After the first year, students are automatically enrolled for the 4-credit "Mentored Research Design." After successful defense of their Prospectus, they are registered for the 6-credit "Applied Research Dissertation."
Retention
Continuation Fees and Statute of Limitations
The Capital Seminary and Graduate School Doctor of Ministry program is designed to be completed in three and half years. Students who have not completed their Applied Research Dissertation (ARD) within three and half years of their cohort's start date will be charged an administrative continuation fee of $1000 for each term (fall and spring) until the project is completed, or until the student withdraws from the program, or until the statute of limitations is reached. Completion of the Applied Research Dissertation refers to the student's ARD having been successfully defended and accepted. The statute of limitations for the Doctor of Ministry program is five years. Students must complete all requirements for graduation from the DMIN within five years of the student's original cohort start date.
- The continuation fee applies to full-time students continuously enrolled in courses for three years. If a student is part-time for a semester(s), the program director will determine when continuation fees will be charged to the student. If a student takes a semester off, that semester does not count towards the three years. For example, if a student takes one semester off, continuation fees will be applied after four years (three and half years + the semester the student took off).
- Students who are defending their dissertations and thus completing the program that term will still be required to pay the fee. Students who successfully defend their dissertations before the first day of class for the term will not be charged the fee even if revisions are required from their hearing.
- Students who feel they have been prolonged by reader changes or other issues caused by Capital Seminary oversight will be directed to speak to the program director for special consideration.
Special circumstances: if students step out of the program for a semester or longer due to significant life circumstances, e.g., health issues, family matters, vocational changes, financial hardships, etc., they are responsible for agreeing in writing with the program director that the semester(s) they withdrew from the program will not be counted towards the time limits stated in point A above. A determination of the time limit will be assessed by the program director for all part-time students. Waivers will only be granted if the above special circumstances apply.
Graduation
Graduation
In addition to completing all academic requirements for graduation, all financial obligations to the college must be paid in full before a doctoral student can graduate. Final versions of the Applied Research Dissertation must be submitted to the Church & Ministry Leadership Department by May 1st to graduate Spring semester or December 1st to graduate Fall semester. Incomplete submissions may delay graduation to the following semester.
Cap and Gown
The program tuition price automatically includes the cost of rented regalia appropriate for the acquired degree. Information on regalia will be sent to graduates early in the semester of graduation. As a gift from the LBC|Capital, Doctor of Ministry graduates are welcome to keep their cap, tassel, and hood. Graduates may purchase their gown at a later date through the office of the Provost.
Commencement
Doctor of Ministry graduates are encouraged to participate in a commencement ceremony. The ceremony will take place on the Lancaster campus. Commencement ceremonies are typically offered in December and May at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters, respectively.
Program Director
Robert Reyes, Ph.D., CFLE
Dr. Robert Reyes is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico. He served as a professor of human development and family Science from 2012-2021. From 2007 to 2012, he served as research director for the Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning (CITL) and professor of sociology at Goshen College (Goshen, Indiana). Before moving to Indiana in 2007, he served for 11 years at Messiah University as an assistant and associate professor of human development and family science and director of the Latino Partnership program.
CITL aimed to understand and disseminate findings on the nature and process of intercultural education for Latino students. At CITL, Dr. Reyes was instrumental in developing the Center's post-doctoral research fellowship program and developing a demographic/educational study of Latino students in North Central Indiana.
Dr. Reyes earned a Ph.D. in marriage and family studies (1995) and Master of Divinity in marriage and family (1992) from Fuller Seminary. He is a Certified Family Life Educator and clinical fellow of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. While at Fuller Seminary, Dr. Reyes was part of the Navy chaplain’s candidate program and volunteered as an assistant pastor for a Salvadorian group in Burbank, CA.
His research interests include studying acculturative stress and coping among Latino families and the study of racial reconciliation. In particular, the study of effective leadership strategies in the growth of urban multicultural/multiracial churches. His wife Audrey is a Registered Dietitian and works as a clinical dietitian at West Shore Hospital in Enola, PA. They are also the proud parents of three wonderful children: Kelsey, Lyndsey, and Daniel. He enjoys swimming, scuba diving, listening to audiobooks, and traveling with his family for fun.
Faculty
E. Penny Clawson, EdD
Debra Johnson-Cortesi, PhD
Kevin Gushiken, PhD
Michael Anthony, PhD