Doctor of Ministry
in Transformational Leadership for the Global City
Thank you for looking into the Bakke Graduate University of Ministry doctoral program. We are pleased to offer a robust Doctor of Ministry program focused on transformational leadership for the global city. These few words, ‘transformational,’ ‘global,’ and ‘city,’ mean a great deal to us. We are convinced that Christian leaders today need to understand the realities of ministry in difficult places, where clashing cultures, diverse peoples, and unjust systems converge. The rapidly growing cities of our world are the most profound human laboratories of our time, and we believe Christians need to be there, present and fully engaged. Whether you serve in a rural or urban setting, you are living and leading in a complex world impacted by these growing global and urban challenges.
Grace Preedy Barnes, PhD
Academic Dean
Professor of Leadership Studies
BGU seeks to recruit ministry practitioners who have already proven that they have a heart for God and for people. Those who enter this program will find that it introduces them to a vast global network of seasoned and gifted leaders who have a track record of bringing Christ-like change wherever they serve. In this program you will gain perspectives on emerging trends in transformational leadership as you explore contextual and incarnational principles, global realities, the practice of reflection, and consider your personal gifts and calling.
BGU uses an adult learning methodology which incorporates multiple voice lectures, peer-to-peer interaction, field experiences, mentoring, ministry models, journaling, research, reflection, and practical ministry projects. Graduates often tell us upon completion of this program that their entire world view has been turned upside down.
The Transformational Leadership for the Global City Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a ministry degree program designed to enhance the leadership skills of individuals engaged in Christian ministry. The degree program is appropriate for pastors, para-church leaders, urban ministry leaders, educators, and mission leaders. The DMin is distinct from the PhD or ThD in that its primary focus is on implementing and strengthening effective ministry rather than preparing the participant for research or teaching in purely academic arenas. BGU follows the medical model of preparing doctors for surgery in the operating room. At BGU, the cities are the labs and practitioners are professors. Although the DMin is not designed as simply a research degree, in recent years, many seminary educators have chosen the DMin degree to enhance their ability to provide training relevant to practical issues in Christian ministry. The DMin degree is structured around Transformational Leadership for the
1. Church & Ministry Multiplication
2. Leadership
3. Ministry in Complex Contexts
4. Theological Reflection
5. Urban Youth Ministry
6. Theology of Work
Entrance requirements for the DMin degree assume that the essential foundations of theological education have been established in the life of the participant. The program provides the student with the opportunity to focus on specialized areas of skills and knowledge relevant to practical leadership issues related to various forms of Christian ministry.
The DMin degree is also designed to strengthen the biblical and theological foundations necessary for ministry students to provide strong, biblical leadership within the context of their ministry. The program continually emphasizes the need to integrate both the theory and practice of ministry. The DMin program concludes with a Dissertation Project, which focuses on the student’s area of concentration and ministry concept.
The DMin degree is a terminal degree that focuses on practical aspects of professional and lay ministry. The objectives of the DMin degree program are as follows:
1. To deliver practical ministry instruction so that each doctoral student demonstrates implementation of mission and holistic ministry; methods and tools to understand and evaluate ministry in multiple contexts; the ability to develop resources needed for ministry; and working with change within their context so that it is redemptive and productive.
2. To deliver a biblically-based curriculum so that each doctoral student demonstrates a theological basis for diverse ministries and missions, theological reflection, and the ability to develop and teach contextual theology and exegete belief systems.
3. To provide ministry practitioners as faculty so each doctoral student is exposed to practitioners and on-going ministries in global and urban contexts.
4. To deliver adult learning so that each doctoral student demonstrates the ability to do quality research; to communicate effectively; to complete a significant Dissertation/ministry project that will strategically impact their particular ministry; and to demonstrate renewal and multiplication of ministries.
5. To provide education that enables students to expand their recognition of the diversity of the church so that each doctoral student demonstrates their recognition of diversity as a gift of God, ethnically, economically, culturally, and globally.
6. To provide education that enables students to expand their ministry embracing the Church and society so that each student demonstrates a world-perspective of God’s kingdom; the importance of culture within Church and society; and the responsibility of the Church to address oppressive conditions in various cultures and contexts.
7. To provide leadership training to build the local church so that each doctoral student demonstrates their understanding of six perspectives on leadership: gift and calling based, incarnational, reflective, transformational, contextual, and global; and demonstrates personal spiritual growth; and growing international relationships.
8. To instill in students the reality of globalization so that doctoral students demonstrate a global perspective, with a Christian worldview, self awareness, and knowledge of how systems work globally.
Standard admission requirements for the 40-credit Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree program include a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree or equivalent, a minimum of five years of ministry experience, and present engagement in ministry.
Standard admission requirements for the 60-credit Extended Doctor of Ministry degree program include a master’s degree, a minimum of five years of ministry experience, and present engagement in ministry. Students completing their MTS at BGU have fulfilled the necessary prerequisites to apply for the Extended DMin program.
The Extended DMin program requires additional graduate courses, e.g., Old Testament Theology & Praxis, New Testament Theology & Praxis, Global Christian History & Praxis, and Hermeneutics. If the applicant has completed these courses at graduate level prior to entering the DMin program, they may be asked to complete other courses to fulfill the 20-hour graduate credit requirement.
Applicants not holding a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree or its equivalent (defined as a student who has taken and passed with a B or better at least 80 (semester/trimester) credit hours in a master’s
Only a limited number of applicants will be admitted as Special Students (not more than 10% of
An assessment will be conducted by
The criteria by which
a. An earned bachelor’s degree;
b. Enough master’s level course-work to demonstrate proficiency at
c. A minimum of ten (10) years of documented or proven ministry leadership experience;
d. A minimum age of 35 years old;
e. A paper describing a good rationale for
f. A total of six references: two academic, two professional, and two ministry;
g. Writing samples demonstrating graduate level scholarship (grammatical excellence, proficiency in
h. An assessment conducted by a subcommittee of
Participants working toward the typical Doctor of Ministry degree shall complete 40 semester credit hours by completing all course work and a dissertation with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. No course grade under the minimum grade of "B-" will be accepted for credit toward the DMin degree. Participants working toward the Extended DMin shall complete an additional 20 credits, or a total of 60 credit hours.
Participants who have approximately three-quarters of their degree program completed may apply for candidacy. Before actual candidacy is received, participants are allowed and encouraged to submit final project proposals early in their degree program in order to allow sufficient time to complete specialized work related to their concentration. The Academic Dean will oversee the qualifying of participants for candidacy. Request for candidacy will include the following procedures:
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The prospective candidate will have fulfilled all entrance deficiencies and other conditions stipulated at the time of admission into the program;
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The prospective candidate will have demonstrated a capacity for individual research indicated by the quality of written work submitted in conjunction with course work;
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The prospective candidate will submit a Request for Candidacy form to the Academic Dean’s Office;
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The prospective candidate will submit a final doctoral project proposal to the academic dean for approval. A sample proposal is available from the Registrar’s Office. The project fee is for eight credits. The first half is due with the project proposal and the remainder is due when the final Doctoral Project is submitted. Please request the dissertation project handbook for details on this process; and
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An oral defense of the dissertation must be completed before final recommendation for candidacy is approved.
F. Dissertation/MINISTRY Project Policy
The Doctor of Ministry program concludes with a Dissertation Project that integrates both theory and practice of ministry. It is this combination of theory and practice in the field of the candidate’s ministry which distinguishes this program from other programs that focus on academic and experimental research (please request or download dissertation project handbook for current details). The Dissertation Project is to be written in proper form and style and must contribute to the knowledge of the work of the ministry and must be approved by the Academic Affairs Committee. Through the Dissertation Project, the candidate must demonstrate the following:
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The ability to identify a specific concern in ministry, mobilize appropriate resources, develop a method for addressing the concern and evaluate the completed results;
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The ability to reflect depth of theological insight in relation to practical ministry; and
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The ability to function responsibly under supervision appropriate to the project.
Participants should enter the degree program with a potential topic in mind. An advisor will be selected from among the recommended faculty by the participant to function as the primary mentor on the Dissertation Project. The Academic Dean will also be available for consultation throughout the Dissertation Project process.
More detailed information on the dissertation and candidacy process may be found in the Dissertation Handbook. Visit the website or contact the BGU office for a copy.
BGU places participants into a Cohort to begin their DMin program. The cohort system helps to foster and maintain collegiality as well as help to provide an open, effective learning atmosphere. Cohorts complete the prescribed sequence of core courses together. Participants can maintain contact with other members of the cohort through e-mail.
|
Core Courses (16 credits) | ||
|
Course No. |
Course Title |
Credit hrs. |
|
OVI 701 |
Overture Part I – Doctoral of Ministry Introduction |
8 |
|
OVII 701 or 703 |
Overture II - Overture II - |
8 + 4 |
|
RES 701 |
Research Bridge | |
|
Specialization (16 credits) | ||
|
|
Students select a specialization consisting of a combination of Directed Studies, Independent Studies, Electives, Courses and/or Field Experiences (for a total of up to 16 credits) from one of the specializations listed below. Specializations are supervised by a Doctoral Mentor. |
12 |
|
Dissertation/Ministry Project (8 credits) | ||
|
|
See Dissertation/Ministry Project Policy for a description of the final project for the DMin. |
8 |
|
TOTAL |
40 | |
Students must complete at least two courses or directed studies in their chosen specialization to complete their degree.
1. Church & Ministry Multiplication
MLT 701 Raising Leaders
MLT 702 Emerging Movements
MLT 703 Multiplying
2. Leadership
LDR 722 Leadership & Self-Deception
LDR 723 Leadership Organization, Culture &
Change
LDR 724 Strategic Planning & Ministry Contexts
3. Ministry in Complex Contexts
MCC 701 Consulting the City
MCC 702 Church in Community Development
MCC 703 Nature & Mission of the Church
4. Theological Reflection
THE 731 Spiritual Retreating
THE 732 Spiritual Christian Disciplines
THE 733 History of Christian Spirituality & Praxis
5. Urban Youth Ministry
UYM 701 Adolescent Development & Youth
Culture
UYM 702 Ministry Strategies for Working with at
Risk Youth
UYM 703 Theology of Urban Youth Ministry
6. Theology of Work
TOW 701A Foundations of Theology of Work
TOW 701B Making Sense of the Other 6 Days
TOW 702 Taking Your Soul to Work
TOW 703 Marketplace Ministry
TOW 704 Ethics
TOW 705 Liberating the Laity
I. Joint Doctor of Ministry Degree
BGU, in conjunction with Asian Theological Seminary (ATS) in
