School of Theology
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School of Education
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School of Mission
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School of Business
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School of Oriental Medicine
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School of Music
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| Doctor
of Ministry (D.Min.) |
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A. Purpose: |
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The Doctor of Ministry
degree is an advanced professional
degree designed to enable students
to practice ministry at a high
level of competency. The program
builds on the general theological
preparation of the Master of Divinity
and moves toward a concentration
which combines theory and significant
experience. The professional character
of the degree is designed to prepare
students to be effective in the
practice of ministry rather than
preparing for research and teaching
vocations.
The Doctor of Ministry degree
at Georgia Christian University
offers pastor, and other church
leaders an opportunity for professional
growth and continuing education,
pursuing two major educational
purposes; (1) to help pastor¡¯s
ministry by providing various
theological knowledge and skills,
(2) and to challenge students
to theologically reflect and evaluate
their ministry in creating a healthy
and respectful ministry. Thus,
the program focuses on the life
of the church and on the ministry
while helping students to apply
knowledge and to assess their
ministry effectively.
Georgia Christian University¡¯s
Doctor of Ministry Program is
conveniently offered in a form
of intensive courses to pastors
and leaders in many different
locations. In cooperation with
interested pastors and leaders
at the various locations, GCU
will establish purpose-driven
geographical learning-driven
groups. Thus, the faculty responsible
for those groups will travel
to each group location such
as the United States, Korea,
and other places including Atlanta
campus and New Jersey campus
to teach intensive courses.
In order to implement successful
educational program, faculty
members and alumni of GCU, off-campus
personnel with expertise, and
members of Faculty Graduate
Program Committee shall consistently
review whether or not the courses
of Doctor of Ministry program
constructively influence the
students to create a healthy
ministry, to evaluate their
ministry, to expand their vision
and to crystallize their understanding
of the purposes and goals of
the ministry.
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B. Objectives:
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The program, combining
theory and pastoral practice,
strives for the integration of
theological and social science
knowledge to advance excellence
in religious ministry. Thus GCU¡¯s
program of Doctor of Ministry
is designed to enhance the communication,
analytic, and leadership skill
so fits participants toward the
goal of structural change within
the contexts of ministry. Students
admitted to this program, by virtue
of their application materials,
have demonstrated competence in
ministerial leadership. This program
is intended to strengthen, deepen
and expand these areas of competence.
Participants in the program, in
consultation with their faculty
committee, will demonstrate:
1. Increased skills in critical
analysis, theological reflection,
systematic thinking and reflective
practice to evaluate the present
philosophy and goal of the present
ministry;
2. Better awareness of the impact
of culture on persons and the
responsibility of the church for
public witness and social justice
engagement;
3. Higher effectiveness in constructing
and implementing congregational
or community initiatives of compassion
and care, theological reflection,
religious education, the creative
arts, or social outreach;
4. Advanced leadership abilities
in spirituality and/or organizations
as a leader of in ministry.
5. Promoted articulation of a
comprehensive and critical theory
of ministry in the process of
preparing his/her Final Ministry
Project. This will provide an
opportunity to reflect him/herself
as a leader and to assess the
given ministry, influencing the
ongoing practice of ministry.
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C. General Admission Procedure
and Policies:
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An applicant must
complete all procedures and requirements
for approval by the University¡¯s
Doctor of Ministry Program Committee.
Approximately Sixty days should
be allowed for processing applications.
Applicants shall receive notice
of approval from the Director
of the Doctor of Ministry Program.
An applicant may be admitted
on a conditional basis for the
first year of study in the doctoral
program at the discretion of
the Doctor of Ministry Committee.
The Director of the Doctor of
Ministry Program will notify
the applicant of the reasons
for any conditional status,
specify any requirements that
must be fulfilled, and state
any limitations to be imposed
upon the proposed seminar load.
Students admitted conditionally
are evaluated at the conclusion
of the first year of study,
and the Doctor of Ministry Program
Committee governs the student's
continuance in the program.
Applicants for the Doctor of
Ministry Program who do not
enroll in a seminar within one
year from the date of approval
for admission must submit a
new application to the program,
and the subsequent application
shall be regarded as initial
with no leniency for an approval.
Each applicant must submit
the following forms to the Office
of Admissions and Record accompanied
by a non-refundable $100.00
application fee. All documents
must be submitted at once by
the time of application:
1. Complete Application form
of GCU for admission
2. $100.00 non-refundable application
fee
3. Two pages autobiography
4. Four pages relating to the
applicant's personal view of
Christian ministry
5. Two pages describing the
applicant's vocational experience
and ministry intentions
6. Signed Biblical Foundations
Statement
7. Official transcripts from
all college, university, or
seminary records, showing all
courses pursued, grades received,
and degree(s) earned.
8. Three recommendation letters
completed by the references
listed on the application.
9. Two recent photos.
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D. General Admission Requirements:
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for admission to the D.Min.
degree, the applicants are
required to: |
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1. |
Have a Bachelor
of Arts degree or its equivalent
from an accredited college
or university. Any exception
must be approved by the
Doctor of Ministry Program
Committee. |
| 2. |
Have completed the Master
of Divinity degree or its
equivalent from an accredited
institution. Other two-year
master's programs may be
considered, but the applicant
must complete the Master
of Divinity required courses
of the Seminary to enter
the program. In such cases,
the Seminary does not grant
the Master of Divinity degree
but establishes its equivalency.
An applicant must have maintained
an average of 3.0 on a scale
of 4.0 in his/her Master
of Divinity work. |
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3. |
Have demonstrated to the
Doctor of Ministry Program
Committee that they have
sustained a sound moral
and religious character
in campus life. |
| 4. |
Applicants must have
completed one year of ministry
experience at a church or
similar organizations with
demonstrated excellent professional
performance after receiving
the Master of Divinity degree.
Applicants with less than
one year of full-time ministry
after the Master of Divinity
may request consideration
if they have prior full-time
ministry experience. Any
exception must be approved
by the Doctor of Ministry
Program Committee. |
| Applicants
from international seminaries
offering the Master of Divinity
or its equivalent may be
admitted to the Doctor of
Ministry program on the
same basis as students from
national seminaries, provided
that they score an official
TOEFL score of at least
80 on the Internet-based
exam or 213 on the computer-based
version taken less than
two years by the date of
application if you have
not been studying at a U.S.
institution since taking
the exam.. Information regarding
the test dates and centers
can be found at www.ets.org.
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E. Graduation Requirement - Doctor
of Ministry:
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The Doctor of Ministry
degree is designed to be completed
within three or four academic
years, although a maximum of six
years may be granted in special
cases. The Doctor of Ministry
degree requires 36 credits: 27
credits are earned through course
work and the 9 credits are earned
by completing the Final Ministry
Project. The final Ministry Project
is a requirement for graduation.
Among 27 credits of course work,
12 credits constitute the core
courses comprised by the following
two specialization options. The
remaining 15 credits are fulfilled
in elective course work. With
these elective courses, candidates
pursue their personal needs and
their intentions for the program
are expressed.
Courses are offered as a week-long
(or two week-long) intensive
sessions in various locations
across the country, in selected
places inside or outside the
United State and on New Jersey
or Atlanta campus. With the
courses, all students are required
to take a week summer residency
program to prepare for the thesis
in the practice of ministry.
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F. Pre-Seminar Consortium:
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As applicants approved
for admission in Doctor of Ministry
Program at GCU, each student shall
be invited to participate biannual
two-day Pre-Seminar held in Atlanta
Campus to share personal belief,
academic background, individual
experiences in ministry, and to
receive an orientation on the
program including seminar bibliography.
Within the Consortium, each
student is advised to schedule
his/her course registration,
and to choose his/her theme
for the Final Ministry Project.
Elements of style will be covered
during the orientation session.
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G. Two Track Options:
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Every aspect of
the D. Min. program emphasizes
on collaborative model of learning
and ministry and a mode of inquiry
that links theory and practice.
In order to have students focus
more on a specific area, GCU will
request each student to choose
one of the two track options:
Theology of Ministry or Church
Leadership and Church Organization.
Student should complete 12 credit
hours from the track courses to
be eligible for graduation. |
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H. Electives:
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Among 27 credits
of course work, fifteen (15) are
fulfilled in elective course work.
With these elective courses, candidates
pursue their personal needs and
express their intentions for the
courses.
Upon admission, candidates
in a Doctor of Ministry degree
are placed in a group of eight
to twelve persons, continuing
with the group until the end
of the program. Each Doctor
of Ministry group selects their
group leaders for effective
group operating as a part of
the first workshop. Each group
is responsible for structuring
the Doctor of Ministry degree
by selecting courses that best
meets the needs of its members.
The Doctor of Ministry courses
are designed to introduce the
integrative and self-reflective
methods of relating theories
and practices to one's own ministerial
experience. Each candidate is
encouraged to assess his or
her own ministry contextually
and systemically, with emphasis
on the minister's own role and
authority. Also, the student
is encouraged to establish his
or her model of ministry in
light of interpreting, empowering,
organizing, and rethinking dimensions
of ministry. Candidates are
expected to work with this model
of ministry after the first
intensive course.
The second intensive course
is held for one year after the
first course. The focus of the
second course of the Doctor
of Ministry program is on evaluating
the application of the model
of ministry. Each candidate
presents a full-length ministry
experience report or a case
study, prepared in advance.
The second course will also
include a series of faculty
presentations, depending on
the needs of each workshop group.
Although proposals for the final
doctoral project are welcomed
at any time in the progress
throughout the program, candidates
submit initial proposals for
their final ministry projects
during the second course.
The third intensive course
focuses on the preparation of
the final project. In addition
to the ministry experience reports
and faculty presentations, there
will be faculty presentations
on the Doctor of Ministry Research
methodology issues. After feedbacks
from group members and the consultations
with faculty members, candidates
present proposals for their
final projects.
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I. Oral Presentation:
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Upon the completion
of all seminars, and after the
submission of the Final Ministry
Project, students give a one-hour
oral presentation on their project.
They discuss the inception, justification,
development, implementation, evaluation,
and impact of their project. This
professional and creative presentation
is considered a major component
in the overall grade of the project.
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J. Final Ministry Project:
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In addition to
the completion of twenty-seven
semester hours of seminar work,
students must complete a Final
Ministry Project. The Final Ministry
Project is a supervised project,
which may be done in a local church
or ministry setting, or it may
be a research project.
Students advance to candidacy
status after the completion
of all seminar work and the
approval of the prospectus for
the Ministry Project. Students
initiate the process of advancement
by submitting the prospectus
for the Ministry Project to
the Department of Doctor of
Ministry. Notification of advancement
to candidacy status is made
by the Director of the Doctor
of Ministry Program.
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K. Courses Offered:
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CORE (Track
Option) |
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OPTION 1: THEOLOGY OF
MINISTRY
M 601 Research and Methodology
(3)
M 602 Exploring the Contours of
Ministry (3)
M 603 Changing Churches and Communities
in a Multi-Cultural World (3)
M 604 Growing Churches in a Post-Church
World (3)
OPTION
2: CHURCH LEADERSHIP AND CHURCH
ORGANISATION
M 601 Research and Methodology
(3)
M 605 Leadership Developments
for the 21st Century (3)
M 606 The Biblical Principle of
Leadership (3)
M 607 The Shaping of a Leader
(3) |
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ELECTIVES
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M 608 Caring Role
of the Whole Congregation (3)
M 609 Revitalizing Church and
Community (3)
M 610 Ministry with Groups (3)
M 611 Understanding and Leading
Church Organizations (3)
M 612 Theological and Ethical
Perspectives on the Practice of
Ministry (3)
M 613 Cross Culture Ministry (3)
M 614 Thesis Residency (3)
THE FINAL MINISTRY PROJECT (9)
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I. Elective Courses Description:
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THEOLOGY
OF MINISTRY TRACK |
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| Dept
M |
Number
601 |
Title
Research and Methodology |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is aimed at having students
be proficient in methods
of theological research
and academic writing, with
special reference to the
project including, thinking
logically and theologically,
writing a thesis, researching
theological topics and writing
skills. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
602 |
Title
Exploring the contours of
ministry |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
helps the student to reflect
himself/herself in terms
of personality and characteristics
as a would-be minister.
In order to perceive ministry,
he/she must study various
materials relevant to ministry
including spiritual formation,
counseling skill, and Psychology.
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| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
603 |
Title
Changing Churches and Communities
in a Multi-Cultural World |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is aimed at having students
to understand how church
should be related to communities
in a multi-Cultural context
and how church should seek
the significance of the
gospel in various cultural
experiences. |
| Prerequisite |
NINE |
| Dept
M |
Number
604 |
Title
Growing Churches in a Post-Church
World |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
In post Christian
environment, the opportunity
for mission has returned
to the doorstep of the church.
In understanding the ¡°modern¡±
(self confident, secular,
and rationalistic, and etc.,)
and ¡°post modern¡± (which
is related to deconstruct
modern things), the church
must redefine itself as
a mission outpost. This
course will help the student
to identify the issues that
the church must wrestle
with in order to establish
a missionary presence in
the world. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
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CHUCH LEADERSHIP
AND CHURCH ORGANISATION TRACK |
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| Dept
M |
Number
601 |
Title
Research and Methodology |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is aimed at having students
be proficient in methods
of theological research
and academic writing, with
special reference to the
project including, thinking
logically and theologically,
writing a thesis, researching
theological topics and writing
skills. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
605 |
Title
Leadership Developments
for the 21st Century |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is designed to enable the
student to develop spiritual
leadership. Consideration
is given to leadership skill
developments and spiritual
formations in the student
in accordance with others
in the course. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
606 |
Title
The Biblical Principle of
Leadership |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is designed for the student
to find the biblical principles
of leadership. This course
helps students to develop
an integrated theology of
church leadership based
on the Bible drawing upon
various biblical materials
and diverse experiences
from local churches. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
607 |
Title
The Shaping of a Leader |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
focuses on how God shapes
and develops leaders for
a unique and ultimate contribution.
The students learn how God
shapes leaders through life
experiences and developmental
transitions, gaining: 1)
understanding essentials
of the shaping of leadership
2) focused understanding
of his or her own developmental
stage and potential transitions,
and 3) insights into how
to recognize and facilitate
the organic growth of leaders. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
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ELECTIVE
COURSES |
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| Dept
M |
Number
608 |
Title
Caring Role of the Whole
Congregation |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
In this course,
the contextual perspective
is the dominant theme. This
course examines the history,
theory and practice of pastoral
care using the contextual
perspective (Korean American
Immigrant context) as a
guiding framework. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
609 |
Title
Revitalizing Church and
Community |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
explores theories and theologies
of congregational and community
changes and transformation.
Students will analyze how
the changes occur. They
will discover various methods
church leaders can use in
during the transformations
in church and in community.
The framework for these
learning will be the student¡¯s
congregation in its social
political, economic, cultural
and religious context. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
610 |
Title
Ministry with Groups |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is designated to use diagnostic
questions, like physicians
do, to understand and to
meet a group¡¯s needs. These
questions will be used to
understand their formation
as a new Doctor of Ministry
group and to work with groups
such as governing bodies,
committee/task forces, and
study/growth groups in the
parishes or judicatories
where they minister. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
611 |
Title
Understanding and Leading
Church Organizations |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is to look at the church
system from various perspectives:
structural, human relations,
political, open system,
and symbolic/cultural. Throughout
the course, students will
explore the interactions
between organizational theory,
theological perspectives,
and the practice of ministry. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
612 |
Title
Theological and Ethical
Perspectives on the Practice
of Ministry |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is structured around four
essential questions: (1)
Who are we as individuals?
(2) What is the mission
of the church? (3) What
is the world like and How
do we read the world: (4)
How do we make a difference
and How do changes occur?
Each student¡¯s experience
is crucial to answer these
questions. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
613 |
Title
The Skilled Counselor |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
introduces students to advanced
counseling skills. Included
are topics such as empathy,
concreteness, confrontation,
self-disclosure, attending,
listening, responding, decision-making,
and action planning. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
614 |
Title
Cross Culture Ministry |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This course
is designed students to
understand cross cultures
which are quite different
from one¡¯s own culture.
It explores how student
can be in harmony with various
voices in terms of ministry. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
M |
Number
615 |
Title
Thesis Residency |
Credits
3 |
| Description |
This integrative,
interdisciplinary, term-taught
course is built upon the
leanings gained in the foundational
courses. It employs a method
of inquiry in which each
student explores and addresses
challenges from the context
of ministry using the recourses
of the Christian tradition,
social sciences, and experience.
The purpose of this two-week
intensive course is to assist
student in constructing
viable proposals for the
Thesis in the Practice of
Ministry. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
| Dept
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Number
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Title
The Final Ministry Project |
Credits
6 |
| Description |
The final
doctoral project is to demonstrate
the candidate's ability
to apply the general methodology
of the Doctor of Ministry
Study. The subject matter
must represent ministerial
research or work that is
needed in the church today.
Ordinarily the project is
to be undertaken in the
setting where the candidate
carries on his or her own
ministry. The dissertation
needs to be a 125-175 page
analytical paper complete
with a sustained argument
in an area that has broader
applications than an individual
ministry. |
| Prerequisite |
NONE |
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