Doctor of Ministry Program (D.Min.)

Purpose
The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree is a professional program intended to obtain “an advanced understanding of the nature and purposes of ministry, enhanced competencies in pastoral analysis and ministerial skills, the integration of these dimensions into the theological reflective practice of ministry, new knowledge about the practice of ministry, and continued growth in spiritual maturity.” (Association of Theological Schools Bulletin No. 47, 2006, p. 210).

Objectives
Each graduate of the D.Min. program will be able to:
1. Have time to objectively evaluate the ministry the student has been involved in many years.
2. Analyze and understand problems that have hindered the church and its congregation from spiritual maturation.
3. Share these struggles with other pastors, see how they cope with these difficult situations, and learn from each other about how to deal with church problems.
4. Come up with diverse strategies to overcome these obstacles and discover what may best work for individual church.
5. Find strategies to lead the church leadership and its congregation to desired spiritual maturation.
6. Create a project which one can implement in practical church settings to achieve church's health and maturity.
7. Report the project that one finds successful in rejuvenating the church so that other church leaders who suffer from similar or same troubles may also be benefited from it.

The D.Min. program is an in-service program, in which students should complete the program while remaining in full-time ministry.

Admission Requirements
Candidates are required to have had at least three years of full-time ministry experience after receiving the M.Div. degree or its equivalent.

WBU accepts those who have earned an M.Div. degree from institutions approved by ATS or its equivalent. WBU also accepts those who have graduated from the seminaries of major Christian denominations in Korea. As for those who fall outside the above-mentioned categories, the Admissions Committee of the Doctor of Ministry (ACDM) will review each case to determine admission.

Candidates are required to have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for master’s level work. Students whose GPA is below this level may be provisionally accepted into the program. These candidates will be put on probation until they successfully complete twelve credit hours. Additional class work to improve their grades may be required.

Applications
Doctor of Ministry applications are received and reviewed several times a year but applications should be presented to WBU at least a month prior to the first seminar. Accepted students may start their studies at any of the D.Min. seminars offered regularly or modularly throughout the year.
The ACDM may grant admission on the Basis of the required credentials alone, or request the applicant to submit additional materials and/or schedule an interview with the applicant. The Director of the D.Min program will conduct the interview.

Admissions policies and procedures are subject to change without notice. New students are required to submit a non-refundable tuition deposit to confirm acceptance of admission.

Unless candidates start the program within one calendar year of admission, they will automatically lose eligibility and must go through the admissions process again.

Required Documents for Application

• Application for Admission
  
• Transcripts from all schools previously attended
  
• Copies of all diplomas earned
  
• Statement of pastoral experience
  
• Religious Autobiography and Statement of the Purpose of Study
  
• Three Reference Letters; two from pastors and one from a professor

If deemed necessary, an interview with the Director of the D.Min. program will be scheduled.

The Religious Autobiography must be double-spaced, with a 12-point font and be a minimum of 6 pages.

English translations of transcripts must arrive in a sealed envelope from the prior schools or hand-carried.

Program of Study
In order to complete the D.Min. program, candidates must satisfy two basic elements: Course work and Project or Thesis. Here the “Project” refers to particular casework carried out in tandem with the candidates’ ministry. The final product of the project will take the shape of a well-researched report. The “Thesis” indicates a written work that attempts to prove the candidates’ theological assertions or views on certain aspects of ministry by means of practical examples.

Course work
Course work is done in seminar format. Each doctoral seminar consists of three parts.

First, about three months prior to each seminar period, students will receive information on the forthcoming seminar with a list of required reading and written work for each course. These pre-seminar assignments are to be completed before the seminar begins. The written assignments will be graded as part of each five-credit seminar.

Second, the five-credit seminar proper will last a week, from Monday noon until Friday noon. During that week there will be lectures by designated instructors for the assigned topics. It will be a time of interaction with the instructors and with other students.

Third, a minor project is to be completed after the seminar Based upon the reading and class work. The purpose of the project is to enable the seminar students to integrate the course content with his or her ministry. This project will be graded as part of the seminar class.

Major Project or Thesis
This major project or thesis is the highlight of the D.Min. program. It is designed to help students to think theologically about ministry by requiring them to apply new concepts and methods to their ministries.

The proposal for the project or thesis must be formally approved by the Academic Committee of the D.Min. program. One faculty reader will be designated as the first reader to students during the project or thesis writing. The first reader will read the students’ thesis or project and guide them to complete the work through giving feedback and recommendations for further reading and research.

If students wish to substitute the thesis or the project with class work, they should complete an additional ten (10) semester hours of class work.

Curriculum
D.Min. program consists of the following areas of studies. Each area has classes that may fulfill the area requirement. Each student is required to complete thirty-six semester credits, thirty (30) semester hours of seminars and six (6) hours of thesis. Each seminar consists of five (5) semester hours. The following are the seminars to be offered:

BIB851 Biblical Interpretation and Preaching 5 credits
Analysis of Preaching in the Bible
Biblical Interpretation that Transforms Preaching
Advanced Exegesis of the Bible
Hermeneutics of Immigrant Churches

CNS821 Advanced Pastoral Counseling 5 credits
Pastor, Family and Church
Pastoral Family Counseling
Pastoral Marriage Counseling
Crisis Management and Conflict Resolution

CHM851 Modern Leadership and Pastoral Leadership 5 credits
Leadership
Christian/Church Leadership
Servant Leadership
Spiritual Growth and Congregations
Mobilizing and Equipping the Laity for Ministry

CHM832 Modern Church Growth 5 credits
Building Team Ministry
Study of Small Group Ministry
Analysis of Worship Renewal Movement
Analysis of Modern Church Growth Movement
Paradigms of Missions as Foundations of Church Ministry

THL851 Advanced Theology in Ministry 5 credits
Implications of Christology in Ministry
Implications of Trinitarian Theology in Ministry
Incarnation Theology in Korean Immigrant Ministry
Biblical Ethics and Modern Ethical Dilemma

CHM831 Social Work and Christian Ministry 5 credits
Utilization of Social Work in Ministry
Multi-ethnic Ministry in Church

Thesis Writing 6 credits
36 Total Credit Hours