Creating the Caring Congregation

Every pastor wants to lead a congregation that reaches out and makes a difference in peoples’ lives — a demanding, challenging call.

Perkins offers a concentration in evangelism in its Doctor of Ministry Program to help develop effective ministries for pastors who share the vision that congregations can become caring communities.

Enrich your congregation’s evangelistic ministry through Doctor of Ministry from Perkins.

Course Structure and Design

Participants begin the program by taking two core courses during a three-week session in January or June: “Theology of Ministry” and “Person and Role of the Minister.” The goal of “Theology of Ministry” is to help participants discern and articulate the theological center of their ministry and implications for their interpretation of its culture, the church, ministry, and the role of evangelism. The “Person and Role of the Minister” helps participants integrate their practice of ministry with their theology of ministry. 

In addition to the professional project which takes place in the congregation, pastors will be working with laity in their churches as a part of four evangelism seminars.

Following the two core courses, participants choose four of six evangelism seminars. Each course will have significant advance reading and papers. All evangelism courses will have post-course assignments that will utilize course material in the local church. A final report is due 90 days after each seminar. The two-week long seminars are offered in January or June; students may take one class each seminar.

Each candidate will develop and design a project in the area of evangelism that will be carried out in his or her setting of ministry. There are two preparation seminars (DM9014 & DM9019) that assist the candidate in defining the focus of the practicum/project and then develop a plan for implementation. These seminars will require the candidate to develop the theological foundation for the project along with the theoretical and methodological basis of the project. The candidate is free to develop a project in an area of interest that he or she chooses.

Requirements

It is expected that those applying are serving in a ministry setting, and maintain a B average for their D.Min. work. An applicant must have at least three years of service in the ministry prior to the time he or she begins the program. Tuition is required for six semesters.

Time and Money

The minimum time for completion of degree requirements is three calendar years. All degree requirements must be completed within seven years of the start of course work. Participants in the D.Min. program will make semester tuition payments on July 1 and January 2 during each of the first three years of their program for a total of six semesters of full tuition payments in the course of the degree. Those who require additional time to complete the program will pay a fee equal to one term hour's tuition for each additional semester required to complete the program. If a participant is granted a leave of absence in any term, he or she will be required to pay a fee for that term in order to continue in the program. There is no financial aid for the D.Min. Program.

Application

Applications are accepted throughout the year in the order in which they are received and are considered when they are complete: this includes the application form, the four reference forms, and your official transcripts. Early applications are due November 1 for the January session or April 15 for the summer session. Early application is recommended so that required readings and assignments can be completed for the first course. Application and reference forms are available on this website. 

Flexible and Effective

Centrally located in Dallas, all courses are offered in January and June to e available to pastors from anywhere in the country. It is possible to complete the program by attending only in January or only in July. For those who want to pursue the degree at a faster pace, courses can be taken in both the January and July sessions, but only one course can be taken at each session. Participants have attended representing:

“The Perkins Doctor of Ministry program changed my life. I graduated with a stronger faith and improved relationship skills. Now I can articulate my beliefs and design programs for ministry with confidence. I highly recommend this program for a more effective church ministry.” – Southwest Texas