Academics

The Doctor of Minister is designed to provide students a strong foundation in research and analysis as well as a comprehensive understanding of Divinity through graduate coursework. Students will engage in qualitative and quantitative research and analysis. The curriculum requires a Dissertation worth 20 credits. Coursework covers topics such as Hermeneutics, Theology of Urban Ministry, etc. This program thoroughly develops each student through rigorous academic coursework as well as personal and spiritual development. The following are course requirements for the program. Courses must be completed with a grade of C - or better in order to successfully complete the program. ​

DOM 701 Hermeneutics  4 Credits

An exploration of the development and current status of modern biblical theology, and the contemporary recovery of a theological hermeneutics in relation to the biblical theology movement.

DOM 702 New Testament Backgrounds for Preachers  4 Credits

This is a course on historical, sociological, and cultural backgrounds of the New Testament with a focus on how to utilize them for sermon preparation. This course orients students to explore rich textures of a NT text and translate their significance to the contemporary audience. 

DOM 703 New Testament Ecclesiology for Ministers  4 Credits

This course is designed to critically examine the New Testament understanding of the Church and her missions. In the course, students will discuss the formation of Christian identities, communities, missions, and ministry practices in and through the Church. The course will also explore the New Testament principles of being and doing a church and their applications in the earliest Christian centuries and the last few centuries.

DOM 704  Biblical Theology of the Old Testament for Pastors  4 Credits

This course will adopt a thematic approach, with an emphasis on Yahweh’s role relationships and expectations. The impact of the Old Testament on the New Testament will be considered throughout. The course will cover the major themes of creation and the Sinai covenant and associated subthemes, namely wisdom as a creation subtheme and Israel’s religion and the Davidic covenant as covenant subthemes, and internationalism as a subtheme of both creation and covenant

DOM 705 Reformation Theology for Pastoral Ministry  4 Credits

This course offers a critical examination of Protestant Reformation theology for contemporary pastoral ministry. Based on the fact that many Protestant reformers, such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin were indeed pastors/priest in the 16th century, this course will reevaluate the reformers' thoughts from a pastoral perspective, rather than from a purely systematic point of view. 

DOM 706 Personal Health of a Leader  4 Credits

This seminar will examine these hazards as they pertain to the holistic health (physical, mental, relational and spiritual) of the leader, attempt to assist the leader in identifying the areas of potential personal vulnerability with an emphasis on prevention, and provide research-based resources for fostering flourishing in ministry.

DOM 707 Spiritual Formation and Discipleship  4 Credits

The focus of this course is on how to aid/encourage/guide the process of transformation in the lives of adults seeking to follow Jesus within the complexities of a postmodern world. The pattern for growth we will consider is based on classical descriptions of the spiritual journey.

DOM 708 Ethics and Ministry in a Multicultural Context  4 Credits

This course studies the ethical and ministerial challenges and opportunities that face Korean/Korean American churches in a pluralistic cultural context. Experiencing a radical transition from a culturally homogeneous society to a postmodern global society, Korean churches in particular sometimes find it challenging to develop a capacious and competent theology and ethics. The goal is to help students to develop their own ministry model that is culturally relevant, as well as biblically and ethically faithful in their local contexts

DOM 709 Reinventing Evangelism  4 Credits

This course explores the theory, strategy, and methodology of evangelism. It argues that to do effective, wholistic, biblical evangelism that takes seriously the culture and needs of those one seeks to reach, it is necessary to build a proper theoretical foundation (that sees the Bible with fresh eyes), adopt an appropriate strategy (that makes sense to the given situation), and understand the wide range of methodologies that exist for doing evangelism.

DOM 710  Theology of Urban Ministry  4 Credits

In this course, we will seek to gain experience in engaging in a social cultural analysis to understand the nature and context of urban ministry. We will study how the practice of an urban pastoral theology is a fulfillment of the pastoral office and the ongoing work of the urban church. 

DOM 711  Spirituality and Ministry  4 Credits

This seminar is designed to give understanding and experience of the spiritual life and its disciplines, as defined by the New Testament and the history of the disciples of Jesus. To do so, it is offered in a retreat setting. The course will include a study of classics in the field of Christian spirituality, along with some historical and systematic treatments

DOM 712   Globalization, the Poor, and Christian Mission   4 Credits

In this course, students will be introduced to the theology of mission from an evangelical Protestant perspective. Through a survey of key contributors who left a lasting impact on 21st century missiology, students will explore Trinitarian perspectives on the mission Dei, the reign of God, and contextual theology.

DOM 713 Dissertation  20 Credits

A self-supervised research dissertation in which the student develops a research design to test a hypothesis related to a significant church ministry issue in the field of Christian Ministry. The student creates a research design, reviews significant literature, collects and analyzes data using appropriate statistical metrics, and draws a conclusion and makes recommendations for future study. This research dissertation reflects the student's professional competence in ministry and ability to integrate and utilize the counseling field of study.

TOTAL: 68 Credits