Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Academic Preparation

Admission to the Doctor of Ministry program requires a TRACS, Regional, or ATS accredited Master of Divinity degree (a minimum of 90 semester credit hours), or its equivalent, including at least one year (2 semesters) of Greek, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) from an accredited or equivalent institution. The Master of Divinity degree must be of comparable educational content (biblical, theological, ministerial) to that of Grace. Applicants who do not meet these requirements may petition the Admissions Committee for consideration.

Grace admits students into all of its academic programs who may not be in total agreement with its theological position on the condition that they acknowledge Grace’s beliefs, respect them, and respect fellow students, faculty, and staff who hold to the Grace position.

During the learning experience, it is expected that there will be collegial respect for each other’s positions within the framework of the authority of Scripture.

Grace welcomes robust critical thinking and discussion as part of its educational philosophy but reserves the right to dismiss any student who causes division or dissension in the classroom, through online discussion boards, or in social media communications.

Admission to the Doctor of Ministry program requires a TRACS, Regional, or ATS accredited Master of Divinity degree (a minimum of 90 semester credit hours), or its equivalent, including at least one year (2 semesters) of Greek, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) from an accredited or equivalent institution. The Master of Divinity degree must be of comparable educational content (biblical, theological, ministerial) to that of Grace. Applicants who do not meet these requirements may petition the Admissions Committee for consideration.

Ministry Experience

Applicants to the Doctor of Ministry program must normally have at least three years of ministry experience completed after receiving the Master of Divinity and evidence of capacity for an advanced level of competence and reflection. Ongoing engagement in ministry in a specific ministry context is required for continuance in the program. Evidence of mature Christian character and significant ministry achievement must be demonstrated in the application.

Evidence of Research and Writing Ability

Applicants must submit a ten-page research paper (excluding title page, table of contents, and bibliography) that exegetically and theologically explains the biblical position on one of the following topics: openness theology, prosperity theology, homosexuality, and philosophy of leadership. The paper must interact with different Christian viewpoints and must utilize at least ten different resources. The paper must be footnoted and follow the Turabian (Chicago 8th Edition) style manual.

Students who have completed a graduate thesis (Master’s level or higher) in a theological discipline requiring competent exegesis and theological reflection may submit it in lieu of the research paper for consideration in meeting this requirement.

This paper will be utilized to assess student proficiency in written English, critical thinking skills, exegetical ability, and theological competence. If upon review this paper does not demonstrate an appropriate level of these abilities, the student may be admitted into the program but will not be allowed to begin work on their final project until improvement has been shown through the papers that will be written in the three Core courses. If the student still has not shown improvement after the three required courses, it will be incumbent upon the student to obtain outside training in these areas and demonstrate proficiency to the Dean of DMin Studies. Only after this happens will the student be allowed to register for their final project.