DMIN 8113 Doctor of Ministry Writing and Research

This course is an introduction to the range of skills and attributes associated with academic research and writing. Participants will be introduced to the skills of advanced academic writing, general and specific research methodologies and methods such as the use of library resources, quantitative and qualitative research approaches, how to identify a research question, how to carry out a critical literature review, how to prepare a research proposal, and the type of personal qualities and attributes which will be required for a sustained period of study at an advanced level.

DMIN 8143 Group Spiritual Formation for Leaders

Participants will establish an interactive learning and spiritual accompaniment relationship with fellow Doctor of Ministry students and enriched with spiritual formation instruction. For the duration of the course, students meet in a series of scheduled online soul care sessions to learn and participate in spiritual formation principles and practices. These will be designed and facilitated in such a way as to allow participants to reflect with others on their own specific spiritual and leadership contexts.

DMIN 8133 Candidacy Evaluation

Admission to DMin candidacy status (thus permitting the student to engage in project research and writing) is dependent upon a successful evaluation of the participant’s growth and integration of thought, practice, and scholarship. To achieve candidacy, students will submit two pieces of work: a paper detailing how the program contributed to the understanding and development of their theology of the practice of ministry; and a full detailed proposal of their proposed project as laid out in the DMIN Handbook. Oral evaluation will be conducted through an online interview, normally involving the potential supervisor, a member of the Doctor of Ministry team, and one other faculty member. If an evaluation is unsuccessful the candidacy evaluation committee can recommend that a candidate must re-present their work in a different project format.

DMIN 82XX – Advanced Biblical Studies for Ministry Practitioners

“For such a time as this”: Insights and Issues from the Books of Ruth and Esther for Today – We will read the books of Ruth and Esther together with a cloud of witnesses from the past and present who found them not only life giving but also, especially in the case of Esther, deeply troubling. We will examine techniques and strategies used for reading these and other Old Testament narratives through history. We will explore the contexts of Ruth and Esther within both the ancient world and Scripture. We will examine their contents making use of a variety of traditional and innovative interpretive techniques and strategies (including reading within the context of the Ancient Near East, theological exegesis, disaster and trauma studies, and narrative criticism). We will consider how these books speak to us as individuals and as the church in the twenty-first century. The class will include lectures, class presentations, and small break-out group discussions.

The Prophets of Israel This course surveys prophecy in ancient Israel. Topics to be considered will be as follows: the meaning of prophecy, the form and function of prophetic speech, the individuals who participated in the prophetic “office”, (the subjects of prophecy) and the audience of prophecy (the objects of prophecy), the social location of prophecy and its development within the broader ancient near eastern culture. Attention will also be given to the preservation of prophetic speech in writing and the collection and redaction of the oracles of the prophets.

DMIN 83XX – Advanced Theology for Ministry Practitioners

Covenant and Treaty in Biblical and North American Indigenous Perspective – In conjunction with the NAIITS: Indigenous Learning Community’s annual symposium from Jun 3–5, this course will focus on the historical and modern notions of treaty in the North American  Indigenous context, with a view to comparing and drawing insight from the biblical teachings of covenant.

The Holy Spirit in Christian Ministry – This course is designed to examine biblical, historical and contemporary theological writings concerning the Holy Spirit. Attention is given to fundamental theological questions regarding the person, work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, biblically, throughout Church History, and in modern times. Emphasis will also be given to

several of the more controversial doctrines of the Holy Spirit in this current era. The role of the Holy Spirit in Christian ministry will be a major and continued focus of our time together.

Theology of Political Reconciliation – In this course students will develop a theology of political reconciliation through the lens of collective ethical responsibility. They will explore the place of social sin, forgiveness, and repentance in political reconciliation, and consider the tension between individual and collective responsibility. Students will apply their learning to contemporary contexts as they consider the political role of the church, and what it means for Christian leaders to be ambassadors of reconciliation.

Missional God, Missional Church – Modernity. Postmodernity. Liquid Modernity. Post-Christian. After Christendom. Secular Age. New Paganism. New Atheism. None. Done. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. The analyses of our cultural moment in relation to the gospel seem unending. and the danger is that we can be paralyzed by these analyses. What we need in this time is a return to God, a deep understanding of God’s mission in the world, and the call of God’s people to that mission in this time. This course in “theological integration” will bring together a Trinitarian account of God’s life and mission, a Christological account of the sending of God’s people, and a Pneumatological account of the mission of God’s people in all times and places. Woven through all of this will be cultural analysis and engagement with the realities of ministry and mission in light of the final reality of the Gospel.

DMIN 84XX – Advanced Studies in Christian Ministry

Spiritual Formation –  This course explores spiritual formation for ministry leaders. Special attention is paid to the spiritual formation of the Christian leader as well as the spiritual life of the church or organization served. The course addresses the rich tradition of Christian spirituality as a foundation upon which to explore the personal and social dimensions of spiritual formation. The underlying goal of the course is to enrich the ministry of leaders of the Christian faith through an awareness of the importance of spiritual life, both personal and communal. Biblical, theological and developmental dimensions of the spiritual life provide a context from which to explore spiritual formation. Spiritual disciplines and their relevance for spiritual formation and the dynamics of discernment will also be addressed.

DMIN 85XX— Directed Study

DMin students are given the opportunity to focus their degree program by designing and implementing specialty study courses. Such courses are offered at the student’s request, subject to the Director’s and the professor’s agreement. See the Doctor of Ministry Handbook for the regulations governing directed studies.

DMIN 8616, 8626 — Thesis-Project

Under the direction of a thesis supervisor, appointed by the Director in consultation with the candidate, the doctoral candidate will design, implement, and report on a major research project.

DMIN 8636, 8646 -Portfolio Project

Under the direction of a portfolio-project supervisor, appointed by the Director in consultation with the candidate, the doctoral candidate will design, implement, and report on a major research project..

DMIN 8960 — Continuance

This course is designated for approved DMin students who extend their studies beyond the fourth year of registration. This course maintains the continuing status of the student within the Doctor of Ministry program and within the university system.