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2024-25 Academic Catalog

Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Leadership and Spiritual Formation

Purpose

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree is the highest professional degree for those in parish or related ministries. It is designed for educated, experienced practitioners who desire to stimulate renewal in themselves and in their ministries through the integration of their experience with advanced training, research, and reflection. The DMin is distinctive from academic doctorates such as the PhD and ThD in that its primary focus is on the practice of ministry. The DMin is also distinctive from other professional degrees such as the EdD and the PsyD in that it builds on the three-year master of divinity (MDiv) and at least three years of post-MDiv ministry experience.

The Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Spiritual Formation (DMin LSF) shapes experienced influencers through the literature and art and practice of Christian spiritual formation and leadership to impact their communities and the world.

The delivery system of the Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Spiritual Formation program includes personal mentoring by both the lead mentor; regular online interactivity with cohort members and professors; four ‘retreat’ face-to-face intensives in Cannon Beach, Oregon; and a portfolio-based, milestone-oriented research project guided by a project faculty member.

Degree Outcomes

Graduates of the Leadership and Spiritual Formation track will:

  • Demonstrate a critical understanding of spiritual formation and leadership, their intersection, and their ethical application within diverse communities.
  • Gain skills in Collaborative Design for Ministry and Nonprofit Contexts to address a chosen need, problem, or opportunity (NPO) in ministry environments.
  • Contribute a solution to an NPO in one’s context through the completion of a professional doctoral project.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Doctor of Ministry program must hold an ATS-accredited MDiv degree or meet the seminary's MDiv-equivalency requirements†, with a minimum GPA of 3.0. In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

  • Completion of the DMin application form and payment of application fee.
  • Submission of one official transcript from each college, seminary, or university attended.
  • Curriculum vitae or resumé.
  • Documentation of ministry experience that demonstrates that the applicant possesses the level of competence and reflection appropriate for advanced, professional ministerial studies. This is normally reflected in the applicant's documentation of full-time participation in ministry for at least three years after the completion of the MDiv degree.
  • Three letters of reference (as specified in admissions materials).
  • Five self-assessment essays that outline the applicant's spiritual pilgrimage, leadership experience, purpose for pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree, and research interests.
  • An academic writing sample.
  • An entrance interview with the director or associate director of the DMin program (by invitation only).
  • Non-native English speakers must submit a TOEFL score of 80 (Internet-based) or IELTS 6.5 and complete the Declaration of Finance.  For more information, international applicants can reference the International Graduate Admissions page.

†Equivalency Procedures

An applicant who holds a master's degree but does not hold the MDiv degree from an ATS-accredited seminary may qualify for admission to the DMin program by meeting the ATS requirement of an educational equivalent. The criteria below serve as a guide for assessing equivalency:

  • The ability to thoughtfully interpret scripture and the theological tradition of one’s ministry context,
  • The capacity to understand and adapt one’s ministry to the cultural context,
  • A basic self-understanding of one’s ministerial identity and vocational calling,
  • A readiness to engage in ongoing personal and spiritual formation for one’s ministry,
  • An accredited master’s degree (or its educational equivalent) in an area related to one’s ministry setting or vocational calling, and
  • Significant ministerial experience that enables the applicant to engage as a ministry peer with other students in this advanced professional doctorate.

Upon submission of official transcripts from all prior graduate work, the DMin program director or associate director will assess the correspondence between the applicant's educational portfolio and the MDiv standard and make a recommendation to the DMin Committee concerning the applicant's equivalency status. Applicants needing extra graduate-level coursework to attain equivalency status may be admitted to the program with the stipulation that the appropriate 'leveling' coursework be completed to graduate.

Note:

  • Applicants not holding the MDiv and requiring 18 hours of MDiv equivalent leveling work or less may be admitted into the program.
  •  Applicants with greater than 18 hours of MDiv equivalent leveling work will not be permitted to enter the DMin program until the remaining amount of required leveling work has been reduced to 18 semester hours of MDiv equivalent leveling work or less.
  • Students may complete the 'leveling' work at Portland Seminary or any other ATS accredited institution. Course grade points must average a minimum of 3.0.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit from another doctoral program may be allowed up to a maximum or 19 semester hours. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution.

Residence Requirements

All work leading to the DMin must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires the approval of the DMin Director. Program extension requests must be received prior to the conclusion of the sixth year. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the degree.

Because of the cohort model used for this DMin program, students must maintain full attendance throughout each module experience. However, a student in good standing who must interrupt his or her studies for compelling reasons may petition the DMin Director for a leave of absence of not more than one year. Students who discontinue enrollment without an official leave of absence will be withdrawn and required to apply for readmission.

Course Requirements

The Doctor of Ministry program requires three years and the completion of 38 semester hours of coursework as a minimum for graduation. A maximum of 16 semester hours of coursework may be completed during one calendar year unless a student takes an approved leave of absence or works out an alternative plan with the DMin Director. The project portfolio is completed in the third year. Of the total hours required for the degree, 16 hours are in prescribed Lead Mentor 'taught' courses and 22 hours in the project portfolio research sequence. The program also requires participation in four ‘retreat’ face-to-face intensives.

Doctoral Project

The Portland Seminary Doctor of Ministry program requires students to develop a project portfolio documenting their 3-year research journey, culminating in the production of a doctoral project and project launch plan. The goal is to make a contribution to their ministry context, gain expertise around their research topic, and learn a research and design process that they can utilize repeatedly after graduation. 

The three-year research sequence uses a process of collaborative design for ministry and nonprofit contexts. Students begin the process by identifying a need/problem/opportunity (NPO) in their ministry context. A project faculty member guides their research in three phases: discover (year one); design (year two), and deliver (year three).

In the ‘discover’ and ‘design’ phases, students collaborate with stakeholders from their context to better understand their NPO, generate design solutions, and prototype the concepts in order to arrive at the most viable option for addressing it. This option becomes the doctoral project, which they then flesh out in year three ‘deliver’ phase, complete with a detailed launch plan. After submitting the completed project portfolio, the examination committee makes a final assessment. If passed, students complete the remaining steps for archiving and conduct a presentation of their project prior to graduation.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate with the Doctor of Ministry degree, students must: 

  • Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 38 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. 
  • Achieve no grade lower than a B- in all ‘taught’ courses. If a grade of a C+ or lower is received in a designated course, two options are available: 1) retake the course, 2) with department approval, correct deficiencies for an updated grade. 
  • Achieve no grade lower than a Pass in all project portfolio research and design sequence courses. If a grade of a No Pass is received in a designated course, that course must be retaken or the grade must be improved as outlined by the course instructor's approval and direction. 
  • Fully participate in all intensives. 
  • Complete and pass the project portfolio 
  • Oral presentation of the project 
  • Be recommended by the seminary faculty for graduation from George Fox University.

Curriculum Plan

Complete the following:
"Maturity is the willingness to take responsibility for one’s own emotional being and destiny.” - Edwin Friedman. Leadership and Formation begin in the authentic critical evaluation of one’s inner world as it is reflected in one’s daily life practices and passions. This module will provide opportunities for personal assessment and a re-alignment of one’s life rhythms with the development of a Rule of Life in community. The learning community will explore the content and skills needed for experienced Christian leaders to personally and relationally thrive throughout a lifetime. Additional course fee may be required.
“Spirituality is not primarily about values and ethics, not about exhortations to do right or live well. The spiritual traditions are primarily about reality...an effort to penetrate the illusions of the external world and to name its underlying truth.” - Parker J. Palmer. Leadership and Formation require an engagement with the historical and biblical footprints of spiritual leaders and texts. This module will expose the learning community to relevant biblical and historical texts on leadership and spiritual formation in order to expand imagination and critical thinking about the nature and expression of leadership and formation. Each person will explore the writings and life of a spiritual leader of a faith movement and a renowned Christian mystic, saint, or justice leader. Additional course fee may apply for face to face component.
“I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.” Rosa Parks. Leadership and Formation are fundamentally geared towards resilient and systemic change in tune with the kingdom purposes of God. This module will engage the learning community with current research on the physical, relational, cultural, and spiritual complexities of transformation processes. Each person will create a contextualized model for transformation which solves a specific need for change in a community system.
“So every day I was surrounded by the beautiful crying forth of the ideas of God” - Mary Oliver. Leadership and Formation flourish in the soil of creativity, culture, and engagement with the world. This module will explore the impact of art, culture, social media, and the environment on healthy leadership and authentic formation. The learning community will actively experience the formational value of differing cultures, artistic expressions, and engagement with justice concerns. Each person will develop a creative or active skill which requires involvement with a different culture or engagement with the environment and justice concerns. Additional course fee may apply for face to face component.
Complete the following:
This course orients students to Collaborative Design for Ministry and Nonprofit Contexts and introduces research and design tools and library resources. Students identify and articulate their NPO and explore its contours by drafting a discovery plan, organizing and conducting a discovery workshop and follow up interviews with stakeholders, begin compiling a working bibliography, and synthesize their semester discoveries in the first milestone assignment. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
This course serves as the primary opportunity for students to acquire, read, examine, analyze, and synthesize professional and academic literature relevant to their Project Need / Problem / Opportunity (NPO) topic. Students produce a milestone exploration essay that examines the NPO’s history and context, the biblical and theological foundations, and identifies key voices. This academic paper is a mapping exercise that helps students understand the full landscape of the topic, and learn as much as possible about the layers of history beneath. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
In this course, students engage select stakeholders from their context in a design workshop and follow up interviews. Students assess the real needs of those impacted by the NPO by identifying three promising design concepts for addressing the NPO. This includes proposing prototypes, benchmarks for evaluating success, and identifying knowledge gaps that require additional research. Students generate a milestone report on their findings and meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
In this course, students explore their design concepts that address the NPO identified in the previous course through a series of project prototypes. They also produce an academic essay to address remaining gaps in their knowledge. Based on what they discover, students identify one concept as their Most Viable Prototype (MVP) to pursue for their Doctoral Project. Students generate a milestone report outlining their findings. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
In this course, students articulate the scope, parameters, development plan, and benchmarks for evaluating success of their Doctoral Project. They develop their project and gather early feedback from stakeholders to ensure they are on target. At the end of the semester, they produce a progress report. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass/No Pass.
A final course in which students complete their Doctoral Project in accordance with the scope agreed upon with their Project Faculty, and develop a post-graduation launch plan. Students will compile in a Project Portfolio their Doctoral Project and Project Launch Plan together with a formal introduction, previous milestones as appendices, and bibliography. They submit the Project Portfolio for examination by the Evaluation Committee. Once approved, students make final corrections and archive the Project Portfolio in the University Digital Commons. They conclude their journey with a Project Presentation. Students meet with their Project Faculty and Peer Group monthly. Pass / No Pass.

To maintain enrollment until the Doctoral Project is complete. Pass/No Pass.

‡Students must maintain continuous enrollment in the project continuation until completion. DMIN 955 is required for students who do not finish their project and its assessment within the minimum of 8 hours. DMIN 955 is repeatable each fall and spring until the project is finished.