Location
Curriculum
32 credit hours
Program Length
as few as 32 months
Accreditation
Regionally Accredited by SACSCOC
Professional Ministry Leaders — Earn Your Doctor of Ministry (DMin) in Under 3 Years!
CIU’s Columbia Bible Seminary Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree will provide you with the skills you need to grow as a professional ministry leader, and you can complete it in under 3 years. In this program you will have the opportunity to reflect on your practice of leadership by examining ministry leadership from diverse strategic perspectives. Designed to accommodate ministry practitioners from a variety of ministry contexts, you will find yourself challenged to mature spiritually, strengthen your personal and professional ethic and develop a biblical approach to your own practice of leadership.
Upon completion of the Doctor of Ministry degree, you will have demonstrated an ability to:
- Formulate a plan for continuing personal spiritual growth in leadership
- Develop a personal and professional ethic for leadership in ministry
- Implement an approach to leadership that embraces multicultural and global perspectives
- Assess the effectiveness of leadership practice using a case study research method.
Why Choose Columbia International University
CIU’s Doctor of Ministry is designed to allow you to focus on research and writing from the beginning of your studies, allowing you to finish the program more quickly.
Other advantages of CIU’s program include:
- Non-residential modality that allows you to pursue your degree without relocating or traveling.
- Experienced faculty mentors who will provide individualized guidance in areas of their expertise.
- Accordance Bible software offered at no additional cost while attending CIU.
- Accredited regionally by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and accredited nationally by the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) and the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
- Degree can be reasonably completed in under three years.
Overall Benefits of the Degree
CIU’s Doctor of Ministry degree allows you to deepen your knowledge and understanding of leadership and ministry practices. This advanced level of education equips you with the necessary skills and expertise to effectively serve your congregation or organization. The Doctor of Ministry degree provides you with opportunities for personal and professional growth. It allows you to engage in research and scholarly work, which can enhance your critical thinking, problem-solving and leadership abilities. This can lead to increased job satisfaction and career advancement within the field of ministry. Additionally, a Doctor of Ministry degree can open doors to new ministry opportunities. It can provide you with the credentials and credibility needed to pursue positions such as senior pastor, denominational leader or seminary professor. It can also enhance your ability to contribute to the academic community through publishing research and teaching.
Furthermore, pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree allows you to network and collaborate with other ministry professionals. This can lead to valuable connections and partnerships that can enhance your ministry effectiveness and provide ongoing support and encouragement.
Featured Faculty
What Will I Study?
- MIN 9440 Profile of the Godly Leader
This course seeks to help you recover the personal spiritual element of leadership. Rather than studying the best practices and methods of exercising leadership, you will focus on the character, attitudes, and motives that set apart the kind of leader Scripture commends. You will construct a profile of the servant-leader, especially the leaders internal qualities, that you can apply to effective ministry in advancing Gods kingdom. (4)
4.00 credit hours
- MIN 9441 Transforming Leadership
This course will introduce you to various approaches to effective leadership within the context of organizational chaos and complexity. You will study effective leaders who know how to influence, catalyze, and support positive changes in structure, organizational culture, and people. You will understand that organizational change efforts are the lifeblood of leadership. You will be able to consult, advise, and engage leaders throughout any organization using principles of personal and professional ethics.
4.00 credit hours
- MIN 9442 Multicultural Leadership with Global Focus
This course will help you deepen your effectiveness for leading others in diverse ethnic and global ministry settings. You will lay a biblical-theological foundation for leadership that fosters ethnic and cultural integration, learn how to form multiethnic/multicultural ministry teams, and learn how to build communities that celebrate multicultural ministry. In the final project, you will reflect on how to apply principles you have learned in your current ministry context. (4) Prerequisite: MIN 9441
4.00 credit hours
- MIN 9901 Literature Review
In order to become familiar with the research of others that is related to your topic, you will engage in an in-depth literature review and will synthesize your understanding of the state of the research. You will create an annotated bibliography of at least 40 titles and will articulate your analysis of what others have written on your topic. The end product will be a 6,000-7,000-word paper that summarizes your literature review and functions as the first chapter of your capstone project.
4.00 credit hours
- MIN 9902 Research Foundations
In this course, you will take your first step along the path to your capstone project. You will learn how to define your research topic, state the rationale and significance of that topic, identify empirical unknowns, formulate research questions, and align your anticipated focus of study with a case study approach to research. The end product will be a 3,500 word paper that summarizes each of these areas and functions as the second chapter of your capstone project.
4.00 credit hours
- MIN 9903 Conducting a Case Study
A case study is a careful examination of an organization or program that is designed to identify characteristics specific to that entity. You will learn how to identify an appropriate number of institutions or programs to study, examine pertinent documents, and conduct surveys and interviews. You will design a plan for conducting a case study and will implement that plan. The end product will be a 6,000-7,000-word paper that describes your case study plan and process and functions as the third chapter of your capstone project. (4) Prerequisite: MIN 9902
4.00 credit hours
- MIN 9904 Analyzing the Data
Having conducted your case study research, you will analyze, organize, and summarize the data you have collected. You will use your research questions as the framework to organize a complete presentation and discussion your findings. The end product will be a 6,000-7,000-word paper that captures the results of your analysis and functions as the fourth chapter of your capstone project. (4) Prerequisite: MIN 9903
4.00 credit hours
- MIN 9905 Capstone Project
Upon successful completion of the four prescribed research courses, you will re-state your research problem, summarize your findings, explain the significance of those findings, and suggest further research that others might pursue in a 3,500-word paper. You will then submit the final draft of a written project of approximately 25,000 words (at least 100 pages) and defend it orally before a committee of three faculty readers. (4) Prerequisite: MIN 9904
4.00 credit hours
Admission Requirements
- Completed application
- Application Essay (800 words total, typed)
- Your conversion
- Your call to ministry or cross-cultural experience
- A summary of your ministry experience
- Your concept of your ministry
- Your reasons for desiring to enter the DMin program at CBS
- The anticipated impact of the program on your ministry
- A listing of your recent reading in theology/leadership/missions or ministry related areas
- A masters-level theological degree from an accredited institution (not limited to MDiv or equivalent) with a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0
- Official transcripts for highest earned graduate degree and any additional graduate degree work
- One church leader reference
- 3 years of ministry experience
- Minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA
Accreditation and Accolades
Career Path Opportunities
Graduates with a Doctor of Ministry degree can go on to become more effective in their ministries as:
- Leading pastors
- Chaplains
- Women’s ministry leaders
- Discipleship pastors
- Pastoral counselors
- Missionary care specialists
- Small group pastors
- Church education leaders
- Parachurch ministry leaders
Top FAQs
- Is the degree fully online?
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Yes, the program is fully online with no residential requirements.
- Is the program accredited?
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Yes. The Doctor of Ministry program is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and nationally by the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) and the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). We have top-of-the-line accreditation for this program.
- Are there concentrations?
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Currently the only concentration is leadership. The reason that we focus on leadership is because we would like for you to write about your area of interest from a leadership perspective. So, as you choose your topic, consider how leadership impacts the subject.
- Are the courses synchronous or asynchronous?
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Asynchronous. The synchronous elements are optional but highly recommended.
- What are the three content courses about?
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Profile of a Godly Leader — This course seeks to help you recover the personal spiritual element of leadership. Rather than studying the best practices and methods of exercising leadership, you will focus on the character, attitudes and motives that set apart the kind of leader Scripture commends. You will construct a profile of the servant-leader, especially the leader’s internal qualities, that you can apply to effective ministry in advancing Gods kingdom.
Transforming Leadership — This course will introduce you to various approaches to effective leadership within the context of organizational chaos and complexity. You will study effective leaders who know how to influence, catalyze and support positive changes in structure, organizational culture and people. You will understand that organizational change efforts are the lifeblood of leadership. You will be able to consult, advise and engage leaders throughout any organization using principles of personal and professional ethics.
Multicultural Leadership with Global Focus — This course will help you deepen your effectiveness for leading others in diverse ethnic and global ministry settings. You will lay a biblical-theological foundation for leadership that fosters ethnic and cultural integration, learn how to form multiethnic/multicultural ministry teams, and learn how to build communities that celebrate multicultural ministry. In the final project, you will reflect on how to apply principles you have learned in your current ministry context.
- Is this program cost competitive with other ATS accredited Doctor of Ministry programs?
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Yes, in fact we are the best priced for this degree. We regularly compare our prices to other institutions and we are one of the least expensive in this area.
- Is a Bible software package provided to students?
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Each student is provided with free Accordance Bible Software, which they keep upon graduation.
- Do I have to know biblical languages for this program?
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There is no language requirement for the Doctor of Ministry.
- Do I have to complete any research languages for this program?
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There are no research language requirements for the DMin program.
- How many pages are expected for the dissertation?
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The dissertation will be between 100–125 pages.
- Who will be my doctoral mentor?
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We will provide a DMin mentor for you. We will converse with you about potential mentors.