Annual Report 2022

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at CTS has long been an important part of its degree programs, offering advanced education to pastors and ministry leaders beyond the Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree. The DMin has taken different forms and emphases over the years, evolving to meet the demands of ministry in new contexts, and CTS is excited to announce some recent changes to the program.

The DMin degree program at CTS is an advanced course of study that provides leaders with an opportunity to integrate their experience in ministry with advanced academic study. The program is designed to cultivate the development of new skills for more effective ministry.

Consistent with the long-standing educational mission of CTS, the program is now, formally, the Doctor of Ministry in Church and Community Leadership. The structure of the program remains similar, but it now includes some new and refigured elements.

The degree now requires thirty-three (33) credit hours of coursework, fifteen (15) of which are to be earned in cohort-based seminars and eighteen (18) in elective courses, individual guided research, spiritual direction, or other approved learning opportunities. Along with coursework, the program requires students to complete a Project in Ministry based on substantial qualitative research and a dissertation.

Since many of its students are working in ministry or other forms of leadership, the DMin program is designed to be flexible. For this, DMin specific courses are conveniently offered in hybrid format or in week-long in-person intensives on campus.

The total cost of tuition for the DMin degree program at CTS is $13,000, making it one of the most affordable programs among ATS-accredited schools. This helps to ensure that the DMin program includes pastors and leaders from a diversity of denominations, traditions, and backgrounds, which strengthens and enhances the experiences of its student cohorts. In line with CTS’s historic affiliations, applicants from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ denominations, who are eligible for a 50% tuition discount.

The DMin program at CTS is a vital part of the seminary’s academic life and its training of church and community leaders. Due to its institutional support, faculty commitment, and strong leadership, the DMin boasts an almost 85% graduation rate, which is substantially higher than the average among ATS-accredited programs. “The revised DMin degree program is consistent with the recently completed strategic plan at CTS,” says Dr. Scott Seay, the director of the DMin program. “The seminary ‘serves the world by serving the church,’ and that includes supporting leaders in ministry to become even more effective at what they have been called by God to do.”

Learn more about the DMin program here.