Leadership

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The application deadline for the cohort is October 31, 2023.

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 Mission  

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Prompted by the promise of Christ's soon return, the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at Andrews University is designed to develop spiritually mature and responsible professionals in ministry for worldwide church leadership. The DMin Leadership concentration prepares participants for excellence in ministries of the church and organizational leadership.

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 Concentration Goals 

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The competencies of the Leadership concentration include a knowledge base, an emphasis on being expressed in seven essentials, and doing expressed in skill training for administrative practices.

 

Knowing: the knowledge base has the following four components: 

1.  A current understanding of leadership theory

2.  A faithful theology of leadership

3.  Systems thinking and organizational culture

4.  Human development theory

 

Doing: Participants in the leadership concentration also enhance administrative skills and demonstrate competency in areas fitting their context selected from the fifteen administrative practices listed below:

1. Fostering participation

2. Facilitating effective planning

3. Emphasizing quality

4. Managing resources responsibly

5. Communicating effectively

6. Building effective teams

7. Affirming others

8. Managing change well

9. Managing conflict effectively

10. Evaluating

11. Confronting

12. Following through

13. Making meetings matter

14. Mentoring others

15. Coaching

 

Being: In the process of the leadership concentration, participants will experience development in all of the following seven leadership essentials:

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1. A God-given passion-stirring shared vision

2. Faith-based hope

3. Solid integrity

4. Courage to challenge the status quo

5. Unswerving commitment to empowering people

6. Abundance mentality

7. Appreciation of diversity

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 Learning Modalities 

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The following six learning modalities will be included in the concentration's pedagogy:

1. A professional portfolio: including a ministry development plan, journaling, and relevant learning artifacts.

2. Learning groups/mentoring: including collective assignments, consultations, and accountability

3. Classroom consultation: including networking, didactic and experiential learning with top educators and experts in the field of leadership

4. Research: including perusal of the current literature, assigned readings, and case studies

5. Praxis: including implementation of leadership interventions in the context of ministry

6. Project: including theological reflection, field research, and intervention involving a specific challenge in their ministering context

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 The Cohort Experience 

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The program is delivered in the cohort model, wherein participants proceed through the sequence of courses together. Study and learning are year-round, with pre-intensive, during-intensive, and post-intensive activities and experiences. Pre-intensive assignment preparation can begin as early as six months prior to an intensive. There are four annual teaching sessions presented by ministry leadership professionals. During the program, you will participate in regional workgroups, follow a ministry development plan, read and reflect on the best literature in your concentration area, and develop and evaluate a professional project within the context of your own congregational or other leadership responsibilities.

Cohorts are identified by the year in which they formed. For example, if you are a member of a cohort that formed in 2024, during the five-six years you expect to be in the program, the title of your group will be "the 2024 Leadership Cohort." NOTE: the curriculum starting with the 2024 cohort will be somewhat revised from what is shown here.

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 Module Descriptions 

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PATH747 - Christian Leadership

Credits: 4

This module investigates principles, challenges, and practices of Christian leadership, emphasizing the issues that make leadership in the context of the church, education, and non-profit service organizations unique. Participants examine leadership theory and literature, consider a theology of leadership, and build the foundation for leadership development in the context of professional ministry.

 

PATH712 - Transformational Leadership​​

Credits: 4​

Personal and theological reflection will be integrated with principles for leading change. Systems thinking, transformation of organizational culture and human-development theory are also investigated.

 

GSEM790 - DMin Professional Dissertation Seminar

Credits: 2

Participants receive assistance in forming their DMin project proposal, and orientation to issues in the successful completion of the project.  Areas of focus include a literature review, theological reflection, critical thinking, experiential learning, reflective observation, research design and techniques, reading and evaluating research, academic writing, development of an effective work plan for completion of the project, and other project-related topics.

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GSEM706 - Spiritual and Theological Foundations for Ministry

Credits: 4

This module looks at theological and spiritual foundations as a basis for engagement in ministry. Ministry is based on being as well as doing. This module builds the spiritual and theological foundation from which the practice of mission and ministry grows and seeks to lead the participant into a self-reflection and examination of life and belief. 

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PATH760 - Advanced Leadership Competencies

Credits: 4

Participants continue personal and theological reflection with the integration of leadership principles. Systems thinking, organizational culture, human development theory, and ecclesiology are investigated in the context of the church and leadership. The module also pursues further development and application of essential leadership practices. A practical focus on administrative skills is initiated.

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GSEM 793 – DMin Research Methods Seminar

Credits: 2

Forming the action plan for successfully implementing and evaluating the DMin professional dissertation. Areas of focus include action research, research design and methods, descriptive statistics, methods of evaluating the project, IRB approval, and other project-related topics. 

  

CHMN780 - Leading and Managing the Church Organization

Credits: 5

Local churches and denominational organizations present challenges in leadership, management, and administration.  This module combines previous requirements of the Doctor of Ministry leadership concentration and an informed foundation of biblical leadership to help participants excel in skills like strategic planning, managing change, team building, resource management, communication, mentoring, and coaching.

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GSEM796 - DMin Professional Dissertation/Portfolio

Credits: 7

The DMin professional dissertation/portfolio integrates theological reflection, scholarly research, and practical ministry. The professional dissertation/portfolio contributes to the enhancement of ministry and to the growth and development of the ministry professional. Students taking the Chaplaincy ACPE Certified Educator option must successfully complete the competency-based professional portfolio according to the guidelines outlined in the ACPE Certification Manual. 

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 Contact the Coordinator 

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Dr. Skip Bell serves as coordinator for the Leadership concentration, 2016 cohort. He can be reached at sjbell@andrews.edu.

 

Starting with the 2024 cohort, Drs. John Grys and David Penno are the coordinators. They can be reached at jgrys@andrews.edu and penno@andrews.edu.

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 Schedule 

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Travel and lodging information is provided in the links under the "Intensive Location" column. 
Cohorts are identified by the year in which they formed. Cohort participants will take these courses and modules: 

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