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Filling the Ministry Gaps


In a previous blog, I shared the February 2023 report from the Association of Theological Schools that discovered for the first time in its history that the Master of Arts degree enrollment of 27,790 students exceeded the Master of Divinity enrollment of 27,634 students.   

 

Another part of that report indicated that the number of students enrolled in Doctor of Ministry programs continued to increase.  The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a two-to-three-year program that builds on a previous theological degree, usually the Master of Divinity, and requires that the student have some level of professional experience before admission.  Although there are biblical and theological components, these degrees emphasize professional development and practical application.

 

Seminaries that offer the DMin provide students the opportunity to concentrate on a particular area based on their needs and interests.  Perhaps one of the reasons that this enrolment has grown is that ministers are addressing the “I did not learn that in seminary” concern.

 

Another ATS survey from 2017, identified competencies that ministers recognized would be helpful in their work, many of which were not addressed in seminary.  These were broken down into areas of ministry—congregation, healthcare, faith-related, and community service—but here are the top ten combined results:

 

  1. Preaching
  2. Administration
  3. Pastoral Care and Counseling
  4. Theology
  5. Active Listening
  6. Spiritual Disciplines
  7. Leadership
  8. Bible
  9. Education and Teaching
  10. Finance

 

Recognizing these perceived needs, seminaries are offering DMin degrees in preaching, pastoral care, innovative leadership, spiritual formation, and many other options.  Generally, the students not only develop their skills in these areas but can apply them in their present ministry setting.

 

Another benefit of these programs is that they give participants the chance to step back from their ministry settings, “climb up on the balcony” to observe what’s going on, and receive feedback and encouragement from other ministers.

 

The growth of enrollment in these programs testifies to the commitment of ministers to both lifelong learning and professional development.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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