General Description and Program Objective
AEU’s D.Min. is designed to equip ordained pastors and missionaries with a dynamic and effective pastoral/missional leadership in the contemporary postmodern world. To that end, this program provides the students with concrete ministerial knowledge and skills necessary for their ecclesial and missional ministry to flourish in the evolving cultural contexts of the contemporary world. The curriculum fosters orthopraxy in ever-newly evolving pastoral and missional settings while being deeply rooted in the evangelical tradition faithful to the Gospel of Christ. To accomplish this goal, students can choose between the several concentrations (40 units): for example, Missional Church Leadership, Ministry and Counseling, Mentoring and Coaching, and so forth.
In the semester before each residency, students will be assigned preparatory readings by the faculty. They are to devote one day per week in preparation for the upcoming residency. The required pre-residency readings are to be roughly 2,400-2,500 pages for a four-unit course. The reading provides the theoretical basis for the analysis of practical situations in ministry.
Courses with 5-Day Class Sessions (4 times)In each year, students are to take two courses that have 5-day long class sessions. They may take the class sessions in-residence or online. Students who take the course online may join the sessions live (if possible), or watch them later. By taking these courses, students will acquire an extensive knowledge of the theological and biblical foundations of ecclesial ministry as well as the effective praxis of the Church’s missionary identity in pastoral and missional settings.
Zoom-conference Cohort Presentations (4 times)By completing the courses of each year, students are required to carry out a major post-course research paper. To that end, they participate in a 3-day long Zoom conference through which they help each other in honing their research topics for a research paper. Once the class is over, students must continue to hone their research interests based on what they learned from the class. In the Zoom conference, students present their provisional research topics so that they can concretize their research topics through peer reviews. Through this process, students must accomplish their post-course research paper (a minimum length of 5,000 words or 20 pages) to advance in the program.
Final Project / Thesis (1 time)A final project constitutes the culmination of their previous learning throughout the residencies. Students must demonstrate competencies to engage in ministry as scholar-practitioners. In addition to a primary reader, students will be assigned a second reader. These two faculty members form a project committee and guide their students in completing their D.Min. final projects. Each student must successfully present the completed final project to his/her mentors.
Ministry and Counseling
Mentoring and Coaching
1. A completed and signed application form.
2. Three recommendation letters: two from academic mentors, one from a pastoral mentor.
3. An essay (personal and ministry background with vision statement).
4. An undergraduate transcript and a copy of the diploma which indicates your degree and a M.Div. transcript and a copy of the diploma which indicates your degree.
5. An overall GPA of 2.5 in graduate study. (Provisional admission status can be granted to an applicant whose GPA is 2.5). A student with a GPA below 2.5 may petition for conditional acceptance.
6. A non-refundable application fee.
| Year | Semester | Format of Course | Course Number / # of Units | Course Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year One | Before 1st Semester | At home, online. | DMGM 701 (Online) / 2 units [Common course] | Introduction to Online Learning and a Research Writing Project (I) Must be completed before taking DMGM 702. |
| 1st Semester | 5-Day Class Session | DMGM 702 / 4 units [Common Course] | Missional Context Analysis (I) | |
| At home, & via Zoom | DMGM 703 / 4 units [Common Course] | Peer-Reviewed Cohort Presentations and Project, Session #1 (I) | ||
| 2nd Semester | 5-Day Class Session | DMGM 704 / 4 units | Missional Church and Practice in Postmodern Era (I) | |
| At home, & via Zoom | DMGM 705 / 4 units | Peer-Reviewed Cohort Presentations and Project, Session #2 (I) | ||
| Year Two | 3rd Semester | 5-Day Class Session | DMGM 706 / 4 units | Missional Culture Making (D) |
| At home, & via Zoom | DMGM 707 / 4 units | Peer-Reviewed Cohort Presentations and Project, Session #3 (D) | ||
| 4th Semester | 5-Day Class Session | DMGM 708 / 4 units [Common Course] | Missional Leadership Change (D) | |
| At home, & via Zoom | DMGM 709 / 4 units [Common Course] | Peer-Reviewed Cohort Presentations and Project, Session #4 (D) | ||
| Year Three | 5th & 6th Semester | At home, + Presentation to Mentors | DMGM 710 / 6 units | The Proposal and Completion of the Final D.Min. Project (M) |
• [Common Course] means all D.Min. students take these courses. • After each cohort presentation meeting, students are required to submit their lecture notes, two book reviews, and a research paper. • I = Introduced, D = Developed and Practiced with Feedback, M = Mastery at the level appropriate for Graduation.
2) Track II: Ministry and Counseling (40 Units)This track equips students with in-depth academic knowledge as well as a broad array of practical skills in Christian Counseling. To that end, the curriculum is designed to help the students address various problems that face families and individuals in today’s complicated contexts. By taking the courses provided, students are expected to have the competencies to provide their congregation with effective counseling that is biblically-grounded and missionally-oriented.
Ministry and Counseling Sequence of Courses:| Year | Semester | Format of Course | Course Number / # of Units | Course Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year One | Before 1st Semester | At home, online. | DMGM 701 (Online) / 2 units [Common course] | Introduction to Online Learning and a Research Writing Project (I) Must be completed before taking DMGM 702. |
| 1st Semester | 5-Day Class Session | DMGM 702 / 4 units [Common Course] | Missional Context Analysis (I) | |
| At home, & via Zoom | DMGM 703 / 4 units [Common Course] | Peer-Reviewed Cohort Presentations and Project, Session #1 (I) | ||
| 2nd Semester | 5-Day Class Session | DMGM 704 / 4 units | Missional Church and Practice in Postmodern Era (I) | |
| At home, & via Zoom | DMGM 705 / 4 units | Peer-Reviewed Cohort Presentations and Project, Session #2 (I) | ||
| Year Two | 3rd Semester | 5-Day Class Session | DMGM 706 / 4 units | Missional Culture Making (D) |
| At home, & via Zoom | DMGM 707 / 4 units | Peer-Reviewed Cohort Presentations and Project, Session #3 (D) | ||
| 4th Semester | 5-Day Class Session | DMGM 708 / 4 units [Common Course] | Missional Leadership Change (D) | |
| At home, & via Zoom | DMGM 709 / 4 units [Common Course] | Peer-Reviewed Cohort Presentations and Project, Session #4 (D) | ||
| Year Three | 5th & 6th Semester | At home, + Presentation to Mentors | DMGM 710 / 6 units | The Proposal and Completion of the Final D.Min. Project (M) |
• [Common Course] means all D.Min. students take these courses. • After each cohort presentation meeting, students are required to submit their lecture notes, two book reviews, and a research paper. • I = Introduced, D = Developed and Practiced with Feedback, M = Mastery at the level appropriate for Graduation.