Joint Doctor of Ministry
in Congregational Development
Offered through Seabury and CDSP
"As mainline churches and emerging faith communities put new demands on us, we must build leaders with unique skills."
Seabury and CDSP are pleased to introduce a program with offerings for all students of faith, both those seeking a Doctor of Ministry degree and those interested in continuing education.
The Joint Doctor of Ministry in Congregation Development prepares leaders for vital, dynamic and diverse communities of faith. By combining the strengths of Seabury-Western and Church Divinity School of the Pacific, students can take advantage of an unparalleled opportunity to learn, stretch, challenge themselves and others, and emerge at the end of three years solidly prepared to succeed in every aspect of their ministry.
Three Years, Two Campuses, One Program
In each of the three years of the program, students spend time on both campuses. They join members of their Core Group in one-week intensives for required courses. They gather on the Seabury campus in Evanston in June and at CDSP in January. For the balance of the year, students become an online community taking electives and working with their Core Group while supervised by faculty. Additionally, students may take electives in the week prior to or following their on-campus intensives.
Required Courses Include:
Basic Congregational Development and LeadershipOrganizations and Systems
Community Organizing
Non-Profit Management
Research, Writing & Methods
Thesis Proposal Workshop
Non-profit management courses are provided by Northwestern University’s School for Continuing Studies.
Electives that Match Each Students Needs
Each student takes two electives such as:
Missional Liturgy and Leadership
Emergent Church Liturgy and Leadership
Skills Development Depending on the Student’s Interest and Context
Academic Subjects Shaped by the Student’s Interests and Context
Strength in Small Numbers
One of the advantages of the Joint DMin is its small Core Group structure. As students enter the program, they join a Core Group of between 10 and 20 others. This cohesive group comes together in person twice a year at the on-campus intensives, and throughout the years of study they offer each other constant support, encouragement and community. They work together on case studies. They offer advice and perspective as members tackle the day-to-day challenges in congregational life. They both learn from and teach each other. And with the constant supervision of Seabury and CDSP faculty, they grow into well rounded, highly skilled leaders.
Also for Non-Degree Students
The Joint DMin program has offerings for all students of faith. Those who want to pursue advanced study, but don't want or need a degree, may receive a diploma (all course work but no thesis) or a certificate (four required courses and congregational study). Others may take the courses for Continuing Education Units or simply for their own enrichment.
Talk to a DMin Alum
If you'd like to talk with someone who has completed the DMin program, all you have to do is ask. Contact Registrar Peggy Pearson at 847.328.9300 x 44 or email peggy.pearson@seabury.edu, and we"ll put you in touch with a graduate who can share his or her experience as well as answer your questions.
How to Apply to the Joint DMin Program
Download a Joint DMin in Congregational Development Application
Download Reference Requests.
DMin Courses, June 2009 – May 2010
June 2009
Congregational Development
June 15-19, 2009 at Seabury
Required for entering DMin students
Faculty: Ellen K. Wondra, Anne Reed & others
Limit: 25
Leadership in Multicultural Communities
June 8-12, 2009 at Seabury
Required for continuing DMin students. Entering students may take this course as an elective.
Faculty: Eric Law
Limit: 25
Leadership Skills for Community Organizing
June 15-19, 2009
Required for continuing DMin students.
Instructor is a member of the national staff of the Industrial Areas Foundation Limit: 15
Missional Liturgy
June 22-24, 2009
Required for continuing DMin students. Entering students may take this course as an elective.
Faculty: Ruth Meyers, Derek Harbin
Limit: 25
September 2009
Implications of the Great Emergence for Congregations
Sept. 21-25, 2009
This course may be taken as a DMin elective
Faculty: Phyllis Tickle, others
January 2010
Congregational Systems
January 11 – 17, 2010 at CDSP
This course is required for first year DMin students
Faculty: Sue Singer
DMin Research Writing Methods
January 11 – 17, 2010 at CDSP
This course is required for first year DMin students
Faculty: S. Singer
Economics, Sustainability, and Christian Life
January 25-29, 2010 at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary
This course may be taken as DMin elective
Faculty: Ellen K. Wondra and others
Doctor of Ministry in Preaching
Growth in preaching involves curiosity, openness to the Holy Spirit, synthesis of imagination and reason, and power and authority to proclaim the Word of God. The ACTS Doctor of Ministry in Preaching Program is designed to honor these dynamics and to help you become the preacher God is calling you to be in the context of your ministry.
Through this program you will improve your understanding of and skills in preaching, discover your own pulpit hermeneutic, claim and nurture your preaching voice and reconsider preaching within a variety of contexts, mentored by preachers and master teachers of international reputation.
The D.Min. in Preaching is an ecumenical program of six seminaries in the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS): Chicago Theological Seminary, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, McCormick Theological Seminary, Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, North Park Theological Seminary, and Seabury-Western.
The program involves a three-week residency each summer for three years and independent parish projects conducted after each residency. The culminating project is a thesis of publishable quality. During each residency students will take a required core course and an elective course relevant to the student's learning goals, as well as participate in a colloquy. The colloquy serves to develop learning goals, determine electives, design the parish course and thesis, and examine students' preaching.
Between September and March, after the first two residencies, students design and conduct the Preaching Ministry Project. In this independent project, designed in collaboration with an advisor and a group from the congregation, students explore an assumption or idea about preaching through a rotation of four videotaped sermons, which are evaluated by advisors, faculty, and parishioners. After the third residency, students research and conduct a final extended project and write a thesis. The thesis takes the form of a publishable article.
Courses are taught by faculty from the ACTS schools and renowned teachers and preachers from across the country.
Each residency also includes the presence of a nationally known keynote speaker. Particular strengths of the program are the inter-seminary, interdisciplinary faculty; peer interaction during residency; and faculty/student collaboration between residencies.
For more information, visit the ACTS D.Min. in Preaching website or contact Marcy Miller at the Program Office: 773-947-6270; Address: 5460 S. University Ave., Chicago, IL 60615.
