Doctor of Ministry Program The D.Min. degree offered by Talbot Theological Seminary and School of Theol ogy is the highest professional degree for ordained persons in the parish or related ministries. It is distinct from the Th.D. or Ph.D. in that its primary emphasis is on the practice of ministry rather than on re search and teaching. Purpose "The purpose of the professional doc torate is to equip one for a high level of excellence in the practice of ministry" (As sociation of Theological Schools, Standards for Accrediting, p. 23). Th is program builds on the basic theological degree, i.e., the M.Div., or its equivalent. and provides an opportunity for the person in ministry to strengthen abi lit ies and correct deficien cies. In order to accomplish these ends, the student will be expected to integrat e theological education in the context of ministry by demonstrating high levels of competence in one of two available fields of concentration; Church leadership or marriage and family ministries. Admission Requirements Admission to the Doctor of Ministry program will be granted on a very selective and individual basis with the fol lowing basic requirements applying to all applications: I. An M.Div. degree or its equivalent from an approved seminary with a grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). 2. Applicants must have a working knowl edge of the original languages of Scrip ture, i.e., Hebrew and Greek. This may be attested by evidence of prior satis factory completion of courses in the languages or through examination. 3. Proficiency in at least one ministerial skill as verified by professional ministeri-
in the major field of concentration. Ordi narily, the minimum length will be I00 pages and the maximum length I 50 pages. However, the quality of the project will be considered of more importance than the length. The subject must be approved by the candidate's advisor. The dissertation action project must be submitted to the student's advisor accord ing to dates pre scribed by the Graduate Committee. The original and one copy of the dissertation, completed in prescribed seminary form, must be in the dean's office three months before graduation. A schedule of classes is available upon request. For more information, please contact: Dr. Jim Conway, Director of the D.Min. Program, Talbot Theological Semi nary and School of Theology, La Mi rada, California, 90639. Doctor of Ministry Courses Courses in this section are conducted at the postgraduate level, with enrol lment re stricted to those who have been granted admission to the D.Min. program at Talbot. MIN 80 I PASTOR'S SYMPOSIUM* An in-depth study of the varied tasks of the contemporary pastor, with particular consideration of his roles as expositor, discipler, evangelist, counselor and leader of worship. Pastors who have distinguished themselves as thoughtful practitioners of the art serve as resource leaders. MIN 803 PRE -MARITAL AND MARITAL COUNSELING+ A course designed to equip the pastor in the principles of pre-marital counseling. Emphasis given to the practical aspects of structuring and conducting a complete pre-marital preparation program within the local church. Specific techniques for marital counseling to be presented, dis cussed and demonstrated throughout the duration of this course. Prerequisite: train ing in the use of the Taylor-Johnson Tem perament Analysis. (Concurrent with this course training in the use of the Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis is offered at additional charge.)
al experience. A minimum of two years of full-time "in ministry" experience af ter the student has received the M.Div. degree or its equivalent is needed to demonstrate thi s proficiency. 4. Completion of such diagnostic and/or
by all Th.M. candidates. Information re gar·ding thesis form and submission deadlines is provided in the "Thesis In formation" section of the Talbot Stu dent Handbook. Two copies, the origi nal and one copy, are to be present ed to the library for binding. All theses, whether acceptable or not. become the property of the university. Student s are encouraged and trained to make pre sentations at the meetings of profes sional organizations and to publish their research in appropriate professional journals or as monographs. Permission to publi sh material submitted in a thesis to Talbot Theological Seminary and School of Theology should be request ed in writing from t he university the ological faculty. Onl y one year following the comple tion of course work is normally allowed for completion of a thesis. A student who has completed his course work must register as a thesis- non-resident student for every semester the thesis remains outstanding. A student may go beyond this one year period only by advance permission of the Graduate Committee. Such permission is usually granted only in extreme circumstances. Graduation Requirements Degrees are awarded to qual ified candi dates at the university's winter and spring commencement s. Students are required to be present for graduation unless advanced permission to graduate in absentia has been secured. To qualify for graduation, candidates must present acceptable theses, have satisfactorily passed their compre hensive examinations and have completed all requ ired course work with a minimum average of 3.0. No grade less than a B wil l be credited toward the Th.M. degree units. Candidates for the Th.M. degree should also manifest promise of usefulness in Christian ministry, exhibit exemplary and consistent Christian character and evi dence sound theological beliefs in accor dance with the university's doctrinal statement.
theological tests that the Graduate Committee determines necessary.
5. Written recommendations from the following: a clergy colleague, a denomi national official or other recognized Christian leader, a lay person in the congregation or agency or board served by the applicant and a former professor in the field of practical theology. 6. A personal statement of approximately IO typewritten pages (double-spaced) detailing ministerial experience, strengths and weaknesses, and the can didate's personal objectives for the Doctor of Ministry program. 7. A personal interview with the Graduate Committee may be required. Fulfill ment of the above basic requirements does not necessarily guarantee admis sion into the program because ind ivid ual cases and circumstances, such as available openings in the program, may dictate other factors to be considered. In general, a high standard of overall performance, especially in practice of mi nistry, will be the governing criterion. Graduation Requirements A Resident Study: Six courses of study (six units each) comprise the basic residency requirement. At least four of the courses must be taken in the field of con centration. Each course will require signifi cant preliminary reading in preparation and a follow-up project at the conclusion of the classroom experience. D.Min. course descriptions are listed below. A minimum grade of "B" must be maintained in each course acceptable toward comple tion of the program. B. A Dissertation Action Project: Action research , as distinguished from library re search, will be conducted by the cand idate
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