ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Doctor of Christian Education in Family Discipleship Ministry
D.C.E. credential
Discover ways to share faith with children and make prayer, Scripture, and Christian care part of everyday family life.
Doctor of Christian Education in Family Discipleship Ministry: Your Grant Price
Applications are free. Eligible applicants receive their admission and Grant decision before any one-time program fee is requested.
Published tuition
$24,900.00
$649.00 Registry & Assessment Fee
$149
Doctoral Degree
2026 Life in Christ Grant is active
Ministry Experience, Evaluated Against Academic Standards.
Documented prior learning may be considered when it aligns with program outcomes; every credit decision follows academic review.
Program Overview
About this program
Doctoral study in Family Discipleship Ministry is for those directing children's ministry and writing curriculum. Children are members of the congregation now, not trainees for later, and the evidence says what happens at home outweighs anything the programme does. This ICAS-accredited Kingdom of Life University program covers teaching children honestly, development, equipping parents, including children with additional needs, and safeguarding as a working culture rather than a filed document.
Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
Recognition of demonstrated learning in theology and ministry
Experienced ministry practitioners demonstrate competencies developed through years of service, theological study, and continuing learning. The assessment connects that learning with the published outcomes of the Doctor of Christian Education in Family Discipleship Ministry through biblical understanding, theological reflection, research, and ministry judgment.
70
Audited questions in this pathway bank
30
Questions drawn for each sitting
60 minutes
Time available for the knowledge component
24 hours
Interval before reassessment
Theological knowledge and degree outcomes
- Published bank title
- Family Discipleship Ministry - Doctoral Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Doctor of Christian Education (D.C.E.) in Family Discipleship Ministry
- Question construction
- 14 pathway subject-bank sources contribute 5 questions each, producing the complete 70-question bank.
How completion is reported
- The knowledge component contributes 40% and assessed ministry experience contributes 60% to one weighted result.
- The reported result is no lower than 80%, matching the 80% degree pass mark.
- Reassessment draws a fresh question set and is included in program access, with no additional fee or limit on sittings.
- The integrated assessment covers the published degree plan; separate course assessments, a capstone paper, and a dissertation defense are not required.
Program Objectives
What you will achieve
Integrate advanced theological inquiry and ministry judgment in service to the church and its mission
Articulate a theology of childhood that shapes practice rather than decorating it
Teach children the Bible honestly and at an appropriate developmental level
Make safeguarding a working culture rather than a filed policy
Equip parents as primary disciplers rather than as programme customers
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize doctoral-level theological evidence, research judgment, and ministry wisdom for faithful leadership
Design a children's teaching programme matched to developmental stages
Write and implement a safeguarding policy including recruitment and reporting
Build a parent-equipping strategy alongside the children's programme
Adapt a session to include a child with additional needs
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Children's ministry director
Family ministry pastor
Christian education leader
Curriculum writer
Major Subject Areas
The fourteen subjects you study, and the ones the ministry assessment draws on
Foundational and Major-Core Subjects
Four foundations every pathway shares, then four that belong to this field.
Doctoral Seminar: Biblical Interpretation
Teaching the Bible to children without trivialising it, including the parts of the story that are frightening and are usually edited out.
Doctoral Seminar: Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament's narratives as children meet them, and the honest handling of texts that a seven-year-old will ask hard questions about.
Doctoral Seminar: New Testament Theology
The New Testament on children in the covenant community, and what Jesus' treatment of them actually claims.
Doctoral Seminar: Christian Doctrine
Doctrine at an age-appropriate depth, which is considerably deeper than most children's curricula assume.
Doctoral Seminar: Theology of Childhood
What Scripture and the tradition say about children, covering their standing in the covenant community and the practices that follow from taking it seriously.
Doctoral Seminar: Teaching Children the Bible
Teaching the Bible to children without trivialising it, covering story, question, participation, and the handling of difficult texts honestly.
Doctoral Seminar: Child Development and Faith
Cognitive, moral, and faith development across childhood, and the implications for what can be taught, expected, and asked at each stage.
Doctoral Seminar: Family-Equipping Ministry
Equipping parents and carers as the primary formers, given the evidence that household practice outweighs programme attendance in lasting faith.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Doctoral Seminar: Safeguarding and Child Protection
Safeguarding as the first responsibility, covering policy, safer recruitment, supervision ratios, recognition of abuse, reporting duties, and record keeping.
Doctoral Seminar: Children in Corporate Worship
Children in the main gathering, covering participation, communion practice, noise and welcome, and the theology behind including or separating them.
Doctoral Seminar: Special Needs Inclusion
Including children with additional needs, covering sensory environment, communication, one-to-one support, and partnership with families.
Doctoral Seminar: Volunteer Formation and Care
Recruiting, training, and caring for volunteers, covering realistic expectation, retention, supervision, and the culture that makes safeguarding real.
Doctoral Seminar: Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
Formation in the household, since family practice is the strongest predictor of lasting faith and the least resourced part of the ministry.
Doctoral Seminar: Integrative Theology and Ministry
A children's or family ministry project designed developmentally, delivered, and evaluated for formation rather than attendance.
Admission Requirements
What you need to apply
- Master's degree in theology, ministry, or a relevant field from an accredited or recognized institution
- Official graduate transcripts demonstrating advanced academic preparation
- Research statement identifying a proposed area of theological or ministry inquiry
- Scholarly or ministry-focused writing sample
- Current curriculum vitae documenting relevant research, church, or ministry leadership experience
- Three ministry or academic recommendations and a faculty interview
Degree Completion Requirements
Requirements for the Doctor of Christian Education
Graduation Requirements
- Complete at least 60 doctoral semester credits in the approved degree plan
- Pass the Competency-Based Ministry Assessment for the degree
- Satisfy every doctoral-core, research-methods, specialization, elective, and Competency-Based Ministry Assessment requirement group
- Integrate theological knowledge with assessed ministry experience under the published result-weighting policy
- Recognize demonstrated learning against every published degree-plan requirement
Culminating Experience
Demonstrate doctoral-level theological synthesis, research judgment, and ministry leadership through Competency-Based Ministry Assessment, combining theological knowledge with assessed ministry experience.
Credit Distribution
| Requirement Area | Credits | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Doctoral Core | 24 | 8 courses. Doctoral theory, disciplinary foundations, and scholarly leadership. |
| Research Design and Methods | 12 | 4 courses. University-wide doctoral preparation in quantitative, qualitative, measurement, and research-ethics competencies. |
| Area of Specialization | 15 | 5 courses. Focused doctoral inquiry supporting the learner's research agenda. |
| Doctoral Elective | 6 | 2 courses. Any doctoral-level major course from any school that is not already part of this degree plan. |
| Competency-Based Ministry Assessment | 3 | 1 course. Integrated doctoral theological knowledge and assessed ministry experience, recognizing demonstrated learning across the published degree plan. |
| Total Degree Credits | 60 | All requirements must be completed within the approved degree plan. |
Program Details
Program Length
Self-Paced
Self-Paced Learning
Total Credits
60 credit hours
Up to 30 Transfer Credits
Published Degree Plan
20 courses
Across 5 required curriculum groups
Format
Flexible Study
Assessment Format
Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
Selected Degree
Doctorate
School
School of Theology and Ministry
Institutional Status
ICAS Accredited
Ready to Begin Your Accredited Family Discipleship Ministry Degree?
Applying costs nothing, and the work you have already done may count. Have a look at what this pathway asks for before you decide.