ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy in Congregational Renewal
Ph.D. credential
Explore how prayer, biblical teaching, healthy leadership, and a renewed sense of mission can help a church find fresh purpose.
Doctor of Philosophy in Congregational Renewal: 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 Congregational Renewal is for those leading established churches through sustained change. Most declining congregations know something is wrong and misdiagnose it. This ICAS-accredited Kingdom of Life University program teaches assessment from evidence rather than impression, change at the pace trust allows, the repair of conflict history, and the reasons renewals commonly reverse in the third and fourth year after everyone has declared victory.
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 Philosophy in Congregational Renewal 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
- Congregational Renewal - Doctoral Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Congregational Renewal
- 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
Diagnose a congregation's condition from evidence rather than from impression
Lead change at a pace the congregation's trust can bear
Address conflict history directly rather than working around it
Build renewal that survives the leader who began it
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize doctoral-level theological evidence, research judgment, and ministry wisdom for faithful leadership
Produce a congregational health assessment with evidence and a proposed sequence
Plan a change process with stated early steps, expected resistance, and checkpoints
Design a trust repair process for a congregation with a conflict history
Specify what has to be institutionalised for renewal to outlast your tenure
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Revitalization pastor
Interim minister
Denominational renewal consultant
Church health coach
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
Preaching to a discouraged congregation, where the first task is rebuilding confidence that the text has anything to say.
Doctoral Seminar: Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament's pattern of decline, repentance and restoration, and the difference between renewal and nostalgia.
Doctoral Seminar: New Testament Theology
The New Testament letters written to congregations in trouble, read for what they actually do about it.
Doctoral Seminar: Christian Doctrine
The doctrine of the church under the specific pressure of decline: what may be changed, what may not, and how that judgement is made.
Doctoral Seminar: Theology of Renewal
A theology of renewal that is neither nostalgia nor novelty, drawing on the biblical patterns of repentance and restoration and the history of renewal movements.
Doctoral Seminar: Diagnosing Congregational Health
Assessing a congregation honestly: attendance and giving patterns, participation, conflict history, community fit, and the difference between symptom and cause.
Doctoral Seminar: Preaching for Renewal
Preaching in a discouraged congregation, where the pulpit has to rebuild confidence in Scripture and in the possibility of change.
Doctoral Seminar: Leading Change Patiently
Leading change at the pace of trust, covering sequencing, early wins, resistance, coalition, and the near-universal error of moving too fast at the start.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Doctoral Seminar: Renewing Worship and Prayer
Recovering worship and prayer as the centre rather than the product of renewal, with practical attention to gathered prayer and liturgical repair.
Doctoral Seminar: Rebuilding Discipleship Culture
Rebuilding a discipleship culture where one has lapsed, including expectations, membership, groups, and the leaders who have to be formed first.
Doctoral Seminar: Conflict and Trust Repair
Addressing conflict history and broken trust, covering acknowledgement, process, forgiveness, and the cases where reconciliation is not achievable.
Doctoral Seminar: Sustaining Renewal Over Time
Keeping renewal beyond the first flush: institutionalising gains, succession, and the reasons renewals commonly reverse in the third and fourth year.
Doctoral Seminar: Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
The spiritual cost of leading a discouraged congregation, and the formation that sustains a minister through slow work.
Doctoral Seminar: Integrative Theology and Ministry
A renewal project in an established congregation, with baseline, intervention, evaluation and honest reporting of reversal.
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 Philosophy
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 Congregational Renewal 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.