ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Doctor of Ministry in Applied Theology
D.Min. credential
Bring settled doctrine to bear on the decisions a congregation actually faces, through a professional doctorate in applied theological judgment.
Doctor of Ministry in Applied Theology: 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
The Doctor of Ministry in applied theology is for leaders reasoning from doctrine to particular ministry decisions. The move from doctrine to decision is where most theological education stops and most ministry begins. This ICAS-accredited Kingdom of Life University pathway works on that move: method for practitioners, Scripture on questions it does not directly address, case analysis with stated warrants, the ethics of pastoral judgement, and the gap between a congregation's confessed and operative theology.
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 Ministry in Applied Theology 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
- Doctor of Ministry: Applied Theology - Doctoral Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Applied Theology
- 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
Move from doctrine to a particular ministry decision with explicit warrants
Distinguish a congregation's confessed theology from its operative theology
Analyse a case without reducing it to its easiest features
Revise an applied conclusion when the evidence requires it
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize doctoral-level theological evidence, research judgment, and ministry wisdom for faithful leadership
Produce a case analysis stating facts, options, warrants, and judgement
Identify the gap between confessed and operative theology in a congregation
Design an evaluation of a theological application and act on its findings
Complete a doctoral project applying doctrine to a live ministry question
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Senior pastor
Theologian in residence
Denominational theological adviser
Doctoral-level ministry educator
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
Exegesis in service of a decision, where the interpretive work has to issue in a judgement someone will act on.
Doctoral Seminar: Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament's case law as a model of applied reasoning, and what it shows about moving from principle to particular.
Doctoral Seminar: New Testament Theology
The New Testament's own applied theology — Paul on food, meat, marriage and money — and the method visible in it.
Doctoral Seminar: Christian Doctrine
The doctrines themselves, stated precisely enough that an application can be traced back to them and checked.
Doctoral Seminar: Doctrine in Ministry Decisions
How doctrine bears on a decision, covering the move from confession to judgement and the points at which it commonly goes wrong.
Doctoral Seminar: Theological Method for Practitioners
Theological method for practitioners, covering the sources, their weighting, and the criteria for a defensible applied conclusion.
Doctoral Seminar: Scripture and Contemporary Questions
Scripture and contemporary questions, covering the hermeneutical work required when a question the text does not address must still be answered.
Doctoral Seminar: Case Analysis in Applied Theology
Case analysis, covering the discipline of stating facts, options, warrants, and consequences before reaching a judgement.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Doctoral Seminar: Ethics of Pastoral Judgment
The ethics of pastoral judgement, covering discretion, consistency, precedent, and the accountability of decisions taken in private.
Doctoral Seminar: Doctrine and Congregational Culture
Doctrine and congregational culture, covering the gap between confessed and operative theology and the ways practice teaches what words deny.
Doctoral Seminar: Evaluating Theological Applications
Evaluating theological applications, covering fruit, unintended consequence, and the willingness to revise a conclusion in the light of outcomes.
Doctoral Seminar: Doctoral Applied Theology Project
The doctoral applied theology project, covering question, application, evaluation, and the written argument that carries it.
Doctoral Seminar: Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
Formation for someone whose judgements affect others, including the humility to revise a conclusion publicly.
Doctoral Seminar: Integrative Theology and Ministry
A doctoral applied theology project: a live question, an application, an evaluation, and a written argument.
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 Ministry
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 Applied Theology 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.