ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling
D.Min. credential
Counsel the troubled from the Bible with competence and care, through a professional doctorate in biblical counseling practice.
Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling: 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 biblical counseling is for experienced counsellors handling complex cases and supervising others. Experienced counsellors meet cases that do not fit the framework they were trained in. This ICAS-accredited Kingdom of Life University pathway covers the use of Scripture in complex cases, the distinction between what a person has done and what was done to them, comorbidity, medical referral, family cases and the contraindications where abuse is present, supervision, and honest outcome evaluation.
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 Biblical Counseling 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: Biblical Counseling - Doctoral Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Biblical Counseling
- 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
Use Scripture in counselling without proof-texting a person's distress
Recognise complexity and comorbidity and refer accordingly
Supervise other counsellors competently and accountably
Evaluate counselling outcomes honestly
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize doctoral-level theological evidence, research judgment, and ministry wisdom for faithful leadership
Produce a case formulation integrating Scripture and clinical awareness
Identify a case requiring medical referral and manage the handover
Supervise a counsellor through a case review to a documented standard
Complete a doctoral project evaluating counselling outcomes with evidence
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Counseling pastor
Counseling center director
Counselor supervisor and trainer
Doctoral-level counseling instructor
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
Using Scripture in the counselling room at a level that can withstand a complex case, and knowing when a text will do harm.
Doctoral Seminar: Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament's lament and its refusal to resolve suffering quickly, which is most of what complex cases require.
Doctoral Seminar: New Testament Theology
The New Testament on the renewed mind and the burden-bearing body, and an honest account of its limits as a clinical framework.
Doctoral Seminar: Christian Doctrine
The doctrines of sin, suffering and grace held apart carefully, since conflating them is the commonest harm in this field.
Doctoral Seminar: Scripture and the Counseling Room
Scripture in the counselling room, covering its appropriate use, the errors of proof-texting distress, and the relation between text and case.
Doctoral Seminar: Sin, Suffering, and Grace in Counseling
Sin, suffering, and grace in counselling, covering the distinction between what a person has done and what has been done to them.
Doctoral Seminar: Complex Cases and Comorbidity
Complex cases and comorbidity, covering presentations involving trauma, personality difficulty, and co-occurring conditions.
Doctoral Seminar: Counseling and Medical Referral
Counselling and medical referral, covering psychiatric medication, the counsellor's relationship to prescribers, and the duty to refer.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Doctoral Seminar: Marriage and Family Cases
Marriage and family cases, covering systems work, the contraindication of couple work where abuse is present, and safety planning.
Doctoral Seminar: Supervising Other Counselors
Supervising other counsellors, covering the supervisory relationship, case review, competence assessment, and the supervisor's own accountability.
Doctoral Seminar: Evaluating Counseling Outcomes
Evaluating counselling outcomes, covering measures, follow-up, and honest reporting of what the work achieved.
Doctoral Seminar: Doctoral Biblical Counseling Project
The doctoral biblical counselling project, covering design, intervention, evaluation, and the written argument.
Doctoral Seminar: Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
The counsellor's own supervision and sustainability under a caseload of other people's worst material.
Doctoral Seminar: Integrative Theology and Ministry
A doctoral counselling project with formulation, intervention, supervision and evaluated outcomes.
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 Biblical Counseling 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.