ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Doctor of Ministry in Discipleship
D.Min. credential
Build a church where disciples make disciples, through a professional doctorate in multiplying discipleship.
Doctor of Ministry in Discipleship: 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 discipleship is for leaders building formation that reproduces without them. A discipleship pathway that only its designer can run is not a pathway. This ICAS-accredited Kingdom of Life University program covers the theology of discipleship, how Jesus actually formed the Twelve, designing something reproducible by ordinary members, small groups compared with personal discipling, life stages, the relation to membership, and assessing growth without reducing formation to a metric.
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 Discipleship 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: Discipleship - Doctoral Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Discipleship
- 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
Ground discipleship design in the Gospels' own pattern
Build pathways an ordinary member can reproduce
Connect discipleship to membership and belonging
Assess growth without reducing formation to a metric
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize doctoral-level theological evidence, research judgment, and ministry wisdom for faithful leadership
Design a reproducible discipleship pathway and test its transferability
Compare small group and personal discipling outcomes in a real setting
Build an assessment approach for spiritual growth with stated limits
Complete a doctoral project evidencing reproduction through ordinary members
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Discipleship pastor
Senior pastor
Discipleship curriculum author
Denominational discipleship director
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 people to read Scripture for themselves, which is the transferable skill any reproducible pathway depends on.
Doctoral Seminar: Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament's formation by household, festival and repetition, and what it assumes about how obedience is learned.
Doctoral Seminar: New Testament Theology
The Gospels' account of how Jesus formed disciples, read as evidence rather than as a warrant for current programmes.
Doctoral Seminar: Christian Doctrine
The doctrines of union with Christ and sanctification, which decide what discipleship is actually expected to produce.
Doctoral Seminar: Theology of Discipleship
A theology of discipleship, covering call, obedience, cost, and the relation between discipleship and the doctrine of salvation.
Doctoral Seminar: Discipleship in the Gospels
Discipleship in the Gospels, covering how Jesus actually formed the Twelve and the difference between that pattern and modern programmes.
Doctoral Seminar: Designing Reproducible Pathways
Designing reproducible pathways, covering simplicity, transferability, and the test of whether an ordinary member can pass it on.
Doctoral Seminar: Small Groups and Personal Discipling
Small groups and personal discipling compared, covering their respective strengths, the evidence on each, and how they combine.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Doctoral Seminar: Discipling Across Life Stages
Discipling across life stages, covering the different demands of new believers, mid-life, and the elderly.
Doctoral Seminar: Discipleship and Church Membership
Discipleship and church membership, covering the relationship between formation and belonging and the expectations membership carries.
Doctoral Seminar: Assessing Spiritual Growth
Assessing spiritual growth, covering what can legitimately be assessed, the instruments available, and the dangers of measuring formation.
Doctoral Seminar: Doctoral Discipleship Project
The doctoral discipleship project, covering design, intervention, evaluation, and the written argument.
Doctoral Seminar: Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
The discipler's own formation, and the difference between reproducing a method and reproducing a life.
Doctoral Seminar: Integrative Theology and Ministry
A doctoral discipleship project: a reproducible pathway designed, tested for transferability, and evaluated.
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 Discipleship 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.