ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Doctor of Family Counseling in Christian Family Ministry
D.F.C. credential
Bring Christian wisdom to marriage and family life through communication, faithfulness, discipleship, and care for one another.
Doctor of Family Counseling in Christian Family 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 Christian Family Ministry is for those directing family ministry and training others. Household ministry runs from premarital preparation through parenting, singleness and divorce to caring for ageing parents, and it has to be done without assuming every family looks the same. This ICAS-accredited Kingdom of Life University program covers the theology, the evidence on what actually helps couples, and the safeguarding that overrides everything else when abuse is present.
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 Family Counseling in Christian Family 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
- Christian Family Ministry - Doctoral Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Doctor of Family Counseling (D.F.C.) in Christian Family 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
State a theology of marriage, singleness, and household that is pastorally usable
Prepare and support couples with evidence as well as conviction
Recognise abuse and respond according to safeguarding requirements
Serve single people as full members rather than as an exception
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize doctoral-level theological evidence, research judgment, and ministry wisdom for faithful leadership
Design and lead a marriage preparation course
Conduct a marriage support conversation and judge when to refer
Recognise indicators of coercive control and act appropriately
Build a household discipleship plan a family can actually keep
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Family ministry pastor
Marriage preparation leader
Pastoral counselor
Christian family 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
Handling the household texts, which are among the most contested in Scripture and the most often quoted at people in difficulty.
Doctoral Seminar: Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament's families, which are polygamous, violent and dysfunctional as often as exemplary, and what the narrator does not say about them.
Doctoral Seminar: New Testament Theology
The New Testament on marriage, singleness and household order, including Paul's genuine preference for singleness.
Doctoral Seminar: Christian Doctrine
The doctrine of marriage, covenant and the church as a family, stated carefully enough to serve people whose households do not fit the model.
Doctoral Seminar: Theology of Marriage and Family
Marriage and household in Scripture and Christian teaching, covering covenant, permanence, purpose, and the disagreements that remain live within the church.
Doctoral Seminar: Premarital Preparation
Preparing couples for marriage, including the content that matters, the use of inventories, family-of-origin work, and the conversations couples avoid.
Doctoral Seminar: Marriage Enrichment and Repair
Strengthening and repairing marriages, covering communication patterns, the evidence on what predicts distress, and the limits of pastoral work.
Doctoral Seminar: Parenting and Discipleship at Home
Faith formation at home, covering parental practice, age-appropriate expectation, and the finding that household practice outweighs programme attendance.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Doctoral Seminar: Singleness and the Church Family
Singleness as a Christian vocation rather than a waiting room, and the congregational habits that isolate single people without meaning to.
Doctoral Seminar: Divorce, Remarriage, and Pastoral Care
Divorce and remarriage, covering the biblical material, the pastoral realities, and care for both parties and their children through and after separation.
Doctoral Seminar: Abuse, Safety, and Protection
Domestic abuse, coercive control, and child protection, covering recognition, the dangers of couple work in abuse cases, and mandatory referral.
Doctoral Seminar: Intergenerational Household Ministry
Ministry across generations in one household and one congregation, including grandparents, blended families, and caring for ageing parents.
Doctoral Seminar: Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
Formation in the household — the practices that actually form faith at home, which outweigh anything the programme does.
Doctoral Seminar: Integrative Theology and Ministry
A family ministry project: preparation, support or intergenerational practice, implemented 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 Family Counseling
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 Christian Family 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.