ICAS-Accredited Degree Program
Doctor of Strategic Leadership in Christian Ministry Leadership
D.S.L. credential
Turn a ministry vision into shared action through clear planning, caring leadership, responsible stewardship, and a strong team.
Doctor of Strategic Leadership in Christian Ministry Leadership: 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 Ministry Leadership is for chief executives and denominational directors. A Christian charity has a mission, a board, an auditor and a payroll, and the tension between them is where most of them fail. This ICAS-accredited Kingdom of Life University program covers governance, financial management and reporting, fundraising and donor ethics, programme design with a theory of change, compliance, and the sustainability decisions including when to merge or close.
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 Strategic Leadership in Christian Ministry Leadership 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 Ministry Leadership - Doctoral Competency-Based Ministry Assessment
- Credential
- Doctor of Strategic Leadership (D.S.L.) in Christian Ministry Leadership
- 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
Hold theological purpose and managerial discipline together
Govern and be governed according to proper board practice
Design programmes with a theory of change and honest evaluation
Build financial sustainability without letting funding determine mission
Learning Outcomes
Skills and competencies you will develop
Synthesize doctoral-level theological evidence, research judgment, and ministry wisdom for faithful leadership
Produce a theory of change with indicators and an evaluation plan
Build a multi-year budget with reserves and diversified income
Draft a governance framework separating board and executive roles
Write a case for support that is compelling and accurate
Career Opportunities
Where this degree can take you
Christian nonprofit director
Ministry operations leader
Development director
Program manager
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
Scripture in an organisation's actual decisions, and the difference between a mission statement with a verse on it and a theologically governed choice.
Doctoral Seminar: Old Testament Theology
The Old Testament on justice, provision and the structures that protect the vulnerable, which is what a charity claims to do.
Doctoral Seminar: New Testament Theology
The New Testament's account of the church's own organised relief, and the accountability built into it from the start.
Doctoral Seminar: Christian Doctrine
The doctrine of institutions: why they exist, how they drift, and what a theological purpose requires of a governance structure.
Doctoral Seminar: Theology of Christian Organizations
What a Christian organisation is for, covering mission, the risk of drift, and the theological grounds for existing as an institution at all.
Doctoral Seminar: Nonprofit Governance and Boards
Nonprofit governance, covering board composition, trustee duties, committee structure, chief executive relationship, and common governance failures.
Doctoral Seminar: Financial Management and Reporting
Financial management, covering budgets, cash flow, restricted funds, reserves policy, audit, and the reporting supporters are entitled to.
Doctoral Seminar: Fundraising and Donor Relationships
Fundraising and donor relationships, covering case for support, major gifts, grants, stewardship of donors, and the ethics of the ask.
Specialization Subjects
Six more that take the field into the places it actually gets used.
Doctoral Seminar: Program Design and Evaluation
Programme design and evaluation, covering theory of change, indicators, data collection, and the honest reporting of results including failure.
Doctoral Seminar: Staff and Volunteer Leadership
Leading staff and volunteers together, covering recruitment, supervision, the differences between paid and unpaid workers, and retention.
Doctoral Seminar: Legal and Regulatory Compliance
Legal and regulatory compliance, covering registration, reporting, employment, data protection, and safeguarding obligations.
Doctoral Seminar: Organizational Sustainability
Organisational sustainability, covering income diversification, reserves, succession, and the decision to close or merge when that is right.
Doctoral Seminar: Spiritual Formation and Christian Vocation
Formation for people whose work is spreadsheets and board papers, and the drift from mission that nobody notices happening.
Doctoral Seminar: Integrative Theology and Ministry
An organisational project with a theory of change, indicators, implementation and honestly reported evaluation.
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 Strategic Leadership
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 Ministry Leadership 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.