The complex challenges of ministry today call for spiritual leaders who can integrate the wisdom of their traditions with a greater understanding of social justice challenges facing their communities. In our Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program we seek to engage the intersectionality of race, gender, class and culture with theological reflection for faithful and transformative leadership.
The Advanced Pastoral Studies Program at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) does more than update professional skills and encourage individual growth—it also seeks to tap into the very wellspring of creative ministry. Responding to the changing world of ministry, the Doctor of Ministry program at SFTS is the first in the country to feature a concentration in Chaplaincy/Spiritual Care Research Literacy, equipping chaplains with the tools they need to use and conduct evidence-based research.
Our Doctor of Ministry program is ecumenical, multi-faith, culturally competent, spiritually grounded, and pedagogically innovative. We bring together scholar practitioners from a wide variety of active ministries to learn, explore, and envision creative approaches to community growth and spiritual connection. Designed with an interdisciplinary and contextual research focus, the D.Min. degree provides students a framework to integrate critical theological analysis and biblical reflection with contextually-applied social analysis to examine current issues in ministry.
Throughout its 50-year history, the program’s hallmark has been the interfaith and international character of the student body and faculty, as well as its engagement with forward-looking scholarship embracing spirituality and social justice. The Seminary’s collaborative learning environment is an incubator for the research and development of innovative and creative approaches, new tools, and novel resources for ministry in a rapidly changing world.
D.Min. students at SFTS design and implement a field research project as the central component of their Dissertation/Project. In preparation for their dissertation/project, students take a combination of required foundational and elective seminars, tailoring their coursework to their research interests. Within the broad spectrum of our interdisciplinary/contextual curriculum, students may opt to focus on one of five program concentrations.
The DMin Program returns to campus for our Summer Term 2022!
Application Deadline: March 1, 2022
International Students: February 1, 2022
Summer Term begins April 18, 2022 with our Pre-Intensive prep time. Students will receive the required reading lists and any other pre-intensive assignments. Pre-Intensive assignments may include a brief online video conference, short writing assignments or other activities as indicated by the instructor. Students are expected to complete all required reading prior to start of the Intensive class meetings. The Intensive in-person classes will meet on the Marin Campus in San Anselmo beginning the week of June 14, 2022.
In today’s health care arena, research literacy is essential for spiritual care practitioners working alongside interdisciplinary colleagues guided by scientific inquiry, and whose practices are guided by research-based evidence. This Doctor of Ministry concentration is designed for Clinical Pastoral Educators, Board Certified Chaplains, and those seeking professional vocations in spiritual care.
Professional chaplains and Clinical Pastoral Educators are increasingly asked to identify the most effective means of teaching and providing tools needed by chaplains to successfully perform in research-driven environments. This concentration provides students with the skills to utilize evidenced-based research in their professional settings, and to design their own research projects.
The core courses for this concentration are below. These courses must be taken in sequence. The next available sequence will start Fall 2022.
Prerequisites
In addition to the general prerequisites for the D.Min. program, applicants to this concentration must have 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education, or Board Certification as a professional chaplain.
Effective leadership in today’s religious institutions requires vision, wisdom, and skill. Leaders need to draw on insights from the social sciences, leadership and management theory, as well as Biblical and theological foundations to guide congregations, denominational, and non-profit organizations through times of rapid change.
The Executive Leadership concentration is designed for clergy and spiritual leaders in:
Grounded in contemporary leadership theory and theological reflection, the Executive Leadership concentration focuses on the development of skills for adaptive leadership, organizational change, spiritual discernment and visioning for faith communities. Students work together in a collegial environment to build a community of practice that will equip them with:
No additional prerequisites other than the general degree requirements listed above.
The Doctor of Ministry degree is a contextually-focused, interdisciplinary study in the practice of ministry. Students who opt for this foundational concentration engage in study and research in a wide range of topics, integrating theological reflection and social analysis in the context of their own practice of ministry.
Students are encouraged to seek innovative solutions to the current problems and challenges of ministry, developing projects that will enhance their skills and contribute to the general practice of ministry through the development of new knowledge, new tools, and innovative resources.
The interdisciplinary and contextual focus of the D.Min. degree enables students to explore their own leadership style and ministry context, develop skills for critical reflection on ministry-based issues, explore current research in the social sciences, and engage in critical theological reflection to seek creative responses to the challenges of ministry today.
Core courses in this concentration are tailored to the individual students’ research interests, in consultation with the Program Director.
No additional prerequisites other than the general degree requirements listed above.
Overview
This concentration is designed for professional serving in specialized ministries such as chaplain, pastoral counselor, or pastors with a ministry focus on pastoral care. While rooted in the Christian tradition, this concentration is open to religious professionals across the spectrum of spiritual traditions. This program may also be appropriate to persons already established as a licensed mental health professional, who wish to deepen their understanding of the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy.
The Doctor of Ministry concentration in Pastoral Care and Counseling (PCC) prepares religious professionals to practice pastoral and spiritual care at a high degree of competency and professionalism by:
Core Courses
Prerequisites
Some courses in this concentration require completion of at least one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education as a prerequisite.
Overview
The transformed person of the spiritual leader is a significant component in the transformation of community. The community itself is likewise a transforming agent for its members and its leader. The D.Min. concentration in Pastor as Spiritual Leader offers spiritual formation and academic study to ordained and non-ordained people with leadership roles in communities of faith, including congregations, synagogues, denominational bodies or other religious communities or organizations.
In conjunction with the Program in Spirituality, the curriculum integrates prayer, contemplative listening, discernment, biblical and theological reflection to nourish transformative pastoral leadership and spiritual formation for the student and the communities in which they lead.
NOTE: This concentration does not equip students for credentialing as a Spiritual Director. If you are interested in training for professional practice as a Spiritual Director, please visit our Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction (DASD).
Core Courses
Prerequisites
No additional prerequisites other than the general degree requirements listed above.
Students may complete coursework in a variety of ways, including regular academic-year courses and/or intensive January and summer courses. The January and summer courses are taught in one- and/or two-week formats, designed to fit in with a pastor’s study leave. We offer affordable campus housing during these events, subject to availability.
