Upcoming Doctor of Ministry Topical Cohorts
January 2027 Cohort: Grassroots Witness
Nurturing the Future of Small Churches
For pastors, ministry leaders, and faithful servants of small churches, this Doctor of Ministry cohort offers a unique opportunity to deepen your practice, imagination, and vocation in community with others who share a passion for grassroots congregations. Guided by a team of pastoral leader-scholars, participants spend three years reflecting, exploring, studying, and creating alongside peers who are witnessing new forms of worship, ministry, and service emerging in today's world.
Through annual 10-day May residencies, seasonal study, and a culminating thesis or ministry project, students will develop resources that strengthen and sustain small churches for the future. This cohort is designed not simply to study small churches, but to nurture their flourishing and support their vital witness in their communities.
Program Information:
- 40 Credit - Residential and Online
- Residential component - Dubuque, Iowa in May
- Online coursework - before and after residential instruction
Cost:
- $5,500 - Annual Tuition (Years 1-3)
- $1,600 - One Time Project Fee
- $710 - Annual Continuation (Years 4+ if necessary)
January 2026 Cohort: In the Service of the Preaching Christ
The Mystery, History, Theology, Practice, and Pedagogy of Biblical Preaching
Dr. Timothy Matthew Slemmons, Professor of Homiletics and Worship, with a supporting cast of special guests, will lead this three-year exploration of the preaching mission of Christ, the foundations and most faithful expressions of the Church's participation in that mission, and the essential skills that preachers should nurture in their congregations in order to best equip the Church to preach the Word and herald the Good News of the new creation.
Curriculum:
- Year 1 (2026): The Mystery, History, and Theology of Biblical Preaching
- Year 2 (2027): Modern Homiletical Theory and Practice
- Year 3 (2028): Collaboration with the Coming Christ: Preaching and Homiletical Pedagogy
Program Information:
- 40 Credit - Residential and Online
- Residential component - Dubuque, Iowa in May (Year 1: May 15-22, 2026)
- Online coursework - before and after residential instruction
Cost:
- $5,500 - Annual Tuition (Years 1-3)
- $1,600 - One Time Project Fee
- $710 - Annual Continuation (Years 4+ if necessary)
2026 Doctor of Ministry (DMin) Info Sheet
January 2025 Cohort: Belonging to Christ
Nurturing Christian Identity after Christendom
In 1935, H. Richard Niebuhr argued that the identity of the church in America was threatened by accommodating too much to the world. Almost a century later, the church finds itself in a similar situation. In response, churches would do well to focus on issues of identity and heritage, seeking clarity about their role as messengers and servants of the God revealed in Jesus Christ by listening deeply to the resources of the faith.
We will analyze the current state of the church in America and listen deeply to Scripture and the tradition of the church as we discern ways to nurture authentic Christian identity in the church and live as faithful messengers of God in the decades ahead.
Cohort Leaders:
- Bradley J. Longfield
Professor of Church History and Co-Director of the Master of Arts in Reformed Theology - James D. Gunn
Dean of Chapel and Edwin B. Lindsay Chaplain
Program Information:
- 40 Credit - Residential and Online
- Residential component - Dubuque, Iowa in May (Year 1: May 14-21, 2025)
- Online coursework - before and after residential instruction
Tuition and Costs:
- $5,039 - Annual Tuition (Years 1-3)
- $645 - Annual Continuation Fee (Years 4 and, if necessary 5)
- $1,600 - One-time Project Fee (Assessed at the end of Year 3)