The Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Development prepares leaders for vital, dynamic and diverse communities of faith. By combining the strengths of Seabury Western and This program requires a minimum of three years and no more than six years to complete. Coursework offered by Seabury and CSDP is in one-week intensive sessions (June at Seabury, January at CDSP).
Required Courses
- Congregations in the 21st Century
- Congregational Systems
- Community Organizing for Missional Living
- Diversity and Context
- Nonprofit Management
- Nonprofit Management and Community Development
- Research and Writing (1/2 course)
- Writing the Thesis Proposal (1/2 course)
Each student is to take two elective courses which may be online, an intensive, a regular residential semester course, or a transfer course.
Sample elective offerings include:
- Missional Liturgy and Leadership
- Implications of the Emergent Church for Ministry
- Skills development depending on the student's interest and context
- Academic subjects shaped by the students' interest and context
Additional Program Requirements
Participation in on-line core group throughout the year, with expert practitioner supervision
Reflection papers on relevant readings shared on-line with core group
A case study of an experience from your ministry shared on-line with core group
A congregational study of your local congregation
Thesis Project and Oral Defense
Core Group Participation
As students enter the program, they join a core group of between 10 and 20 others. This cohesive group comes together in person twice a year at the on-campus intensives, and throughout the years of study they engage in theological reflection, as well as offer each other constant support, encouragement and community. They work together on case studies. They offer advice and perspective as members tackle the day-to-day challenges in congregational life. They both learn from and teach each other. Each core group is supervised by a Seabury or CDSP faculty member and an expert practitioner in congregational development.
1998-2012 Theses Abstracts
This is not hyperbole: Seabury's DMin program transforms lives, strengthens ministries, and leads students to ask, "Why didn't I do this earlier?"
Seabury's community organizing course always gets high marks from students in the seminary's DMin in Congregational Development track. Stephen Applegate, rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Granville, Ohio, says the reason is simple.
Leaders from across the church learned that it takes two to tango during
Susanna Singer is taking the fear out of academic writing. In the two years Seabury and CDSP have partnered in the DMin program, she has become known for demystifying the process of writing a thesis.
Anyone who remembers Robert Preston’s portrayal of con man Harold Hill in The Music Man can be forgiven for casting a wary eye at the Rev. Randolph Charles. He may be a priest, but something about the phrase “Music Story Method” suggests we’ve got trouble, right here in River City.
Susan Harlow, Seabury Western Seminary’s director of congregational development, understands congregational life from the ground up—or at least from the floor boards.
What does Seabury's DMin program mean to you personally? We explored that question with the Rt. Rev. Diane Jardine Bruce, suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Los Angeles.
