Birmingham
Theological Seminary
Doctor of Ministry
The Doctor of Ministry Program (D.Min)
BTS has designed its Doctor of Ministry program to accommodate both
the bi-vocational pastor and the fulltime pastor active in the ordained
ministry. This pastoral leadership program also has a track especially
designed for the Korean pastor. At the present time we offer two major
tracks for our Doctor of Ministry Program: l)Pastoral Leadership and
the Healthy Church; and 2) Biblical Counseling. Each member of our
program faculty has obtained a terminal degree but they are also fulltime
ministry practitioners. They have learned to integrate biblical, historical,
practical and theological resources into successful ministries; therefore,
they serve as academians as well as mentors to the student.
Applicants
may secure a form from the seminary office. Applications must be
submitted prior to admission to the program. International
students whose primary language is not English must submit TOEFL
scores. Also, procedures required for foreign students in relationship
to immigration
policies are applicable.
Consideration by the doctoral committee
will include the completed application, evidence of cultural appreciation,
evidence of the
application of Scripture to the care of souls, and administrative
skills in managing
the ministry. These matters will be assessed through personal
references, a personal interview and/or whatever testing the administration
deems useful.
Pastoral Leadership and the Healthy Church
Program Requirements
The Doctor of Ministry degree requires a satisfactory completion of
30 hours of course work as prescribed in the curriculum. The student
is expected to maintain a GPA of at least 3.1 with no more than one
C grade in the entire program. The Master of Divinity or its educational
equivalent (including at least one of the biblical languages from an
acceptable seminary) and three years of ministry experience are prerequisites
for admission. Students with an MA in a ministry field may apply after
five years of ministry with the submission of a scholarly paper of
15-20 pages reflecting the student’s ministry growth during these
five years. The doctoral committee will determine any additional prerequisites
that may be required.
The Doctor of Ministry program, including a dissertation
or project cannot be completed in less than three years. The degree
must be completed
seven years from the date of enrollment. Students may apply for a
one-year extension to the doctoral committee.
Program Structure
Doctor of Ministry courses are offered in five intensive, one-day
sessions during the semester. The day of the week will usually be Friday,
though each class may negotiate the day of the week with the professor.
The one regular exception to this format will be the Church Revitalization
course. This course will meet Thursday afternoon through Sunday noon
in conjunction with the Church Revitalization Seminar at Briarwood
Presbyterian Church usually during the third week of January.
Independent Study
With the approval of the Doctor of Ministry Committee, the student
may complete up to six hours of credit through independent study. The
student must secure a faculty member willing to supervise the course.
He must then submit a proposal for the course that the faculty member
must approve. Upon approval, the student must then deliver the proposal
with the signature of the faculty member to the President and secure
his signature.
Course Requirements
Each Doctor of Ministry course offered includes approximately 2000
pages of reading that must be completed in the increments prescribed
by the professor. The professor must receive the following in evidence
of the completion of the reading assignment:
1) an analysis of the theological implications,
2) a presentation of the salient theological implications of the material,
3 ) a personal reflection paper giving evidence of the student’s
personal interaction with the material and its application to his ministry.
Candidacy
The Doctor of Ministry Committee will grant candidacy status based
upon the following criteria:
1) An application submitted by the student
after the completion of at least 15 credit hours.
2) The completion of a written qualifying examination including an
understanding of Reformed Theology (the student need not agree with
this position, but must
be able to articulate it) and the ability to properly exegete a passage of
Scripture and present a homiletically acceptable outline.
3) Completion of the course: Dissertation/Project Preparation seminar.
4) Submission of an acceptable dissertation/project proposal.
Dissertation or Project
The final phase of the program is the dissertation or thesis project.
The student may elect to write either a dissertation (Ph.D. in nature)
or complete a project. If the student elects a dissertation, he must
provide evidence of a knowledge of basic statistics or be willing to
take the requisite statistical course(s) at a local university. The
Doctor of Ministry project is the application of research abilities
applied to understanding a ministry problem and devising a practical
program to solve this problem. If the thesis project is elected, it
must include a means of evaluating the effectiveness of the devised
program. The final written submission of the project may be presented
in publication form rather than standard academic format (e.g. Turabian
Style Manual). However, in this case the student must also present
proper documentation appropriate to his research.
The student will register each semester for the course 9121 (Dissertation/Project)
and pay the tuition fee of $450.00 until the dissertation/project has
been completed. This registration must occur during the registration
week at the beginning of each semester.
The student will be assigned a mentor and will be expected to meet
with the mentor at least twice a semester. The mentor will file a report
with the Doctor of Ministry Committee on the appropriate form. Except
for medical or extreme personal reasons, the student is expected to
make progress each semester. Mentors are expected to be available to
the student throughout the program.
Before the presentation of the rough draft to the Doctor of Ministry
Committee, the student will be expected to gather five peers (not necessarily
BTS Doctor of Ministry students) and make a presentation to them. In
exchange for this educational experience, the student must request
a two page written evaluation by each peer which must be submitted
with the rough draft to the mentor and the second reader.
Upon acceptance by the mentor and second reader the student must submit
a third copy for the outside reader. A $400.00 outside reader fee must
accompany this submission. Five copies of an abstract of not more than
1500 words must also be submitted at this time. The President will
then notify the student to schedule a time for an oral defense of his
work before the committee.
Oral Defense
The oral defense will be scheduled with the mentor, second reader,
outside reader and the Doctor of Ministry Committee. All faculty may
attend and ask questions. Only the mentor, second reader, outside reader
and Doctor of Ministry Committee may vote. The student will receive
a pass, a suspension, or a failing grade. A failing grade has no recourse
and the student must complete another dissertation or thesis project
if he desires to complete the program. A suspension means that the
committee believes that there is a shortcoming either in the dissertation
or in the student’s ability to defend his work. In such cases,
it will be at the discretion of the committee as to how the student
may resolve the difficulty. The grade shall be determined by a majority
vote of those eligible to vote.
Curriculum
DM9101 Church Revitalization: Developing and Maintaining a
Healthy Church - Harry Reeder (3 credit hours)
At the heart of the DMin program is the vision for healthy churches.
The Church Revitalization Seminar held annually at Briarwood Presbyterian
Church serves as the catalysis of this course. This intensive seminar
stimulates pastoral-self examination and church structural examination.
In addition to the seminar, students will complete assigned readings
and present a paper interacting with the seminar content, readings
and ministry site.
DM9104 The Care and Curing of Souls - Howard
Eyrich (3 credit hours)
This class will examine a biblical model of counseling as well as exploring
a biblical model of caring for the sheep of God's fold. Personal and
professional development of the minister as well as the ministry setting
will be the focus of the course. Reading, lecture, role playing, peer
evaluation along with case studies and a project applicable to the
student's ministry setting will comprise the elements of this class.
DM9105
Personal Leadership Development - Thad James (3 credit hours)
The personal development of existing and new leaders is the focus of
this course. The purpose is to assist the student in the critical task
of self-evaluation or examination. The COUI3e will look to the inward
training, to the heart of the leader, and facilitate the further development
of good and faithful servants of our Lord to lead the church in spiritual
and numerical growth.
DM9106 Developing and Training Effective Church
Leaders – Jim
Parker (3 credit hours)
This course is designed to help leaders disciple and train effective
church leaders for the local church. It seeks to provide students with
the tools to impart a world and life view and to equip others to become
leaders who, through personal discipline and commitment, influence
others to accomplish goals and objectives for the glory of God.
DM9108
Preaching in a Neo- Pagan World – Jim Parker (3 credit
hours)
The objective of this course is to inform students regarding the world
in which they live and to understand how to address the culture that
has infiltrated the church. Utilization of the medium of expository
preaching will be explored and developed. It will help the student
grasp the issues that need to be addressed in the church today and
realize the importance of the preaching of the word as one seeks to
speak to those issues apologetically.
DM9110 Educational Ministries
of the Growing Church - Dave Matthews (3 credit hours)
How to educate current members and plan for the education that comes
with anticipated growth. A well orbed program from children's ministries
to women's ministries and men's discipleship through Sunday School,
new member’s classes, small groups and media will form the structure
of this course.
DM9111 Independent Study - Mentor approved by
the Director of the DMin. Program Appropriate Factually Advisor (3 credit hours)
The student may submit a proposal to the Director to complete an
Independent Study (see DMin Handbook for guidelines). Proposal must
include at
least 2000 pages of reading and a scholarly paper of not less than
15 pages. Paper must include a practical application to some ministry
in the student's church.
DM9120 Research and Design - Thad James (3 credit hours)
Required of all students, this course will prepare the student to
do the necessary research for his dissertation or project. Students
will
become acquainted with the latest in research methods and research
tools including the internet.
DM9121 Understanding the DMin Dissertation/Project - Howard
Eyrich (3 credit hours)
The dissertation! project is the cumulative capstone of the Doctor
of Ministry. Exploration of methods, models and process of writing
a D.Min. project. The final product will be the production of
a project proposal.
DM9122 DMin Dissertation/Project (6 credit
hours)
Student will be assigned a committee, submit a proposal and complete
the final
Honors D.Min.
Students with a GPA of at least 3.3* at the master’s degree
level may apply for the Honors Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry
Committee will carefully consider the application and may require a
personal interview and, if a non-BTS student, the committee may require
the submission of scholarly papers written in the master’s degree
program for consideration. The student will attend a two-day orientation
for the program in which the nature and requirements of the program
will be developed.
The program must be completed in five years. Graduation from the program
is contingent upon the dissertation/project publication. The student
must keep a bibliography and journal of his reading for the program,
which must be at least 30,000 pages.
The student will be assigned a committee of three readers. The chairman
will be a BTS faculty member. The student will develop a proposal in
conjunction with the mentor that must be approved by the committee.
One committee member may be a non-BTS faculty member who is approved
by the President. The mentor will be the advisor for the program. He
may be anyone in the area of study with proper credentials. The student
must have a personal interview with the President in which he presents
his proposal for the mentor. The student will be responsible for negotiating
a contractual arrangement with the mentor regarding time and financial
remuneration. A copy of this contract must be filed with the President
and he must approve the contract. See Doctoral Handbook for tuition
and fees.
Further details regarding the committee and steps in the program may
be found in the Doctor of Ministry Handbook.
*Prospective students with a GPA of less than 3.3 may be considered
upon the following criteria: 1) At least seven years of ministry experience
which reflects above average abilities. 2) Demonstration through an
interview with the President or Director of the Doctor of Ministry
program that he has acquired the necessary skills to complete the program.
Doctor
of Ministry Biblical Counseling Program
Program Requirements
The Doctor of Ministry degree requires a satisfactory completion of
30 hours of course work as prescribed in the curriculum. The student
is expected to maintain a GPA of at least 3.1, with no more than one
C grade in the entire program. The Master of Divinity or its educational
equivalent (including at least one of the biblical languages from an
acceptable seminary) and three years of ministry experience are prerequisite
for admission. Students with an appropriate MA who meet the prerequisites
may apply. The doctoral committee will determine any additional prerequisites
that may be required.
The Doctor of Ministry program, including the Internship may not be
completed in less than three years. The degree must be completed in
seven years from the date of enrollment. Students may apply to the
doctoral committee for a one-year extension.
Course Requirements
Each Doctor of Ministry course offered includes approximately 2000
pages of reading that must be completed in the increments prescribed
by the professor. The professor must receive the following in evidence
of the completion of the reading assignment:
1) an analysis of the
theological implications
2) a presentation of the distinctive features of the material
3) a personal reflection paper giving evidence of the student’s
personal interaction with the material
4) All papers, including the Capstone Project, must be double-spaced
in 12 point font and presented in accordance with A Manual for
Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate
L. Turabian (6th Edition). You may use endnotes, but footnotes are
preferred. All papers must have a title page in accordance with Turabian
standards.
5) Papers must be mailed or emailed to the Registrar at BTS
and not to the professor. (Birmingham Theological Seminary, 2200 Briarwood
Way, Birmingham, AL 25243 or email to mhawley@briarwood.org. A SASE
must be enclosed with US mail submissions.)
Program Progression
Doctor of Ministry students will be required to complete the program
at a minimum pace with that of their fellow cohort group. However,
a student may request an exemption for one semester in writing to the
Registrar and will not be charged a fee for the exemption. If the student
fails to file for the exemption there will be an automatic continuation
fee charged to the student's account.
A student will be considered to have a lapsed registration after one
calendar year without activity. The student will be required to request
reinstatement and will incur a fee of $90.00 in addition to the continuation
fee.
Program extensions after the initial five years will be granted for
a maximum of three years, on a per year basis. An extension fee will
be incurred at year six $200.00, year seven $300.00, and year eight
$575.00. All extensions must be requested in writing at least thirty
days prior to termination date. Students granted extensions beyond
year six must meet any and all catalog/curriculum changes.
Candidacy
The Doctor of Ministry Committee will grant candidacy status upon
the following criteria:
1) An application submitted by the student after
the completion of at least 12 credit hours.
2) The completion of a written qualifying examination including an
understanding of Reformed Theology (the student need not agree with
this position, but must be able to articulate it). The student should
schedule a 3 1/2 hour block of time with the Registrar to come to
the seminary office to execute this exam. A laptop computer may be
used.
(Students at a distance must have a proctor approved by BTS. The
exam will be sent to the proctor and returned by the proctor).
3) The demonstration of the ability to properly exegete a passage
of Scripture and present its counseling application
Dissertation or
Project Program Capstone Paper
BTS requires that all Doctor of Ministry courses have a final Capstone
project. This project will be explained in the Internship Practicum
Preparation Seminar. The student should be careful to meet all requirements
of timing, form, and style [see below for details] when submitting
the Capstone Project.
The course capstone paper (the final paper for any Doctor of Ministry
course that is intended to cap the knowledge acquired during the course
for the student) is due within 90 days of the last day of the completion
of the Internship. Students who fail to submit a paper in a timely
manner will be assessed a $90.00 late fee and will be given an automatic
60 day extension. Papers submitted past the extension time without
prior permission in writing from the Registrar will not be accepted.
A professor other than the professor of record may grade papers accepted
through this prior extension arrangement.
The Capstone Project for the Doctor of Ministry in Counseling will
consist of:
1) Appropriate documentation (as explained in the Internship
seminar) of the 150 hours of counseling required for the Internship.
2) A personal reflection paper of 12,500 to 15,000 words. This paper
should demonstrate the student’s personal refinement and professional
refinement experienced in the internship process. The paper should
follow academic form citing professors, mentor, and research/reading
utilized in the program and especially during the internship. Appropriate
bibliography should also appear with the document.
Upon the completion of the Capstone Project, the student must submit
three copies of the rough draft to the Registrar's office along with
payment of a reader’s fee of $400.00 to compensate the second
reader. The Registrar will then notify the student to schedule a time
for an oral defense of his work before the committee.
The student will follow the schedule of dates by which he must make
these submissions in the year in which he anticipates graduating.
Oral
Defense
The oral defense will be scheduled with the Internship Supervisor,
the second reader and a faculty member appointed by the Director of
the Doctoral Program. All faculty members may attend and ask questions.
Only the Committee members may vote. The student will receive a pass,
a suspension, or a fail grade. The candidate must garner a majority
vote of the committee in order to pass. A failing grade has no recourse.
The student must complete another Internship and Project if he desires
to complete the program. A suspension means that the committee believes
that there is a short coming either in the project or in the student’s
ability to defend his work. In such cases, it will be the discretion
of the committee as to how the student can resolve the difficulty.
Presentation
of Capstone Project Paper
Following the oral defense based upon the completed and approved rough
draft, the student will present the final draft to the Internship Supervisor
for approval. Three copies of the final draft are required at least
six weeks prior to commencement.
The final draft copies must be printed on 20-24 point acid-free paper
of 20% rag content. Typeface should be Times New Roman 12 point font.
Two copies are bound for the institution and one for the student.
Fee is determined annually based upon current cost. Students may acquire
extra copies at the seminary cost if requested in writing at the time
of submission.
Other Matters
All administrative concerns not specifically addressed with reference
to the Doctor of Ministry Program in Counseling should be referenced
to the Director of the program or the VP of Academic Affairs. The Doctor
of Ministry degree is awarded to students upon the successful completion
of the curriculum, completion of Qualifying Exam (after completion
of 12 hours), Oral Defense of Internship Practicum, and the satisfactory
completion of all financial obligations.
Matriculation fee $175
Tuition $130.00 per credit hour
Graduation fee Determined annually
Dissertation/Project Binding fee Established annually by cost
Continuation fee $300.00 (per semester)
Curriculum
DM1111 Developing Effectiveness in Biblical Counseling—Eyrich
(3 credit hours)
Students will identify requisite qualities and skills necessary for successful
Biblical Counseling, along with effective strategies to enhance personal effectiveness
through applied models and constructs.
DM1112 Biblical Counseling and Human Physiology—Eyrich/Chastain
(3 credit hours)
The purpose of this course is to provide the student with knowledge of the
relationship between human physiology and human behavior and application of
Biblical counseling principles to this relationship and appending problems.
DM1113 Biblical Hermeneutics for the Practice of Biblical
Counseling-
James (3 credit hours)
The purpose of this course is to explore the interpretation and application
of Scripture to human problems and the theoretical implications for the integration
of psychology and theology.
DM9221 Biblical Counseling and Marriage & Family—Matthews/Eyrich
(3 credit hours)
The student will explore preventative measures that can be employed in the
church to eliminate family problems as well as biblical strategies and methods
of counseling to provide the rebuilding of broken relationships.
DM9222 Biblical Counseling and Ecclesiology, Legal Issues
and Peacemaking—Dial,
Eyrich and Waddell (3 credit hours)
This course will explore the role of counseling in the church, contemporary
legal issues and the proactive role of the counselor in peace making.
DM9331 Biblical Counseling and Psychopathology—TBA (3 credit
hours)
Students will conduct extensive exploration of biblical categories of human
problems in comparison to the DSM IV diagnostic system. Advanced Biblical Counseling
approaches to anorexia, anxiety, obsessive/compulsive behaviors will be developed.
DM9332 Biblical Counseling and Psychological Assessment/Evaluation— Shaw,
Mark (3 credit hours)
Students will conduct an evaluation of the TJTA, the MMPI-II, the MBTI and
other instruments in relationship to Biblical Counseling.
DM9441 Biblical Counseling Elective—Staff (3 credit hours)
DM9551 Biblical Counseling Internship Preparation—Staff
A non-credit, but required seminar designed to prepare the student to conduct
the Biblical Counseling Internship Practicum.
DM9552 Biblical Counseling Internship Practicum—Faculty Team
(6 credit hours)
Student will complete 150 hours of counseling and case analysis (up
to 15,000 words). Student will complete the Capstone Project with an
additional 12,000 to 15,000 word personal reflection paper developing
her/his personal development through the internship experience.
Doctor
of Ministry Biblical Counseling Internship
The Doctor of Ministry Internship must be conducted in a counseling
environment in which the student has the freedom to practice biblical
counseling. In most cases the internship will be conducted at the Briarwood
Counseling Ministries or at an approved center in the Birmingham area.
However, this is not a requirement of the program.
If the internship is conducted at a location other than the Briarwood
Counseling Ministries, the student is required to submit and/or perform
the following:
To negotiate a contract with the supervisor of the institution at
which the internship is conducted. A copy of this contract must be
mailed to the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at BTS before
the internship is begun.
The contract must include the following:
1) An agreement for the supervisor to meet with the student at least
one hour for every ten hours of counseling and to be available for
consultation at any time.
2) An agreement that the student will be allowed to observe (co-counsel)
at least 30 hours with an accomplished biblical counselor.
To submit a copy of liability insurance before the internship may
be commenced.
To appropriately complete the provided set of forms that must be completed
for each session using case numbers and other identifying data deleted.
These forms will be organized sequential for each case and become part
of the Capstone Project for the program.
To perform 150 hours of counseling
To have at least 15 hours of individual mentoring
To have at least 30 hours of observation and/or co-counseling (should
occur before solo counseling begins)
To invest 30 minutes preparation time in planning, research, homework
development for each counseling hour
To invest a minimum of thirty hours in writing up the cases for presentation
Total time for internship is a minimum of 300 hours.
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