The development of an integrated theoretical perspective and practical model of clinical counselling/psychotherapy. This process will incorporate unique person-of-the-therapist values and factors, and components of established psychological and psychotherapeutic theories and/or modalities that influence the student’s perspective. Through critical reflections on readings, writings, group discussions, lectures, and clinical field experiences, students will identify an aspect of their model that will form the basis of their research proposal in this course and the field research project in Year C.

Works from the assumption that the leader’s character and inner development are critical to effective leadership of organizations and others. Employs leadership-related assessment instruments, spiritual practices and theological reflection to develop leader self-awareness, emotional intelligence and Christian maturity. The written leadership narrative may be included in the research portfolio.

Considers Biblical perspectives on leadership, various theories of leadership, and the art of leadership. Addresses such subjects as identity, style, vulnerabilities, decision-making, personal management, administration, power, ethics, gender, and culture.

Addresses the fundamental leadership competencies of understanding organizational culture, visioning, team building, developing and implementing projects, addressing conflict and crisis, and facilitating change. Draws on Biblical examples and theological perspectives. Considers some elements in the research projects.

Uses systems theories including family systems, complex adaptive systems and the Biblical metaphor of church as body to provide lenses through which to view organizational culture and develop projects. Focuses on competencies of complex adaptive leadership such as embracing paradox and uncertainty. Considers related issues such as power, human relations, team development, conflict, and embracing paradox and uncertainty.

Intercultural competence is an essential component of a leaders self-awareness, attitude, knowledge and skill for serving in a multicultural context. Addresses such topics as a theology of diversity, models of culture and intercultural and cross-cultural competence, cultural value orientations, communication styles, and conflict resolution. Includes individual and group intercultural development assessment and coaching.

Students will collectively discuss, examine, and explore why it is essential for churches and Christian NGO’s to be learning organizations in a world of discontinuous change. Class material will cover biblical foundations, review of relevant literature, current organizational theory, and best practices in creating a culture of learning and change.

Explores the leader’s role of intentionally investing in developing others. Examines research, theories, models, practices, and theological reflection to understand the purpose of leadership development and designs a strategic approach to multiply leaders in a specific context.

Directed Reading and Research (DRR) courses allow students to study in a specific area of interest not addressed by the scheduled course offerings. Permission required.

Examination of specific topics in ministry leadership.

Provides support and guidance for continuing in and completing work for the DMin program. Pass/No Pass. No credits. Permission required.

Explores research methods used to acquire a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of the local congregation or organization and its surrounding community. Uses participatory action research as a tool for exegeting the ministry leadership context. Aims to develop creative responses to specific ministry needs or opportunities. Project report will be included in your research portfolio.

Guides in the articulation of your own grounded philosophy of Christian leadership. May be generic or context specific. Will include a theological framework or rationale, the treatment of a few key Biblical passages, and review of some leadership theories and models in the literature. Project report will be included in your research portfolio.

Centres on a research project arising from your ministry context and leadership. Addresses project design, planning and management, research methods, and ethical considerations. Guides implementation of the project including obtaining permission for various aspects of the project, developing circles of participants, finding or developing resources, documenting relevant events and steps, and evaluating the process and outcomes. Project report will be included in your research portfolio. Pre-requisites: DMML 0942 and DMML 0952.

Introduces the Doctor of Ministry leadership track program, outlines the requirements of the program and the flow of courses, and provides an overview of the major projects required. Introduces the biblical foundations of leadership in its various expressions to create a working definition of leadership while helping the student understand their own multiple layers of context (personal, family, ministry setting and broader community). Provides an overview of research as ministry, research portfolio design, project planning and management, research methods, and ethical considerations. Furthers the process of self-awareness through the utilization of counselling, spiritual direction and executive coaching.

Integrating personal growth with project design and ethics awareness, students will be given resources and guidance for the development of an approved project proposal. The proposal surveys the ministry context, identifies needs and opportunities, cultivates a creative response, sketches a theological rationale, investigates resources and research methods, and develops a plan or process for implementation. This will include the ethics board approval process. In sum, this course addresses research portfolio design, project planning and management, research methods, and ethical considerations, integrating this process into the overall goals of the DMin program. It entails peer review of the research project proposal. Prerequisites: DMML 0901, DMML 0941 and DMML 0951.

Facilitates the completion of the summative Doctor of Ministry document, integrating the main three research projects in a portfolio that meets publication standards. Includes a public presentation and an oral hearing based on the portfolio and the objectives of the program. Normally the last course; usually runs from January to December. Prerequisites: DMML 0943 and DMML 0952.

Looks at the unique issues encountered by Christian leaders in non-profit organizations. Focus will be placed on the organization that you currently serve in leadership. Directly focuses on the foundational areas of board governance, introduction to strategic development and nurturing performance measurements that are congruent with non-profit organizations. Reflects on the need to develop a public narrative that is compelling enough to nurture a constituency through story telling and action while grounding it in a biblical understanding of organizational development.

Focuses on strategic planning in a Christian ministry context and the importance of how mission, vision and values are articulated in corporate communications. The strategic planning process will be defined and explained, helping students develop strategy statements, incorporate context into strategy, identify different approaches, discover various strategy development tools and integrate strategic planning into annual action plans. Students will also learn the principles of effective corporate communication, including how to maximize public relations and media relations impact in a digital environment. Other topics will include marketing and fundraising communication (including digital marketing), establishing a strong organizational case for support, the importance of resource gathering for storytelling, creative design and impact reporting.

Explores the theoretical, theological, and practical principles that are foundational to leading and managing a ministry organization. Topics include the unique aspects of organizational leadership as they affect the senior leader (the figurehead role, risks and benefits of personal/professional linkages and compartmentalization, staff and stakeholder expectations of a leader, “CEO Disease”), organizational health (organizational life cycle, leading indicators of decline, organizational transformation, change management, risk management, and mission drift prevention), human resources (culture, engagement, staff care and development, nurturing high performance teams, staff succession), financial health (budgeting, analysis, cashflow, reserves), impact assessment, and structuring/working with a leadership team.

Using a seminar and workshop format, this course explores the relationship between speech communication, content, form, and style in communicating and embodying the gospel. Particular attention will be given to speaking techniques for verbal presentation, learning from cultures that possess a rich oral heritage, and the role of the body in different modes of communication. It will also highlight the significant role of unspoken, sensory communication, and the power of liturgies.

In this course we will wrestle theologically with the praxis of creatively communicating the gospel in the unique, diverse spaces to which we have been called exploring means and mediums of communication most effective for these spaces. The course will have a focus on communication—understood expansively, which includes public speaking, creating content for social media and websites, expressing yourself clearly in podcasts and vlogs, and writing to publish. Topics explored will include digital theology, contextualizing the gospel for individuals and communities in a dominant digital world, creating gospel narratives for public spaces, and leading and equipping others to form their own contextualized narratives of communicating the gospel in their own unique physical and digital spaces.

Designed to deepen our understanding of how to communicate the gospel in different parts of the biblical text as a theological and pastoral activity of proclamation in the world. Different topics are offered each year. The emphasis is on how one can practice intergenerational and intercultural proclamation of the Word in the places of ministry to which we are called.

This course provides a theological vision and practical tools of Christian pastoral care in times of grief, transition and loss. Topics include how the Bible and the Christian tradition portray death, grief and lament; how Christians have practiced care for the dying and grieving over the centuries; and how to offer appropriate care to others in times of loss, including home and hospital visitation, planning and conducting funerals, and ongoing support.