Doctor of Ministry in Intercultural Ministry
(D. Min/ICM)
Purpose of the Degree: The Doctor of Ministry in Intercultural Ministry (D. Min. /ICM) program is designed to equip degree candidates for ministry leadership across cultures. It is built upon a three-fold foundation of governing biblical ontology, social sciences research methodologies, and missiological purpose. The degree prepares candidates to lead churches, ministries, and mission agencies in multicultural contexts. As part of their doctoral project, candidates for the degree must demonstrate consummate skill within their ministry context while building upon the biblical and theoretical foundations relating to their chosen ministry focus.
Applicants may secure an application form from the seminary office. Applications must be submitted prior to admission to the program. 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.
A. Admission Requirements
Doctoral students are required to have an adequate educational and ministry background providing the foundation for personal and academic development, and specific objectives clear enough to provide a sense of purpose and direction from the beginning to the end of the doctoral program.
1. Prerequisites for study:
a. Applicants for the D. Min. (ICM) program are required to have an appropriate Master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution maintaining academic standards similar to those of GRS. A Master of Divinity or a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies, Theology, or Missions is considered an appropriate Master’s degree.
b. Applicants may be admitted with deficiencies noted. All such deficiencies must be completed prior to the end of the first academic year of study. No academic credit will be granted for work done to satisfy admission deficiencies.
c. Applicants may petition the faculty to be granted credit for work previously completed which may be the substantial equivalent of courses listed in the D. Min. (ICM) curriculum.
2. Selection for admission is based on demonstrated academic and ministerial ability.
All applicants for the D. Min. (ICM) program must meet the following qualifications:
a. For English programs, applicants for whom English is not their mother tongue must attain a score of 600 or better on the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must take the Test of Written English (TWE) portion of the TOEFL. For the computer based version of the TOEFL (CBT), the equivalent score is at least 250. For the internet based version (IbT), the score must be at least 100. This requirement may be waived if the language of instruction is Korean for all courses.
b. Demonstrate potential for ministry and scholarship at the Doctor of Ministry level.
(1) The Master of Divinity or its educational equivalent (including at least one of the biblical languages from an acceptable seminary) and
(2) Five years of post-master’s degree ministry experience are prerequisites for admission.
c. Show academic aptitude with the equivalent of a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 American scale) in all previous graduate studies.
d. The student is expected to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 with no more than one C grade in the entire program.
B. Program Duration
1. The Doctor of Ministry degree requires a satisfactory completion of 30 hours of course work as prescribed in the curriculum and a dissertation.
2. The Doctor of Ministry program, including a dissertation, must be completed within five years from the date of enrollment. In exceptional circumstances, a student may apply for a one-year extension beyond the five-year limit to the doctoral committee. The student must register and pay tuition each semester. See schedule of fees for extension costs.
3. A student will be considered to have a lapsed registration after one calendar year without activity (completion of at least one course). The student will be required to request reinstatement and will incur a fee of $200.00 in addition to the continuation fee.
C. Course Requirements
1. Each Doctor of Ministry course offered includes approximately 2000 pages of reading that must be completed in the increments prescribed by the professor.
2. The professor must receive the following in evidence of the completion of the reading assignment:
a. an analysis of the theological implications of the material,
b. a presentation of the salient theological implications of the material,
c. a personal reflection paper giving evidence of the student’s personal interaction with the material and its application to his ministry.
D. Curriculum
1. Five core courses ::: 15 Credit hours :::
a. Applied Theology
b. Intercultural Church Planting, Revitalization, and Growth
c. Intercultural Leadership
d. Research Design
e. Theology of Intercultural Ministry
2. Three electives ::: 9 Credit hours :::
a. Cultural Anthropology & Ethnicity
b. History of Intercultural Ministry
c. Effective Communication in Intercultural Context
d. Conflict Management in Ministry
e. Intercultural Discipleship and Evangelism
f. Intercultural Education
g. Reformed Preaching in Intercultural Context
h. Globalization and Contextualization in Missions
i. Intercultural Ethics
3. Doctoral Dissertation Project ::: 6 Credit hours :::
Total 30 Credit hours