Doctor of Ministry

Doctor of Ministry Early Action Deadline

Leadership for Social Transformation
June 1, 2026 (for cohort beginning August 2026)

Strategic Leadership for Black Congregations
June 1, 2026 (For cohort beginning August 2026)

Enhancing the Church’s ministry by enhancing the Church’s leaders

The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) Program at Garrett Seminary participates in the seminary’s mission by connecting faith leaders with each other, with scholars recognized in their fields, and with distinguished practitioners of Christian ministry. Through carrying out its mission, the program equips the Church with leaders who can observe, analyze, implement and improve a focused practice of ministry.

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Doctor of Ministry Tracks

Leadership for Social Transformation

This track equips faith leaders to understand social movements and religious movements as partners, building skills for mobilizing faith communities in their response to systemic injustices in specific situations and contexts

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Strategic Leadership for Black Congregations

This track engages Black Church leaders in exploring traditional and contemporary culture(s) of the Black Church as well as explore the pastoral and administrative leadership needed to foster a vital, vibrant, relevant and transformative congregation for the 21st century.

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DMin Program Values

Mutuality and Responsibility

DMin faculty, course instructors and members of advisory teams (both lay and ordained) join students in a collegial atmosphere of teaching and learning in which each has a particular role to play in enriching the program. Such mutuality and responsibility mark the character of every aspect of the program: the classroom, writing and evaluating assignments, advisory sessions, conferences and research.

Spiritual Formation and Accountability

In addition to academic development for ministry, the program recognizes the value of and the need for spiritual formation that encourages a sense of accountability as preparatory to the student earning the title Doctor of Ministry. Such a person should be both equipped academically to deal with the practice of ministry, and personally and spiritually mature enough to be an exemplar of what a practitioner of ministry should look like.

Cohort Model and Peer Learning

Our DMin program values and encourages peer learning by admitting students into a cohort of persons who are studying within the same track, and who will work through the same courses as a united group. Both the academic curriculum and the financial structure of the program are built with the expectation that students will remain with their cohort throughout the degree program.

Featured Articles

Explore reflections with these featured articles that showcase the transformative impact of Garrett’s DMin program and cohorts.

Learning to Heal

How Rev. Maddie Johnson tailored her DMin coursework to create denominational sexual ethics trainings

One of the aspects that Rev. Johnson has appreciated most about the DMin program is the opportunity to learn beside other people who are committed to social transformation. “I love my cohort. You have people across denominations; in the church and out of the church; some in traditional ministry, others not,” she begins. “It’s amazing to see the lenses they bring! And since there are only seven of us, it’s an intimate group where you really get to know one another’s projects.”

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Equipped for the Call

Rev. Ezechiel Habwawihe shares how the DMin has energized his ministry

“Church leaders are often relying on one source of income—the offertory—and we are no longer able to meet our financial obligations,” he says. “I didn’t know which way to go, so I entered the Doctor of Ministry Program for Strategic Leadership in Black Congregations and have learned the skills to overcome these challenges.” says Rev. Ezechiel

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