Concordia Seminary, St. Louis recently converted its Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) Program to an online format and updated the program’s curriculum to better serve pastors who are currently serving in ministry.

The online format allows pastors who are currently serving in ministry to gain new knowledge and tools while they continue to serve.

“The advancement of technology has provided us with more innovative ways to deliver the academic experience,” said Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program Dr. Mark Rockenbach. “I believe that pastors who participate in the Doctor of Ministry Program at Concordia Seminary will be reinvigorated by the experience, and it will deepen their ability to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ within the context they have been called to serve.”

The D.Min. Program equips men in parish ministry with a higher level of competence in the practice of pastoral ministry. Students gain the skills to apply rigorous scholarship and theology to contemporary issues within their ministry context and to become well-respected scholar-practitioners in their ministry field.

D.Min. students can choose from five concentrations:

• General Pastoral Ministry
• Homiletics
• Missional Leadership
• Military Chaplaincy
• Spiritual Care

“I knew that I might want to pursue my doctorate someday, but only if it would benefit the church family that I served,” said Dr. Rance Settle, who graduated from the program in 2020. “Concordia Seminary's D.Min. Program offered me a chance to pursue a practical ministry degree in missional leadership while also equipping the saints in my care, striking the perfect balance between scholarship and practical use in the daily context of ministry.”

All application materials must be received, in their entirety, by Feb. 28 (Nov. 30 for international students) each year in order for an applicant to be considered for admission. Courses begin the following summer after enrollment. The applicant ordinarily will have a M.Div. degree and three years of experience in the parish or related ministry.

For more information, contact the admissions team at 800-822-9545 or gradschooladm@csl.edu.

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit csl.edu.