Doctor of Ministry
Accelerate your ministry
Refresh your soul
Are you ready to go to the next level? Gateway wants to help you achieve your potential in life and ministry.
At a Glance
Duration: Three to six years that includes:
- 16 units of seminar work
- 8 units of field work
- 6 units of ministry project
- 30 total units
Location: Five Campuses throughout the Western United States or through 100% distance education. Only two trips to a campus are required for most cohorts meeting face-to-face. Seminars are available online for distance learners and to supplement face-to-face cohorts.
Approach: Study in cohorts that range in size from eight to 15.
Why a Gateway D.Min.?
- Quality education at a reasonable cost
- 100% Distance learning or take some short-term intensive seminars
- Personalized goals and learning flexibility
- Peer support and relationships
- Seminars co-taught by seminary faculty and leading practitioners
- “360-degree” field-based mentoring process
Gateway’s D.Min. program is:
Calibrated to the speed of life. You can earn your D.Min. with just two, week-long trips, or without leaving your ministry field if you prefer 100% distance education.
Self-Directed. Instead of designing rigid subject-related tracks, Gateway Seminary uses a cohort approach that offers greater flexibility while still allowing you to engage your area of interest.
Candidates take the program (Orientation, Research Methods, Project Planning) and core seminars (Leadership, Spiritual Formation, Ministry of Personal Relationships) with the members of their cohort. Working through this part of the curriculum with a cohort allows candidates to develop deep relationships in a supportive learning community.
Candidates take the specialist seminars either as a self-directed study or with others who are interested in the same area of specialization.
Life on Life. Ministry can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The Seminary’s cohort system (eight to 15 candidates) encourages you to build meaningful relationships with other ministers who face the same challenges you do. Gateway Seminary will help you set up a ministry support system so you can gain needed feedback from your peers, those you serve and from a mentor.
Challenging. With Gateway Seminary’s D.Min., you will experience academic excellence with practical application. It is a challenging professional degree that applies academic rigor to life and ministry.
Encouraging. Ministry is tough. You minister in an ever-changing, often hostile environment. The D.Min. faculty understands the pressures. They are accomplished, front-line ministers who teach out of their theological training and their extensive ministry experience. They want to help you accelerate your ministry and refresh your soul.
Requirements for Admission
- M.Div. or a ministry-related master’s degree along with the demonstration of competence in thoughtfully interpreting scripture and the theological tradition of their ministry context.
- A 3.0 or higher GPA in the qualifying master’s degree. Those with a lower GPA may still qualify with an adequate Miller's Analogy test score.
- Significant ministry experience that enables the applicant to engage as a ministry peer with other students in this advanced professional doctorate.
- Current ministry position.
- Complete the application process.
Additional Information
- If you have questions, then please call 909.687.1609 or email us at
- Stop by the D.Min. offices on the fifth floor, Gateway Seminary, 3210 E Guasti Rd, Ontario, CA 91761
- Read a fuller description in our Academic Catalog
- Download the D.Min. Program Guidebook 2024-2025