Accelerate your ministry and enhance your potential through our Doctor of Ministry program.
Are you ready to go to the next level? How about the church or organization you lead? Is it all it should be? We want to help you achieve your potential and refresh your soul. That is why we focus on the total person, in addition to challenging you academically, and exposing you to best practices. Learn more about our Doctor of Ministry program here.
Requirements for consideration for acceptance into the Doctor of Ministry program:
- 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.
Application requirements:
- A maximum two-page essay (typed and double-spaced) that overviews their experience of becoming a Christian and decision to pursue ministry as a calling.
- A ministry essay of eight to ten pages (typed and double-spaced), setting forth their understanding of ministry and their ability to communicate that understanding. The essay needs to address the following areas:
- Philosophy of ministry.
- Past ministry experience.
- Current ministry situation, including position, nature of responsibilities and accomplishments, organizations, and programs.
- Goals for personal and professional development in ministry practice.
- Specific ways Gateway’s D.Min. program will help in achieving these goals.
- A statement of approval from the church, institution, or agency in which the applicant ministers describing its approval of the applicant and its willingness to participate in the applicant’s program of study and practice. This form is used to determine an applicant’s denominational status, in terms of tuition.
- Names of references who will testify to the applicant’s commitment to and effectiveness in ministry.
- An original, signed Ethical Conduct Standard form.
- TOEFL score (not more than one year old) of at least 575 on paper-based exam, 230 on the computer-generated TOEFL, or 90 iBT, in addition to a minimum score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English portion, for students who do not speak English as their first language or do not have a degree from an accredited institution in the United States and did not take the MAT.
- For Korean Track applicants only, the expected TOEFL score is 550. The Test of Spoken English portion is not required. For persons who have graduated with an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited English-language-based institution or take our in-house test, the TOEFL requirement is waived.
- An interview conducted or supervised by the director or associate director.
Applicants may be granted provisional acceptance if their entrance data are not sufficient to indicate candidacy, or if grade point average and MAT score are marginally lower, but ministry (as determined by references, years in ministry, essay, and interview) is significantly above average. The cohort coordinator will review work of provisional applicants after their first six months in the program and recommend to the D.Min. Committee if they should be granted candidate status. If the committee determines the provisional applicant should not continue in the program, he/she will be terminated from the program.
Admissions Process
The application deadline is five months prior to the start of the first seminar (date will vary depending upon which track the applicant selects). On this date, we will need—at a minimum—the applicant’s completed application and the application fee. Remaining required materials may be submitted after this date.
All required items (transcripts, essays, etc.) must be received before final processing of an application.
When the application file is complete, the director or associate director will review the material, conduct a phone-call interview with the applicant, and make a recommendation to the D.Min. Committee.
We will inform applicants after the final determination. In some cases, the D.Min. Committee may ask an applicant to defer his/her application to a later cohort (which does not guarantee acceptance).