Admission

Also see the How to Apply section of the web site.

Eligibility

The Doctor of Ministry degree is open to graduates of colleges and universities who have also earned an accredited Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent and who are involved in or who have been involved in ministry. M.Div. equivalency will be determined generally in reference to Emmanuel’s M.Div. program. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis by the D.Min. Admission Committee.

The Director’s office will evaluate applications from those who do not have the M.Div. degree and will indicate what courses need to be taken in order to establish equivalency. Once that course of study is completed, the prospective student may apply for formal admission. No work taken to meet equivalency requirements will count toward the D.Min. requirements.

Applicants must have completed at least three years of full-time experience in ministry subsequent to having earned the M.Div. degree.

The Application Form for the Doctor of Ministry should be completed and sent to Emmanuel School of Religion along with:

• The nonrefundable application fee.
• Official transcripts of credits from college and seminary. The applicant should arrange to have these sent directly to Emmanuel from other schools.
• Three references. The applicant should complete the top section of three reference forms and have three people fill out and send the references to the school. If possible, choose as references a former seminary professor, a ministerial colleague, and a member of a congregation or constituency you have served.
• Evidence of competence for advanced study in the form of standardized tests. Both the Graduate Record Examination (Aptitude Section) [or the Miller Analogy Tests] and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) are required prior to admission. Scheduling these tests and having their results sent to Emmanuel are the student’s responsibility. International students must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) prior to enrollment. If they have not yet arrived in the U.S. and the GRE, MAT or MMPI are not available in their own countries they may be exempted from these examinations but they will not be exempted from the TOEFL.
• A five-page double-spaced description of a critical incident in your ministry. This small project should indicate how you view ministry and how you put those views into practice. A description of this requirement will be found in the next section.

When these documents have been read and evaluated by the Admissions Committee, an interview will be arranged. If the student lives within 200 miles of Johnson City, the interview will be on campus. If the student lives beyond the 200-mile radius, a conference call will be arranged or a regional representative of Emmanuel will conduct the interview.

An application should be received no later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the first class in which the student intends to enroll.

For further information or for an appointment to visit campus, an applicant should write or phone the Doctor of Ministry Program, Emmanuel School of Religion, One Walker Drive, Johnson City, Tennessee 37601-9438 (800/933-3771). Email inquiries may be sent to DMinOffice@esr.edu. Administrative offices are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., September through May, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., June through August. The offices are closed on Saturday, Sunday, and most legal holidays.

Critical Incident

A critical incident in ministry represents a situation in which the student has been involved personally that required a considered judgment or action. Writing and reflecting on this incident and the response to it will reveal the theological issues raised by the encounter. The exercise will also say something about personal strengths for ministry as well as the insights that may contribute to change and personal development.

The requirements for this part of the admissions packet are as follows:

1. Write the incident in no more than five pages, double-spaced. Be discrete, use initials instead of names; change the initials if that is best. Concentrate on the critical information.
2. State the pertinent details leading up to the situation. Describe any feelings or expectations before the incident took place. Indicate which persons or pressures shaped the event.
3. Describe what happened. Be objective. Report as much detail as possible. Remember that quotations of important statements give flavor to the event.
4. State what was learned as a result of this event. Talk about feelings and insights. Include their relevant comments from other people. Reflect on four areas:
1. Describe the effect this incident had on personal identity. Indicate what was learned about self and how personality had an effect on the situation.
2. State how this event influences your sense of calling or vocation. Describe what skills and competencies were used well and others which need to develop.
3. Indicate which theological issues were raised by this event and how those issues influenced the outcome.
4. Describe the ways in which this incident touched spiritual development, what strengths and weaknesses it uncovered.
5. Integrate these findings into a conclusion that will be of help in the future. Indicate the resources used in the incident and how you made sense of the event. Describe the aspects you did not anticipate and what you might do differently if a similar incident arose.

Transfer of Credit

Students may apply for transfer of credit from another accredited D.Min. program. Usually the transfer is granted, but it is not automatic. Hours applied to a different degree, such as the Th.M., normally cannot be applied to the D.Min. No more than 6 hours of credit can be granted for work taken in a D.Min. program at another institution. At least 24 semester hours of class work and the D.Min. project must be completed within the Emmanuel curriculum.

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