I will be starting a Doctorate of Ministry program from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in January. Like many DMin programs, I will continue working full time while I take classes. Our cohort will spend 2 weeks in January and 2 weeks in June on campus for 3 1/2 years, and the rest of our work will be done while in our congregations.
I knew we had a reading assignment for our first class, but it was much more than I was expecting. Before class we are to read five books: Ethnography as a Pastoral Practice, Studying Congregations, Narrative Research in Ministry, How Your Church Family Works, and The Hidden Lives of Congregations. After reading these five books, each of us will write five 2-page papers examining our own congregations through different lenses. In January, we will share all these papers with one another as we get to know each other and our ministry contexts.
I spent several years researching different Doctorate of Ministry programs, and this program made a point of how academically rigorous they are. I think I'm beginning to understand what they meant. It's also one of the least expensive programs and it's in beautiful Austin, TX. I'm looking forward to January!
No comments:
Post a Comment