Doctor of Ministry in Strategic Leadership for Black Congregations

Foster a vital, vibrant, relevant and transformative congregation for the 21st century

The Black Church has a unique history and culture that impacts every aspect of its life, including its worship style, forms of Christian education, methods of administration and governance, and interpersonal relationships within local congregations. The Doctor of Ministry in Strategic Leadership for Black Congregations track recognizes this uniqueness and offers students an opportunity to enhance their capacity to engage effectively in ministry within this context.

Students will cover such issues as how to approach public theology, prophetic preaching, Christian education, evangelism, biblical studies, community engagement and church administration from a Black Church perspective to foster a vital, vibrant, relevant and transformative congregation for the 21st century.

In addition to these core courses, the Strategic Leadership for Black Congregations track requires students to expand their general skills in management and leadership by their participation in Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management Executive Scholars program.

Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Ministry in Strategic Leadership for Black Congregations is a 30-credit hour program. Students will take courses at Garrett and at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

3 Foundational Courses (9-credit hours)

• • Hermeneutics of Race, Class, Gender, Age
  • Research Design and Methodology
  • Biblical and Theological Foundations for Practical Ministry

4 Track Courses + Kellogg Certificate Courses (15-credit hours)

• • Seminar on the Black Church: History, Theology, Prophetic Voice
  • Stewardship, Entrepreneurship, and Institutional Development
  • Prophetic Proclamation for Social Transformation
  • Theories and Practices of Non-Violent Social Change
  • Kellogg Certificate
    • Leading Change in Nonprofits
    • Nonprofit Finance: Toolkit for Leaders
    • Leading with Equity: Leaders Activating Change
    • Strategic Leadership
    • Capstone: The Leader Within

Proposal Research and Writing (3-credit hours)

Project Research and Writing (3-credit hours)

Learn from Skilled Practitioners

Degree Goals

Graduates of the Doctor of Ministry program will be able to:

• • Develop cultural awareness and sensitivity that informs the work of ministry in their particular context
  • Engage in critical biblical and theological reflection on the practice of ministry utilizing methodology appropriate to the specific area of practical ministry
  • Use appropriate research tools to gather data relevant to the ministry area
  • Analyze findings and derive results and conclusions that are compelling and usable for the sake of the ministry
  • Engage critically with key texts that inform the work of the particular area of ministry

Next Steps

Garrett accepts applications from students who have:

• • Earned a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree or its equivalent
  • Have at least three years of full-time ministry experience following the awarding of that degree
  • Are serving in a ministry setting that is significant to the Black experience and
  • Will be serving in that ministry setting during their DMin program.

The DMin Program offers coursework in intensive sessions twice a year. This schedule has implications for international students and visa applications. Therefore, we are unable to offer F-1 visas for Doctor of Ministry students.

The next cohort for the DMin in Strategic Leadership for Black Congregations begins in Summer 2025. Applications are due by March 31st, 2025.