Applications now being accepted for January 2009. Application deadline October 1, 2008:

• Practical Theology for Pastors, Chaplains, and Clinicians - January 2009
• The Arts and Theology - January 2009

Application deadline with complete package due December 1, 2008 for:

• Church Leadership Excellence - May 2009

Applications now being accepted for May 2009. Application deadline February 1, 2009:

• Spirituality and Story - May 2009

Projected D.Min. tracks for 2010:

• Urban Ministry - January 2010 - at the 900 Massachusetts Avenue Campus
• Ecumenism

Current D.Min. tracks and tracks which may be offered again in the future:

• Missional Evangelism - began May 2008 
• Life Together: Spirituality for Transforming Community - began May 2008 
• Wesley and the Poor - began January 2008 
• Campus Ministries - began January 2008
• Spirituality and Story - began May 2007
• Church Leadership Excellence - began May 2007
• Faith and the Health of Communities - began January 2007
• Spiritual Leadership for the Global Church: The Asian Track- began July 2006
• Preaching in the 21^st Century - began May 2006
• Servant Leadership for Korean and Korean American Churches - began May 2005
• Leadership in Multi-ethnic Ministry - began January 2005
• Spirituality, Medicine and Ministry - began January 2004

Missional Evangelism

Subject of Focus: Biblical and theological foundations that motivate the church to focus on making disciples of Jesus Christ as well as give substance to contemporary best practices: ones that are sensitive to post-modem sensibilities, take local church story, size, and context into account, and manage to combine ancient passion and vision with twenty-first century awareness.

Core Courses:

• Missional Evangelism - Dr. Scott Kisker
• Historical Models of Missional Evangelism - Dr. Douglas Strong
• Salvation in the New Testament - Dr. Michael Gorman
• Preaching to Those on the Edge of Faith - Dr. William McClain
• God's Welcome: Hospitality for a Gospel-Hungry World - Dr. Amy Oden
• Making Disciples Across Class and Culture - Dr. Sathianathan Clarke
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks
• Leading Fruitful Congregations - Dr. Lovett Weems

Spirituality and Story

Subject of Focus: Narrative as a category of spirituality and as a tool by which pastors participate in the work of weaving human stories into the fabric of God's story.

Core Courses:

• Spiritual Biography and Autobiography - Dr. Douglas Strong
• Theology as Story - Dr. Sondra Wheeler
• The Narratives behind Catholic Spirituality - Dr. Joseph Tortorici
• Narrative Collapse and Restoration: Story and Healing - Dr. Bruce Epperly
• Paul's Use of Narrative to Shape Congregations - Carla Works
• Engaging the Narratives of Other Religions - Dr. Sathianathan Clarke
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks
• African-American Novel as Theological Source - Dr. Josiah Young

Church Leadership Excellence

Subject of Focus: Personal issues and public practices of those called to lead the church. A serious engagement with contemporary secular leadership studies is held in tension with contemporary theologies of the church.

Core Courses:

• Effective and Visionary Leadership - Dr. Lovett Weems
• Images of Leadership in the Bible - Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins and Dr. Craig Hill
• Leadership Diversity in the 21st Century - Dr. Jacqueline Lewis and Rev. John Janka
• Leading the Missional Church - Dr. Dwight Zscheile
• The Cultural Dynamics of Leadership - Dr. George B. Thompson
• The Church Leader as Public Leader - Dr. Shaun Casey
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks
• The Person and Role of Church Leader - Dr. Lovett Weems and Dr. Susan Sonnenday Vogel

Campus Ministries

Subject of Focus: The unique challenges of the mission field of the college or university campus: working in the shadow of secular science, witnessing in a pluralistic faith environment, meeting the respective needs of traditional and non-traditional students, connecting with local congregations, and long-term financial support.

Core Courses:

• The Spirituality of Young Adults and Non-Traditional Students - Dr. Bruce Epperly
• Theology for Campus Ministry - Dr. Kendall Soulen
• Education for Stability and Change: Biblical Perspectives - Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
• The Life and Vision of Howard Thurman - Dr. Beverly Mitchell
• Best Practices in Leadership and Administration for Campus Ministers - Dr. Lovett Weems
• Moral Discernment in the Context of Pluralism - Dr. Sondra Wheeler
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks
• Worship for Campus Ministers - Dr. Eileen Guenther and Dr. Laurence Hull Stookey

Wesley and the Poor

Subject of Focus: Providing church leaders with a new vision and new tools for leading the church in ministry to and with the poor. Note: January case study of St. John's Downtown takes place in Houston, TX.

Core Courses:

• John Wesley and the Poor - Dr. Douglas Strong
• The Church and the Poor: A Study in Social Location - Dr. James Shopshire
• Hearing the Voice of the Poor in the Bible - Dr. Sharon Ringe
• Pastoral Theology and Economic Justice - Dr. Mary Moschella
• St. John's Downtown, Houston, TX: A Case Study in Ministry to and with the Poor (6 credit hours) - Dr. Fred Smith, Rev. Rudy Rasmus, and Rev. Juanita Rasmus
• Teaching the Church's Moral Tradition on Wealth - Dr. Sondra Wheeler
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks

Faith and the Health of Communities

Subject of Focus: Leadership capacities of religious professionals working on the boundaries of faith and public health practices. Uses the combined resources of Wesley Theological Seminary, the Interfaith Health Program of Emory University in Atlanta, and Methodist Healthcare of Memphis

Core Courses:

• Dynamics of Power and Health - Dr. Fred Smith
• Salvation, Health and Community - Dr. Sondra Wheeler
• Biblical Faith and Human Health - Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
• Health as Urban Ministry - Dr. Gary Gunderson
• Faith, Flesh, Health Alignment - Dr. Fred Smith
• Building Religious Leadership Competencies for Serving - Dr. Lovett Weems
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks
• Religion as an Asset for Health: The Social Science Perspective - Dr. James Cochrane and Dr. Gary Gunderson

The Arts and Theology

Subject of Focus: Use of artistic and theological resources to unfold theological truth, to recognize the glories and claims of creation, to articulate the depths of suffering, and to enhance the proclamation of the gospel of the Incarnate One in the congregation and the public arena. The venue for this doctor of ministry track will rotate between classroom, studio, stage, museum, and church.

Core Courses:

• Spirituality and Creativity - Catherine Kapikian
• Art as Worship, Worship as Art - Dr. Deborah Sokolove
• The Arts in the Bible - Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
• Theological Aesthetics - Dr. R. Kendall Soulen
• The Jazz Tradition: An American Treasure and Theological Resource - Dr. Josiah Young
• Tools for Drama in Ministry - Deryl Davis
• Architecture of the Western Church - Rev. John Runkle, R.A.
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks

Practical Theology for Pastors, Chaplains, and Clinicians

Subject of Focus: The ‘care of souls' tradition extends back to Biblical days, when the work of priests, prophets, and wise leaders were called to care for God's people. Care for the souls of persons and congregations remains a significant ministry of the church because the good news of Jesus includes "release to the captives" and comfort to those who mourn. Communal and contextual models of care enliven the ‘care of souls' tradition in the 21^st century.

The D.Min. in Practical Theology for Pastors, Chaplains, and Clinicians will equip ministers with the theoretical and practical tools necessary for more effective and reflective ministry in care and counseling. It will include a strong emphasis on biblical and theological foundations combined with current theory and best practices. Participants will grow in the ability to reflect as pastoral theologians and in the ability to respond to pressing human needs as skilled caregivers.

Students in this track will select one of four possible ways of fulfilling their elective hours: (1) Four hundred clinical hours in an AAPC accredited or affiliated center; (2) two units of ACPE recognized CPE, completed from the time of entering the program; (3) Two practical theology electives to be authorized by the Doctor of Ministry Director; and (4) A combination of one practical theology elective plus either one unit of CPE or 200 clinical hours as above. Each option is the equivalent of 6 credit hours.

Students choosing clinical hours or CPE will be responsible for securing their clinical settings in consultation with Wesley's D.Min. faculty. Students also may apply these clinical hours toward certification or licensure in various professional associations (e.g., AAPC, ACPE, and APC).

Core Courses:

• Foundations and New Directions in Practical Theology - Dr. Mary Moschella and Dr. Michael Koppel
• Pastoral Assessment, Diagnosis, and Psychopathology - Dr. Douglas M. Thorpe
• Theological Foundations for Practical Theology - Dr. Beverly Mitchell
• Intercultural Pastoral Care and Counseling - Dr. Michael Koppel
• The Bible as Source for Pastoral Care - Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
• Ethnography and Transformation of Congregations - Dr. Mary Moschella
• The Care and Counseling of Couples and Families - Dr. Valerie Lester Leyva
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks

Preaching in the 21st Century

Subject of Focus: new disciplines worth mastering, new insights from biblical interpretation, hermeneutics, and communications theory; renewing the church in our time through the act of preaching.

Core Courses:

• Words and The Word: Theology and Rhetoric - Dr. Lucy Hogan
• Preaching to those on the Edge of Faith - Dr. William McClain
• The Public Pulpit - Dr. Philip Wogaman
• Biblical Interpretation for Preaching to a New Generation - Dr. Bruce Birch and Dr. Katherine Grieb
• Sermon Series that Engage the Heart and the Mind - Rev. Adam Hamilton
• Harry Emerson Fosdick: A Case Study in the Preacher as Pastoral Care Giver - Dr. Michael Koppel
• Preaching with Prophetic Imagination - Dr. William McClain
• Preaching and Multi-Media - Dr. Susan Hedahl
• Leading through Preaching - Dr. Lovett Weems
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks

Spirituality, Medicine, and Ministry

Subject of Focus: Pastoral care is so immediate and pressing that there is little time to reflect on its significance. New sources, tools, and perspectives for the conversation over the pastoral experience of those who are called and equipped to share news about a healing balm in Gilead. Participants will be encouraged and equipped for a more intentional, collaborative, and creative exercise of the gifts of healing.

Core Courses:

• The Healing Ministry of Jesus - Dr. Bruce Epperly
• Pastors and Health Care Providers: Caregiving and the Meeting of Cultures - Dr. Lucy Hogan and Dr. Kevin Hogan
• Spirituality and Medicine - Dr. Glenda Hodges
• Creativity and Play in Pastoral Ministry - Dr. Michael Koppel
• Best Practices Combining Spirituality, Medicine, and Ministry - Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
• Providence, Evil, and Suffering - Dr. Kendall Soulen
• Ethical Issues in Medicine - Dr. Sondra Wheeler
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks

Life Together: Spirituality for Transforming Community

Subject of Focus: One of the most popular tracks at Wesley. This track looks to the transformation of groups (congregations, ministries, communities, the public) through the use of classical and contemporary texts and the spiritual disciplines of the church.

Core Courses:

• Life in Community: Theological Reflection and Experiential Models - Dr. Michael Koppel
• Exodus, Covenant, Exile: the Formation and Transformation of God's People - Dr. Bruce Birch
• Howard Thurman - Dr. Beverly Mitchell
• God's Welcome: Hospitality for a Gospel-Hungry World - Dr. Amy Oden
• Pilgrimage to the Alabama of the Civil Rights Movement - August 2009 (6 credits) - Dr. C. Anthony Hunt
• Listening as a Tool for Transformation of the Congregation - Dr. Mary Clark Moschella
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks

Leadership in Multi-ethnic Ministry from a Wesleyan Perspective

Subject of Focus: Designed to form and equip church leaders who are committed to God's intention to bless the human race through racial and ethnic difference. Participants will receive both theological foundations for ministry in diverse settings and new insights for the practice of that ministry. The crucial role of the leader and the value of retooling leadership skills will be emphasized. It is anticipated that graduates will be catalysts for creative multi-racial and multi-ethnic ministry at local and regional levels.

Core Courses:

• God of All the Nations - Dr. Denise Dombkowski Hopkins
• Leadership in Diverse Ministry Settings - Dr. Lovett Weems
• Encounter, Exclusion, and Embrace - Dr. James Shopshire
• Pastoral Counseling and Care in Diverse Ministry Settings - Dr. Michael Koppel
• Spirituality that Supports Leadership in Diverse Ministry Settings - Rev. Eric Law
• Worship in Diverse Ministry Settings - Dr. William McClain
• Models for Creating and Sustaining Multi-ethnic Ministry - Dr. Fred Smith
• Project Seminar - Dr. Lewis Parks 

Servant Leadership for Korean and Korean American Churches

Subject of Focus: To strengthen Korean and Korean American pastoral leaders for the work of challenging and equipping their parishioners for active ministry. Special attention is given to the model of the servant leader who finds strength in God and joy in helping others claim their ministries in response to God's grace.

Core Courses:

• Biblical Perspectives on Servant Leadership
• The Church Speaks to Power
• The Theology of the Church
• Immersion at Church of the Savior, Washington, DC
• Wesleyan Spirituality
• Gospel for the Oppressed
• Servant Leaders and the Ministry of All Christians
• Project Seminar
• Evangelism
• Effective and Visionary Servant Leadership

Spiritual Leadership for the Global Church: The Asian Track

Subject of Focus: Asian realities and mission challenges for the emerging global and local church. Faculty teams from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington and Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul will introduce pastors to the impact of global awareness on the theological disciplines that sustain ministry.

Core Courses:

• Spiritual Formation
• Worship
• Mission for the Global Church
• Bible: Old and New Testament
• Pastoral Care and Counseling
• Church and Society
• Project/Thesis Seminar
• Leadership
• Christian Education
• Theology