Beginning this summer, 21 students enrolled in Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University’s new doctorate of ministry program will focus on transformational leadership through traditional classwork, online courses and U.S. and international travel.
Bob Whitesel, professor of missional leadership at Wesley Seminary and founding professor, developed the program after observing and researching about 20 different doctorate ministry programs around the nation. Whitesel holds a Ph.D. himself.
“They’re not just going to get my viewpoint; they’re going to hear from people of different ethnicities, social economic levels and size of ministry. It won’t simply teach the students about one type of church; it will teach a broad range of contexts and how to lead,” he said.
The first three years will each include two weeks of intensive study at different locations to learn from 24 international leaders in ministry. The fourth year is time for students to complete their final projects. In the summer of 2017, the transformational leadership group will travel to England for two weeks to visit Oxford, Cambridge and London.
“There are different types of leadership, and some can be self-serving. In ministry it is the mission that motivates, to see people have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” said Whitesel. “Transformational leadership transforms people, that transform churches, that transforms the leader.”
Whitesel said diversity of the speakers was very important when he developed the program. Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church; Dewey Smith, senior pastor at The House of Hope; and Dhanti Lewis, lead pastor and president of The Rebuild Initiative, are all set to engage with participants. Students will also hear a lecture at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered powerful messages to large congregations in Atlanta.
The program is designed for those actively involved in ministry, and there are several benefits for pastors to hold a degree in transformational leadership, said Wayne Schmidt, vice president for Wesley Seminary.
“What happens so often for pastors is they do their classwork upfront then they enter their ministry for 30 or 40 years, but they don’t have an opportunity to deepen their knowledge. The doctorate of ministry is really an opportunity for ministers to have a formal way of strengthening their resources,” he said.
The purpose of the students traveling is to give them access to world-renowned leaders. Schmidt explained it would be more difficult to gather leaders and line up their schedules to travel to Indiana. He also believes a benefit of travel will be allowing students to absorb the speakers’ natural environments.
The program has dual accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission and the Association of Theological School.
One of the reasons for the duration of the four-year program is to help students financially. With lots of online coursework, participants are able to stay in their ministries, and program finances can be worked into their budgets over time.
“We hope that as time goes on and the program accelerates, there will be additional scholarship opportunities created,” said Schmidt.
Tuition is just under $20,000, excluding travel expenses, and the deadline to apply is Feb. 1. Applicants must hold a Master of Divinity degree or equivalence by application submission.
“We hope to have many applicants, and we are looking for women and men who are engaged in ministry and who seek to sharpen their skills to share Christ’s message in the 21st century,” said Whitesel. “It’s a highly practical degree. My hope is that students who have been exposed to this will create this collage of ministry that will transform their lives, their ministry and transform the lives of others.”
For more information, visit Indwes.edu.
