Religion & Peace

For the past five years, Hartford Institute for Religion Research has been conducting an intensive study of congregational life in this post-pandemic era. We have uncovered ways that American religious life has been reshaped, as worship practices underwent significant transformations. For example, by mid-2021, 80% of churches offered hybrid worship services, combining in-person and virtual worship engagement in a trend that has continued. What began as an emergency adoption of technology has transformed into strategic implementation – with 75% of congregations still offering some form of virtual worship. 

While some ministry and faith leaders have found a space for creative endeavors and new opportunities within this time of disruption and strategic redirection, it has often been challenging. Clergy and faith leaders have struggled with change and decision fatigue, relational disconnection, congregational conflict, and financial concerns that have brought discontentment with their current setting or thoughts of leaving the ministry altogether. In the midst of these challenges, many leaders are quietly asking hard questions about their calling and capacity, while also longing for fresh imagination, deeper community, and the freedom to experiment in new ways. Are you one of those leaders, sensing both the weight of this moment and the pull toward innovation and renewal? 

Looking to the future, many of the technical and theological tools that faith leaders have used in the past require a more adaptive approach. You may be reimagining community engagement, thinking about ways to deal with increasing polarization, or struggling with difficult decisions on declining participation, aging demographics, or building maintenance. You may have new ministry ideas, rooted deeply in your theological and practical visions for meeting the needs of this current moment, but are unsure if your congregation is ready to embrace such a courageous pathway. If there is one insight from the past five years of research, it is that congregational leaders are faced with a dizzying array of opportunities and challenges. 

This is where a commitment to reflective, sustained innovation becomes vital. Entering a Doctor of Ministry program is just such a commitment – it means prioritizing the space (using Ronald Heifetz’s metaphor) to move “onto the balcony,” stepping back from the daily action to observe the big picture and identify where to focus your efforts for ministry innovation. You can’t do it all, but you can build in the space for the kind of reflection needed to gain clarity and make strategic decisions. This is not simply ministry innovation coming from a flash of inspiration but is rather an intentional setting aside of time and resources to do (what Peter Drucker calls) the “hard work” of innovation: identifying the most pressing needs of your community, reflecting on and developing your strengths, and intentionally pursuing change and new initiatives. 

Why faith leaders should consider a DMin Program

So why is a Doctor of Ministry relevant, beyond providing an intentional, sustained time for getting on the balcony? Why might you consider pursuing this advanced degree? 

• A D.Min. is the right degree for ministry leaders who are already engaged in the work, but who want to make the time and effort to deeply engage a practical problem or opportunity within their communities. These professional degrees open up resources and tools to grow your ability to engage and evaluate complex ministry issues and to work toward meaningful change – whether in congregational leadership, chaplaincy, ecology and religion, social justice, or beyond. 
• A D.Min. brings together faith leaders who are in it together – building a supportive network of peers and colleagues who can offer support, new insights, and experience. The relationships and collaboration developed within a cohort model can last years beyond the end of the program. 
• A D.Min. can open new opportunities for your career and ministry trajectories.  It can support your leadership development and facilitate new opportunities for leadership and teaching within denominations, faith groups, or theological schools. 
• A D.Min. can increase your impact as a ministry leader: these professional degrees often result in a project that addresses a real-world problem or challenge. They allow you to specialize and become an expert in a specific area of ministry. The final project can make a difference not only for your own context, but beyond. Your primary contribution is to the wider field of ministry, so that other clergy, chaplains, and faith leaders can learn from your work. Many DMin graduates find ways to publish or share their expertise gained during the program for the wider community.
  

At HIU, our legacy and current reality — as an institution with a twin commitment to religious leadership for a religiously pluralistic world AND congregational research that provides insights to the very questions faith leaders struggle with — makes us a unique space for pursuing this kind of reflective, practical doctoral work. For nearly 45 years, the Hartford Institute for Religion Research has applied sociological insights to real-world ministry settings.  A D.Min. at HIU equips you to apply these sociological and leadership principles to your own setting, engaging the practical problems and opportunities within your community. Additionally, our peer support, cohort-based model means you will be able to wrestle with your current realities alongside colleagues who “get it”— be they Rabbis, Christian pastors, Muslim chaplains, or non-profit leaders engaging in eco-spirituality or transformational justice. Paired with faculty who bring rich experience in congregational studies, eco-spirituality, chaplaincy, peacebuilding, and justice and transformational ministry, it is a degree that offers both personal enrichment and practical benefits, especially if you are committed to making a lasting difference in your ministry work.

Tags: dmin program for chaplains, dmin program for congregational leaders