I began my Doctorate of Ministry (D.Min.) journey in August of 2024. In an effort to include you in my journey, this monthly blog exists to reflect why I’m doing this, what I’m learning, and how this will impact our church.
Each month I’ll break things down into three sections: The Road Behind, The Present Road, and The Road Ahead.
The Road Behind
If you’ve read the previous blogs, you’ll notice there’s no October post…that’s because (as stated in the September post), September and October had the busiest schedule. For August and September I posted the first week of each month, but the first week of October I was in Nashville for the residency portion of the semester – a busy week! I’ll use this “Road Behind” section to recap September and October.
September marked the heavy beginning of reading, writing, and researching. Several of the papers I have written require finding articles to support my understanding, and the research work has been amazing! Because September and October flowed together, I’ll summarize the homework like this: I read seven textbooks (or portions of some of those) and then 16 chapters were perused/read to get a broad understanding of my future dissertation project set for 2026. I also wrote 8 papers over the last two months. And, as noted, I completed the Fall residency.
The residency began Thursday October 3rd, and finished Friday October 11th. Thursday began at 7:45 am and finished around 8:30pm. Friday was shorter – 7:45 am to 5pm. Both of these days were dedicated to getting to know the cohort (14 of us involved) and discussing the Missional Ecclesiology class. Saturday morning finished the Missional Ecclesiology lectures and featured a bonus visit from Mike, the voice of Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales, who works at Lipscomb!
Saturday afternoon added another hour or so discussion about personality types and group dynamics, and the evening began the “retreat” portion of the residency, a spiritual emphasis for growth and renewal, with a theme of forgiveness this semester. Sunday continued the retreat, with lecture and discussion and small group prayer and sharing time. Monday morning concluded the retreat and we were given the afternoon off to work on homework.
Tuesday morning we loaded up on a travel bus and began the Justice portion of the residency. Tuesday was spent in Atlanta, Georgia at the Center for Civil and Human Rights. Wednesday and Thursday were spent in Montgomery, exploring various pieces of Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy, as well as several hours at the Equal Justice Initiative Museum, with a focus on the consequences of American slavery and the tragedies of American incarceration. Friday we stopped in Birmingham to visit the 16th Street Baptist church, where four Black girls were killed in a bombing during the Civil Rights movement. We returned to Nashville by 5pm and I drove home that evening, getting back to my wife and child around 12:30 am.
I’ve written reflections on all I learned if you’d like details! But for now I’ll say it was a wealth of information that inspired me, brought me to tears, and pushed me to be a better person. There is a lot to do in the world, to bring love and justice into fruition. With perseverance, and through the Spirit, we can do something!
I finished the last few weeks with reading, more reading, and more writing. Finally, the present road of November slows things down.
The Present Road
This month I begin my last textbook (Embracing the New Samaria: Opening Our Eyes to Our Multiethnic Future by Alejandro Mandes) – and I’ll write one paper about this book and Becoming a Just Church by Adam Gustine. One more paper due in early December will be an overall reflection of what I’ve learned in the Justice class, and how it applies to the church. And one more paper due in early December will be about all my learnings on Missional Ecclesiology and how it applies to Northland.
I am in the habit now of getting up between 5-6 am to do my homework and get a move on with the day. That began in earnest in October, but it’s been something I’ve actually valued immensely, and will continue that practice.
The Road Ahead
I’m not sure if I’ll get all three of the papers finished this month, or if December will feature the finalization of the second and third papers, so next month I’ll share how that went in the Road Behind section.
As for this semester, I’m nearly done! The second week of December is the official end. I currently have A’s in both classes, but the Doctorate program is not so focused on grades as it is on completion and production.
I’ll register for the Spring semester in late November or early December. But the reality is I’m almost 20% of the way through my Doctorate Program! It’s been a blessing.
Far down the road is the D.Min. project. Instead of the Ph.D. dissertation, the D.Min. utilizes a project for the culmination of all I’ve learned. I’ll be putting things into practice at Northland and writing about the whole process. The whole church will be involved in this project – you’ll know what I’m doing once I figure it out! Project is scheduled for Fall 2026.
For now, I ask you keep me in your prayers and offer anything you hope will encourage me on this journey. I hope to share much with you all through this process, and I pray that God transforms me beyond my wildest imagination. Thank you.