“My passion is helping pastors and leaders tie and tether all of life and ministry to the cross of the risen and reigning Jesus in such a way that creates a ripple effect of grace through their families, congregations, and the wider community.”
– Dr. McKay Caston, Dean of Doctoral Studies
Dear prospective DMin student,
When tires are out of alignment on a car, the tread wears more quickly and other elements on the vehicle are affected. Not just ride and comfort but steering and control. Everything’s affected. And not in a good way. The same dynamic is true for pastors and vocational ministry leaders. We continually need realignment—or we’ll begin feeling the wear.
Tim Keller understands renewal is an ongoing process rather than a one-time fix. He also shows us the path, saying, “The key to spiritual renewal is a continual rediscovery of the gospel.”
What if a DMin program were designed to help you walk that path by consciously living all of life tethered to the cross of Jesus? What if such a course of renewal included a plan for increasing your leadership capacity with practical tools for effective ministry? What if the curriculum was built upon a cohort-based, life-on-life discipleship approach where each candidate experiences pastoral camaraderie and receives personal mentoring? What if the program not only was designed for the good of the pastoral leader but also crafted to bring revitalization and renewed purpose to local churches and ministries?
That is the MAS Doctor of Ministry in Gospel Renewal and Pastoral Leadership—an intentional realignment program that equips you for a lifetime of cross-tethered ministry, facilitates congregational renewal, and empowers kingdom mission into the wider community.
Present instructors include Dr. Bryan Chapell, Dr. Jimmy Agan, Dr. McKay Caston, Dr. Tom Lutz, Dr. Jon Adams, Dr. Mike Higgins, Dr. Tim Witmer, Terry Gyger, Randy Pope, Travis Vaughn, Jim Sheppard, and John Purcell. Having professors with such a wide range of experience and expertise contributes to the depth, scope, and quality of the MAS DMin.
Courses meet in a full-day seminar format once a quarter, with required reading completed before seminar presentations and an integration paper due afterward. This approach makes the program uniquely doable, allowing unhurried processing of the course material outside of class, immediate application in real-life ministry settings, and bandwidth for meeting as cohorts and with mentors—an educational philosophy that cultivates a healthy rhythm of learning and growing in a doctoral context.
If you are interested in learning more about how the MAS DMin could benefit your life and ministry, we are glad to help you navigate questions you may have. Feel free to visit metroatlantaseminary.org/dmin or contact the Dean of Doctoral Studies, Dr. McKay Caston, at mckayc@metroatlantaseminary.org.
MAS is fully accredited by the Association of Reformed Theological Schools (ARTS).
Program Overview
The MAS Doctor of Ministry in Gospel Renewal and Pastoral Leadership is designed to foster personal, cross-tethered, spiritual revitalization in each student and to upgrade their leadership skills for leading renewal in churches, ministry organizations, and communities. This program is for pastors and ministry leaders who’ve been in full-time vocational ministry for at least five years post their master’s degree (MDiv or equivalent). As a program requiring extensive reading and writing, each DMin course centers on one full-day seminar each quarter where students receive practical instruction, discuss the primary texts for the course, as well as share personal experiences and best practices. In addition to the academic aspects of the program, each student meets monthly with a coaching cohort to process course material and with a personal mentor to more personally apply the principles of gospel renewal and pastoral leadership, helping each student live all of life tethered to the cross of Jesus. At the conclusion of the program, the candidate produces a Cornerstone Dissertation that integrates what they have learned in the program into a foundational Ministry Manifesto of sorts that is intended to guide them into a life of ongoing gospel renewal and leadership.
Cultivating Functional Cross-Tethered Leadership
LEARNING: Students are exposed to the best available resources and guided in best practices concerning topics related to gospel renewal and pastoral leadership.
PRACTICING: Since knowledge that isn’t used isn’t retained, students will be required to implement what they have learned within their church and context.
MENTORING/COACHING: Since change is never a solo enterprise, students are assigned to a mentored cohort during which monthly meetings provide encouragement and accountability for the formative journey into a cross-tethered life and ministry.
Application Requirements
Applicants must possess an earned and accredited theological master’s degree (MDiv or similar) as well as at least five years of post-master’s, vocational ministry experience that enables each student to engage as a ministry peer with others pursuing a professional doctorate. The DMin application will look for applicants with a clear understanding of their ministry identity and calling, and a readiness to engage in ongoing personal and spiritual formation.
Applying is simple. To start you can complete and submit your application online.
