Millennial Church
Mission
Prompted by the promise of Christ's soon return, the Doctor of Ministry program at Andrews University is designed to develop spiritually mature and responsible professionals in ministry for worldwide church leadership. The Millennial Church Concentration prepares participants for the specific challenges of transforming congregations for mission and ministry in the context of millennial disciples serving in a western secular culture.
The concentration is intended to provide a significant and terminal professional doctoral experience for those who lead churches in generational transition, providing biblically sound and theologically informed leadership in churches that engage millennials in faithful discipleship. In doing so they will offer practical models of churches throughout the division transitioned to places of discipleship for youth and young adults.
Participants in the cohort will be required to experience association and support in their learning journey through linking with a church-formed initiative targeting millennials.
Outcomes
The outcomes of the concentration include; 1) a knowledge base, 2) a transformational emphasis on being, and 3) doing, evidenced in skill training for ministry among the millennial generation of disciples of Christ.
Knowing: The knowledge base has the five following components:
- A current understanding of the worldview and culture of millennials living in the 21st century in western cultures
- An understanding of spirituality and the spiritual decision process among these young adults
- A faithful theology of ministry
- An advanced understanding of a theology of the church
- An advanced understanding of ecclesiology
- An understanding of the leadership issues--especially change theory--involved in the challenge of transforming congregations for ministering to millennials
- Identifying the culture and worldview of millennials, especially in the context of religion and religious institutions
Being: In the process of the millennial church concentration, participants will experience transformational development in the following essentials:
- Transformation through personal biblical spirituality and theological formation
- A compassionate vision for youth and young adults
- A vision for mission to youth and young adults
- Valuing diversity
- Commitment to renewal of the church
- Courage to challenge the status quo
Doing: Participants in the millennial church concentration form skills for effective ministry in the context of the congregation. Those include:
- Articulating a biblical theology of the church, its mission and ecclesiology
- Fostering shared vision for church renewal
- Facilitating planning within the systems effecting renewal in the congregation
- Leading and managing change in the process of congregational renewal
- Leading congregations to effective mission to millennials
- Engaging millennials in mission
- Managing conflict effectively
- Developing competencies for leadership in diversity and multiculturalism
Learning Modalities
The following nine learning modalities will be included in the concentration’s andragogy:
- A ministry development plan
- A context support group
- Learning groups including collective assignments, consultations, and accountability
- Classroom consultation: including didactic and experiential learning and networking, with top educators, experts, and practitioners in the field of ministry
- Journaling
- Research: including perusal of the current literature, assigned readings, and case studies
- Praxis: including implementation of ministry in the context of the congregation
- Mentoring
- A project including theological reflection, literature review, field research, and intervention involving a specific challenge in congregational renewal
The Congregation as a Learning Environment
Each participant will engage in a project in which the congregations they serve will transform into churches effectively discipling millennials. Participants will be required to link with a support system in their transformative leadership targeting the discipling and congregational life of millennials. The congregations participants serve provide the learning context. Specific existing congregations that have experienced transformation or church plants focusing on millennial or later generations will provide a backdrop for case studies. These congregations offer observable laboratories for the intended transformational experience.
Contact
Dr. Allan Walse serves as coordinator for the Millennial Church concentration. He can be reached at walshe@andrews.edu or 1-269-471-3318.
Travel and lodging information is provided in the links under the "Intensive Location" column.
Cohorts are identified by the year in which they formed. Cohort participants will take these courses and modules:
For dates and locations of courses planned for cohorts in other concentrations, see the four-year DMin Program Planner.
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7/21/2015
- Phone: 269-471-3544
- Toll-free: 888-717-6244
- Email: dmin@andrews.edu