Doctor of Christian Leadership (DCL)

Program Details

The DCL program offers a professional degree that will help the student meet today’s organizational challenges so that he/she is prepared to renew and transform systems and teams. The DCL emphasizes leadership, communication, structure, team building and cultural understanding from a Christian perspective. As a Christian in ministry and the marketplace, the student will be grounded in theory and practical components essential to organizational success.

Through the concentration in leadership, the student will explore sociology, psychology, theology, and theory to lead and transform organizations from a Christian perspective. The primary goal of the DCL program is to train Christian leaders who currently serve in ministry or a marketplace environment, to be better equipped and more effective as they embrace a Christian worldview and seek to expand the “Kingdom of God in the context of their work setting.”

The DCL is designed for business administrators, nonprofit professionals, managers, executives, military personnel, educators, counselors, life coaches, etc. The program is also open to those in church leadership roles who wish to enhance their leadership skills and have a doctoral degree.

Program Objectives

The first part of the program consists of one online course, which is then followed by an opportunity for the “immersion” course that consists of a “deep dive” into a culture from different countries around the globe each year. In this experience, students will be practicing methods for penetrating local cultures to uncover potential ministry opportunities.

The next step in the educational process is the coaching and research course that helps students identify and clarify their project topic. After which, the students will design a customized elective track to build their research and experience for their final Ministry Project. Students can select project topics that explore new interests, have immediate practical benefit to their current work, or build toward a publishable work.

TNIU’s DCL program is unique in many ways. We ask students to write every assignment, including the Project, in ways that benefit the wider context in which they live and work. Once the student has completed his/her degree both the institution and the student will have been strengthened.

Articulate a mature Biblical theology of pastoral ministry and leadership.
Monitor and assess organizations’ abilities to innovate learning environments that continually perform higher in effectiveness and efficiency.
Demonstrate mature knowledge and understanding in the daily tasks of being a reflective leader in their context.
Articulate one’s ministry identification with a realistic understanding of one’s own strengths and weaknesses.
Demonstrate the ability to think, write, and speak analytically on biblical, theological, and practical leadership issues.
Demonstrate a mature and comprehensive knowledge of the area of ministry examined and implemented.
Develop and write a project, which makes an important contribution to the student’s organization or ministry.