Doctor of Christian Leadership (DCL)

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.

Program Details

The Doctor of Christian Leadership (DCL) at The New International University (TNIU) is designed to contribute to the transformational development of pastors and Christian leaders serving globally. The program emphasizes theological, biblical, missional, and practical integration, equipping leaders to engage real-world challenges through a robust Christian worldview.

Whether serving in pastoral ministry or in the marketplace, TNIU’s doctoral programs are intended to build leadership capacity that advances spiritual formation, missional engagement, and professional effectiveness. The DCL program focuses on examining contemporary ministry and leadership issues through a theological lens, fostering a deeper understanding of Christian leadership within diverse cultural, organizational, and vocational contexts.

The primary goal of the DCL is to prepare Christian leaders currently engaged in ministry or professional environments to lead more effectively as they seek to expand the Kingdom of God within their respective fields of influence.

The DCL is designed for business administrators, nonprofit professionals, managers, executives, military personnel, educators, counselors, life coaches, and other professionals. The program is also open to individuals serving in church leadership roles who desire to enhance their leadership competencies through doctoral-level education.

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 and be able to:

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.

Doctor of Christian Leadership Learning Outcomes

Acquire and enhance personal leadership awareness, through the process of “community,” and apply it in a vocational setting.
Acquire new skills in leadership, including effective marketplace engagement, mission, vision, communication, conflict management, and empowered coaching relationships—all derived from a “Kingdom in the Marketplace” perspective based on Biblical principles.
Acquire the model of “being” ahead of “doing” in leadership development, both personally and in the lives of those the leader reproduces.
Acquire a personal, Biblical identity as a leader who embraces the Gospel and manifests a style of leadership that embodies Christ.

Doctor of Christian Leadership Entrance Qualifications

Successful completion of a Master level degree.
A minimum of five years of influence in a specific sector of society.

Doctor of Christian Leadership Graduation Requirements

Currently, TNIU offers one Graduation Date each year in May. To graduate with the Doctor of Christian Leadership degree, the student must:

Successful completion of 40 semester credits of coursework, including required courses, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
Complete any outstanding homework and fulfill past due financial obligations to TNIU.
Successfully satisfy the Research Dissertation Project requirements.
File the Graduation Application during the Fall Semester (typically Sept-Dec), preceding the May graduation, before participation in graduation ceremonies will be considered. For more details, please see the Graduation Requirements section in the Catalog.