A transformational journey of discipleship focused on helping you develop vocational excellence in your current or desired context – all on your time and from wherever you are.
This Doctor of Theology, which is designed for the theological reflective practitioner, is a research degree that will enable you to engage in rich theological reflection on practice, with the goal of enhancing and creating biblically faithful, theologically coherent, and contextually relevant ministry practices for the Church at large. The program blends aspects of both European and American models of doctoral education. It can be completed in context but includes occasional participation in synchronous online sessions.
Some of the specialized theological fields of inquiry researched by students include biblical theology, historical theology, contextual theology, missional theology, apologetics, semiotics, personhood, leadership theology, and trauma and transformation. Non-theological fields are reserved for the Doctor of Philosophy program.
By inviting Kairos to walk on this journey with you, you’re seizing a unique opportunity to deepen your faith while simultaneously developing the content, character, and craft to flourish in your vocation. You’ll develop a mentor team that walks with you throughout the entire program. And then, we will invite you to integrate discipleship, vocational excellence, and proficiency learning.
The 42-credit-hour Doctor of Theology is divided into four phases.
Students typically begin the program on the first day of any month. Please plan to spend your first month working through the Starting Well learning experience. In some cases, if additional pre-work is needed to begin the program, you will work with the enrollment team to coordinate an appropriate start date.
Program Entry Phase
This phase will prepare you for doctoral-level reading and writing, encourage you to develop habits and patterns for successful progress through the program, assist you in identifying a tentative research focus, and conclude with the identification of a mentor team to guide you through the remainder of the program. This phase must be completed prior to beginning coursework or a learning path toward a specialization.
Core Learning Phase
You will have the opportunity to complete core courses in order to provide a common foundational content and context for the learning in the program. Each core course is asynchronous. Activities include experimental learning, readings and responses to literature, dialogue with fellow students and faculty, and synchronous online presentations. Core learning experiences can be taken in any order.
Imagining Well: Imagining Community (3)
Imagining Well: Imagining Mission (3)
Imagining Well: Imagining Knowing (3)
Imagining Well: Formation (3)
Specialized Inquiry Phase
Simultaneous with the completion of the core courses, you will be engaged either individually, or with a group of fellow students, in specialized inquiry (consisting of intentional, guided learning) within your chosen discipline, ministry practice, or
area of research. Specialized inquiry is done asynchronously and under the direct supervision of your mentor team.
Specialized Inquiry: Literature (3)
Specialized Inquiry: History (3)
Asynchronous specialized reading and research on the literature and history of your specialization
Specialized Inquiry: Concepts (3)
Specialized Inquiry: Models (3)
Asynchronous specialized reading and research on the concepts and models of your specialization
Specialized Inquiry: Practices (3)
Specialized Inquiry: Methods (3)
Asynchronous specialized reading and research on practices and research methods of your specialization
Generative Learning Phase
Upon completion of core learning experiences and asynchronous special inquiry, you will take a comprehensive exam to demonstrate the capacity to integrate and apply across the content of the program. Following your comprehensive exam, you will begin the process, under the continued direction of your mentor team, of creating a full-length disseminable dissertation or, with approval, a related artifact that accomplishes the same learning objectives.
Comprehensive Exam
Generative Learning: Research Design (3)
Generative Learning: Dissertation (3)
Program Completion Phase
Mentors commit themselves to the student’s full educational process. Beyond evaluators and supporters, mentors are co-learners with students. They invest considerable time and energy to steward your journey of discipleship and to help you flourish in your vocation.
Faculty mentors are approved members of the Kairos faculty. Obviously, all faculty mentors are acquainted with academic standards and scholarly research. More importantly, they are skilled integrationists who have a desire to help students deepen their faith and flourish in their chosen vocations. Kairos assigns a faculty mentor with appropriate disciplinary expertise to serve on each team.
Vocational mentors are aware of and often active in the student’s current context and/or role. In most cases, vocational mentors are supervisors, leaders, experienced colleagues, or those familiar with the context and its requirements. Students are empowered to identify and invite the vocational mentor who will serve on their team. Vocational mentors need not be doctorally qualified but should bring some high-level expertise to the team.
Personal mentors are confidants or individuals from whom students wish to learn. They must have, or be willing to develop, a close relationship with the student. Personal mentors provide spiritual companionship because they are rooted in faith. Students are empowered to identify and invite the personal mentor who will serve on their team. Personal mentors need not be doctorally qualified but should bring some high-level expertise to the team.
While engaged in this program, you will walk with a mentor team through:
With a focus on rich theological reflection on ministry practice, the Doctor of Theology will help you develop and deepen your knowledge of theological content, be more fully formed in Christian character, and generate new understandings of the craft of ministry. Through the program, you will develop and demonstrate proficiency in its eight outcomes: Starting Well, Specialized Inquiry: Literature and History, Specialized Inquiry: Concepts and Models, Specialized Inquiry: Practices and Methods, Integration: Macro Context, Integration: Micro Context, Generative Learning, and Continuing Well.
As part of the Doctor of Theology program, you will be invited to generate for dissemination high-level scholarly research within a specialized theological field of inquiry toward the improvement of ministry praxis. You will work alongside a mentor team that’s crafted around your specialized field of inquiry, and your entire learning experience may be individualized and contextualized as much as possible toward the exploration of your research focus. Some of the specialized theological fields of inquiry researched by students include biblical theology, historical theology, contextual theology, missional theology, apologetics, semiotics, personhood, leadership theology, trauma, and transformation.
Learning experiences in Kairos are built around an invitation for students to explore some aspect of their vocation, Christian thought and practice, or the human experience. As a Doctor of Theology student, you will have the opportunity to engage in individualized and guided learning experiences that encourage deep theological reflection on ministry practice within your own context and tradition. Learn more about customized learning here.
Learning is not done in isolation. In addition to journeying alongside a mentor team, you will come together each fall and spring to participate in synchronous online sessions. These sessions coincide with the core learning and specialized inquiry phases of the program and create opportunities for community and connection. Synchronous online sessions are helpful for personal encouragement and for the chance to learn from the experiences, perceptions, and wisdom of others who are asking many of the same questions.
We’d love to help you discern if this is the next best step for you. Start a conversation with us today or check out our “Discerning Your Calling” step-by-step guide.
Ready to move forward? Here are a few things you’ll need to get started (more details in the catalog).