Doctor of Ministry Program in Renewal of the Church for Mission

Application Materials

Thank you for considering our Doctor of Ministry Program in Renewal of the Church for Mission!

The deadline for submitting application materials is May 30.

Orientation is scheduled during the month of June for all incoming students. Please note: If you are married, your spouse is required to attend the enrichment retreat weekend with you.

Your completed file consists of the following items. You will need Adobe Acrobat to view and print the following forms.

Application Form (pdf)
Personal Reference Form (print 4, according to instructions in application form) (pdf)
Candidate Health Form (pdf)
Official Academic Transcripts
Required essays described in application form

A $30 application fee must accompany your application. Once your file is complete, a staff member will contact you to arrange an interview.

Should you have questions regarding this process, staff can be reached at 1-800-220-3287, extension 369 or 610-645-9369 or at semdmin@eastern.edu.

Pre-requisites for Admission to a D.Min. Program
In order to maintain the academic standards for accreditation with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), an applicant to the D.Min. program must meet the following pre-requisites:
- Hold a Master of Divinity Degree (M.Div.) with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
- Have appropriate ministry experience subsequent to the M.Div.
- Maintain a current involvement in an appropriate ministry context.

Accreditation and Affiliations
Palmer Theological Seminary is fully accredited by the following organizations:
- The Association of Theological Schools for the degree programs: M.Div., MTS, and D.Min.
- The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

Palmer Theological Seminary is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA; however, it also prepares persons for ministry in a variety of contexts and denominations. For example, it is also approved by the United Methodist Church for the training of ministerial candidates. Many denominations are represented by the student body.

Palmer Theological Seminary is affiliated with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, approved for Veterans Education and approved for the attendance of non-immigrant students.

Palmer Theological Seminary is committed to providing equal educational opportunities to all qualified students regardless of their economic and social status, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin.

Palmer Theological Seminary's Mission and Identity
Palmer Theological Seminary has a multi-faceted diversity: ethnically, denominationally, and in terms of age, gender, and professional backgrounds. In the midst of such diversity, one rule becomes essential, and that is a rule of respect. It is not necessary that everyone agree on all elements of a colleague's position, but students are expected to respect the diversity of views even while entering into dialogue together about them. In the same way, since Palmer Theological Seminary as a religious institution, does have a particular stance despite its ecumenical posture, students who matriculate a given program need to respect Palmer Theological Seminary mission and identity even if they do not agree with every element of
its position.