I’ve been asked a couple of times what the difference between a D.Min. and a PhD are and so, although I’m no expert, I thought I’d give it a shot. I am working on my D.Min. (Doctor of Ministry) which, unlike a PhD, is a ministry-based degree. What I mean by that is that a D.Min. is intended to be directly related the specific ministry the individual is engaged in. In other words, if I were to leave Dunningville today, I would have to come up with a different thesis project than the one I’ve been developing since it was in direct relation to the peculiarities of my current setting.
A D.Min. is a “real” doctorate, but it’s realm is primarily ministry, not academia, whereas a PhD’s main area of focus is the world of academics. That means that whereas a PhD’s research may be fully based in the area of theory, a D.Min. is based primarily in practice, so the thesis I’m working on is directly related to a specific practical project that we will be doing at Dunningville. In this case, a project related to the development of integration and discipline.
Integration, in this case, refers to the concept of having one’s faith fully integrated in one’s life. Or, to put it differently, to ensuring that there is integrity between the different areas of our lives.  It’s based on the most basic belief that I cannot accept the idea that it’s appropriate for someone to be a completely different person when they’re at church than when they’re at school or work or home. Jesus saved some of his harshest criticisms for hypocrites – those who said they believed one thing but acted contrary to their confessed beliefs.
The project is intended to foster that integration and to promote the self-discipline needed to “live out” what we say we believe. Christianity cannot simply be a faith of words… it must also be a faith of “being” and “doing.”
I hope that makes sense.
On another note, let me level a public condemnation against QueerJoe for providing a link to the Sue Knitting Game on his blog. The instructions are entirely unhelpful (as they are in Japanese); it’s music is mind-numbingly annoying; the game is a ridiculous waste of time; and it’s far too infantile for the energy I’ve spent on it….
[For those of you without a sense of humor, note tongue fully lodged in cheek.] 
Grace and Peace,
`tim
Yeah, Joe’s kind of evil that way. I actually just looked at it for the first time, and the instructions are actually in Korean. Since I neither speak nor read either Japanese or Korean, though, I suppose the observation is largely academic.
Mel…
I stand corrected, but yes, It’s entirely academic to me as well since I speak neither Japanese nor Korean and my VERY limited Chinese was entirely unhelpful!
(UN)fortunately, it was an easy game to figure out, requiring the use of only the space bar and the left and right cursor buttons.
Grace and Peace,
`tim
That is the best explanation/definition of a DMin that I’ve ever read!
That game is ridiculous. I played it anyway.