Categories
Books Duke Divinity School Pastor's Life Sociology

Recommended: Jackson Carroll’s God’s Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations

  • Here is my Amazon.com review of:
  • Jackson W. Carroll: God's Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations (Pulpit & Pew)

    Jackson W. Carroll: God’s Potters: Pastoral Leadership and the Shaping of Congregations (Pulpit & Pew) (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006).

  • 5.0 out of 5 stars Wise and fascinating data-driven description of what it is like to be a pastor today, June 2, 2009

    By 
    Andrew D. Rowell (Durham, NC) – See all my reviews

    (REAL NAME)

    Cooperating with some of the best academic sociologists of religion in the country, Jackson Carroll orchestrated a comprehensive survey of Christian clergy in the United States in 2001. In God’s Potters, he reports his findings with clarity and wisdom. Carroll wants churches and pastors to thrive so he probes the findings for what church leaders can learn and improve. The book is well-written and the findings supported with impeccable data gathering. Throughout the book, Carroll offers his own suggestions for what clergy and denominations might want to do with the findings but his suggestions are clearly separated from conclusions drawn directly from the data. Moreover, happily, his suggestions are balanced and wise. This is the first book I would suggest people read if they want to understand the realities today of pastoring–both positive and negative.

    Throughout the book, we learn about how women clergy differ from male clergy; how Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Conservative Protestant, and Historic Black clergy differ; how urban and rural clergy differ; younger and older clergy differ; etc. with regard to: salary, hours worked, job satisfaction, perceived effectiveness, physical health, seminary training, leadership style and conflict management.

    God’s Potters should be required reading for all faculty members at theological schools. It would do much to bridge the seminary-church gap.

    But most importantly this book should be read in seminary “Pastoral Ethics,” “Parish / Congregational Ministry and Leadership,” and “Supervised Ministry / Field Education / Practicum” courses. The book will probably be neither inspiring nor discouraging for the person considering ordained ministry but it will be enlightening: “Oh, now I now see what a pastor does and the challenges they face!” For young people who are often broadsided by the “reality” of the church, the orientation that God’s Potters provides is a very good thing. They will be able to see the possible pitfalls that they face but also encouraged by Carroll that many clergy–especially those who see the pitfalls–thrive.

    Your Tags: pastoring, ordained ministry, pastoral leadership, pastoral ministry, clergy, survey data, sociology, study, church leadership

    Categories
    Duke Divinity School Durham, North Carolina Personal

    Advice about moving to Durham, North Carolina

    I put the following information together two years ago when we moved to Durham, NC to start the Th.D. program at Duke Divinity School at Duke University.  (If you are interested in the Th.D. program, see my post Advice about Duke Th.D. and Ph.D programs in theology).  I have gotten questions from some friends about house-hunting here recently and so I thought I would post this information.  My advice is geared primarily to people who are moving here to go to school at Duke Divinity School and my advice is also oriented toward families.  This advice is more or less a compilation of advice people gave us.  It is just to get you started in your research so that you will be able to ask better questions.  Please post comments and other resources in the comments.       

    Neighborhood information:

    • People talk about "north Durham" and "south Durham" (though these are not technical neighborhood designations) with Duke University being the dividing line.  If you are north of Duke's campus, you are in north Durham and if you are south of it, you are in south Durham.  Duke University consists of a huge swath of land.  It includes East Campus (where the freshmen are) and West Campus (where the Divinity school is located) which are connected by a shuttle bus route.  
    • Ideally, I think it would be fun to live in the area near 9th Street.  9th street is kind of retro, hip and artsy.  From there you can walk to East campus and take the bus to West campus where the Divinity school is.  However, this is an old area so either the houses are beautifully restored and 300K or they are badly run-down and sell for 50K.  But, you can find some in the middle if you're lucky.  But some of the reasonably price homes have been "flipped" – bought for 60K and sold 6 months later for 160K.  Cosmetic work has been done but major underlying issues may have been covered up so beware.  The "neighborhoods" that are near 9th Street are Old West Durham, Watts Hillandale, Trinity Park, and Walltown.      
    • Some people also suggest Northgate Park which is north of Walltown. 
    • There is also an area of town near Burch Ave (27701) that was traditionally not a great neighborhood but is being improved.  It is very close to Duke Div School (1.2 miles). 
    • The homes in south Durham are appreciating more because of access to the gorgeous The Streets at Southpoint mall, access to Chapel Hill (where University of North Carolina (UNC) is located) and Research Triangle Park (RTP).
    • We ended up in north Durham because it was more affordable.  We are on Candlewick Way, Durham, NC.  Move near us!  It is very close to the great children's museum The Museum of Life and Science.  We have a great large Starbucks at the corner of Guess Road and Horton Road (3801 Guess Road) where Amy and I study.    

    Location of Duke Divinity School:

    I had trouble finding a physical address for Duke Divinity School
    since all of the literature simply has a post office box.  I have begun
    using this address for directions to Duke Divinity School: Chapel Dr,
    Durham, North Carolina 27706  Here is the Google link to that location. You might also use W Main St & Campus Dr Durham, NC 27701 for East Campus (where you can pick up the bus to go to West Campus).  If you want to visit, Duke Divinity School, you need to park in the Bryan Center Parking Garage off Science Drive, Durham, NC.   

    Where professors live:

    In April 2007, I looked up where 13 Duke Divinity school professors live  I got their addresses from http://www.zabasearch.com/advanced.php and what their house Tax Assessor's Value from  www.zillow.com.  Basically this helped me to learn that

    a) professors live all over the place.

    b) all the professors live between 7-20 minutes from Duke Divinity
    School (according to Google Maps directions).  One lives in Chapel Hill
    and lives closer than some others who live in Durham.

    c) In April 2007, the 13 houses ranged between $155,000 and $500,000.  (The high and low two in 2009 are now $192,000 and $548,000.)

    Here are some comments from some other Duke people about neighborhoods:

    1. A Duke Business School person writes: "Durham is reasonable, price-wise.  Many grad students I know live just north of campus, in and around the Northgate area. Our neighborhood, just south of campus, is a bit pricier, but we were moving from the very pricey western suburbs of Chicago. Do look at lots of options when you visit."
    2. A Duke professor writes: "We live in the Watts Hillandale neighborhood, and have loved it.  Beautiful older houses, many quite affordable; it's about two miles to the Div School, and I often walk.  One could easily ride a bike, or take a Duke bus.  It is also pretty near both a public Montessori grammar school, and the one good public magnet grammar school (schools in Durham, as you may know, are not terrific).  There are a fair number of young families in this neighborhood. Also, we are in walking distance of Whole Foods.  ;-)"
    3. An environmental studies Ph.D. student writes: "It is important to decide what kind of neighborhood you want.  Some neighborhoods have mostly young profesionals living there, are all new builds, are close to malls and things like that. Other neighborhoods are like ours are older homes, very diverse demographically, can have some minor crime, etc. We live just off downtown in old north durham. Duke park, old west durham, watts/hillandale — these are similar places."
    4. Duke Div Student. "When I moved to Durham, I was looking for rentals and so I used the Duke Community Housing webpage quite a bit.  The folks at that office may also be helpful in directing you to information about buying houses, but I don't know for sure.  The advice I gave to another student was to get a map of Durham, and look for houses within 8-10 blocks of Ninth Street in the north, east and west directions, or around the North Carolina School of Science and Math." 
    5. Duke Div Student: "My husband and I live in a very nice neighborhood not too much farther north from Walltown called Northgate park.  Houses in our neighborhood are selling between 105-145K.  They might be smaller than you are looking for (I don't know about your kid situation) but they are old and generally well kept.  The neighborhood itself is fairly diverse (the diversity tending to happen as you get closer to Club Blvd. and Roxboro Rd.) both racially and economically. There is bike path access almost the entire way to East Campus and a community park that is wonderful if you do have kids. It, too, is beginning to gentrify a bit but I'm not sure if prices are inflated too much." 
    6. Duke Div Student: "We live on Lancaster.  We relocated about 9 months ago, also interested in diversity.  We love the neighborhood.  Granted, we are just on the edge, by Green street, so we're barely into Walltown."
    7. Duke Div Student connected to Rutba House (New Monasticism – intentional community and justice house): "We care a lot about the people whose families have been here for four and five generations (many of whom are members of our church) and try to discourage people (esp. middle class white people) who aren't planning to stay more than 10yrs from moving into the neighborhood."
    8. Student about north Durham "West Point on the Eno park, which is a <5 min drive from you and is a very beautiful place.  You're not that far from West Point on the Eno, which is a great place to hike, find turtles and bugs in the river, etc."

    School Information:

    There are charter and magnet public schools and Christian and private schools.   This is a whole huge topic that you will need to talk to lots of people about to understand.  A couple Christian schools are Trinity School and Bethesda Christian Academy and two other private schools are Durham Academy and Duke School.

    You can learn more about the public schools at:

    1. North Carolina School Report Cards
    2. http://www.schoolmatters.com/
    3. The real estate listings tell you where your kids would go to school if you bought that house. 

    For the public schools, you need to start researching them at the beginning of November for the following September.  The lottery for magnet schools (Durham Public School funded) is in January.  The lottery for charter schools (primarily funded by the state) vary.   

    To give you a beginning point, here are the top 8 public elementary schools in Durham according to their overall Reading and Math scores for 2008-2009 from their NC School Report Card.  (I did the math).  Of course, there is more to a school than test scores.

                                               Reading            Math (Percentage of Students’ Scores At or Above Grade Level)

    1. Pearsontown                    79.7               90.4


    Pearsontown Elementary

    4915 Barbee Road

    Durham, 27713 1603

    Regular School, Year-Round Calendar

    K-5

    2. Little River                        77.8            87.3


    Little River Elementary

    2315 Snow Hill Road

    Durham,
    27712 3668

    Regular School, Traditional Calendar

    K-5

    3. Central Park (Charter)     78.9               81.0


    Central Park School For Child

    724 Foster Street

    Durham, 27701

    Regular School, Year-Round Calendar

    K-5

    4. Easley                              75.6               83.0


    Easley Elementary

    302 Lebanon Circle

    Durham, 27712 2644

    Regular School, Year-Round Calendar

    K-5

    5. Creekside                        69.5                79.6


    Creekside Elementary

    5321 Ephesus Church Road

    Durham,
    27707

    Regular School, Traditional Calendar

    K-5

    6. Hillandale                        70.1                 78.7


    Hillandale Elementary

    2730 Hillandale Road

    Durham,
    27705 2076

    Regular School, Traditional Calendar

    K-5

    7. Morehead (Magnet)         76.9               71.8


    Morehead Montessori

    909 Cobb Street

    Durham, 27707 1315

    Magnet School, Traditional Calendar

    PK-5

    8. Carter (Charter)                                64.1                82.9


    Carter Community Charter

    1305 West Club Blvd

    Durham, 27705

    Regular School, Year-Round Calendar

    K-8

    You can only go to most of these schools if you live in their district.  You always have a year-round and a traditional calendar option that you are districted for. 

    As a magnet, your best chance to get into Morehead is by choosing it as your number one choice in the magnet lottery in January when your child is 3 years old and will be starting pre-K the following September.  It also improves your chances if you live near the school in its priority area.  You have a small chance of getting in through the lottery in subsequent years. 

    As far as the magnet schools, you can try to win the lottery to get into the Central Park by applying to it in February when your child is 4 and will be entering Kindergarten the following September.  Check Carter's website for information on enrollment there. 

    I have prepared the following graphic about elementary schools based on the chart above.  I have added Mangum in north Durham County to the list.  Our son is going to Hillandale.  

    Durham Public Schools Image
     


    Transportation:

    You basically need two cars here unless you live close to Duke and
    it is pretty expensive to live close to Duke.  Some families do a
    scooter/motorcycle (and then park in the bike racks right by the
    Divinity school) and a car.  Some friends do it with one car but they
    have to do lots dropping off and picking up which I would not
    recommend.  You have to buy a parking pass to park at Duke and then
    take a shuttle in to Duke Divinity School or do a 10 minute walk. 

    Churches:

    We attend Blacknall Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) where Amy is Director of Children's Ministry.  (I have described it here).  Some friends attend Chapel Hill Bible Church, Emmaus Way (emerging / missional church), NewHope Church (seeker-sensitive), All Saints Church (AMIA), Church of the Holy Family (Episcopal), The Summit Church (SBC), Duke Chapel (on Duke's west campus), Mt. Level Missionary Baptist Church (predominantly African-American), and Church of the Good Shepherd (PCA).  Duke Divinity School students attend a huge range of churches.  See more about recommendations regarding UMC churches below in the comments. 

    Pools:

    We go to the downtown YMCA that has a great zero-depth indoor pool for kids and has childcare and reduced rates.   

    Duke University also has an outdoor pool on Central Campus that is free for Duke students and families.  Hours: Mon-Sat 10 am – 9pm; Sun 1-9 pm 

    We have brought guests to this great outdoor zero-depth pool in Chapel Hill: The YMCA at Meadowmont

    Parks and Museums:

    See list of Durham parks.

    Places we meet friends with kids:

    Museum of Life and Science

    Duke Park

    Oval Park

    Kidzu Children's Museum in Chapel Hill

    Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC

    Sports for Kids:


    Realtors:

    1. We used Tony Craver.  He was professional and knowledgeable.  He has all the credentials and was a builder for many years.  His approach is to send you a list of 50 houses to check out online that fit your criteria and you pick 10 or so.  He gives you a tour of Durham the first day.  The next day you zoom through the 10 houses in about 10 minutes each.  We ended up visiting 30 houses before putting an offer on one.  We bid 5% off the list price and they accepted.  
    2. One professor recommended: Ethel Snuggs for looking near 9th street.

    Renting:



    Maps:

    House search website:

    http://realtor.com

    Hotel:

    We did Priceline.com "Name Your Own Price" in Durham, NC.  We put in 2 stars and $35 and had our offer accepted at a hotel.  It worked well.  When you put in the offer, you have to accept what they give you. 

    Comparing Cost of Living and other factors to the city you're moving from:

    http://www.moving.com/find_a_place/compare2cities/

    http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

    http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html

    http://www.bankrate.com/brm/movecalc.asp?

    "Buying Vs. Renting" calculator

    http://www.ginniemae.gov/rent_vs_buy/rent_vs_buy_calc.asp?Section=YPTH

    Restaurants:

    1. American Tobacco Historic District.  Mellow Mushroom Pizza place is one example.  Right next to Durham Bulls (minor league baseball park).  Fun place to walk around. 
    2. Brightleaf Square.  El Rodeo (Mexican place), Satisfaction (Pizza) and Amelia's (for desert) are popular. 
    3. Elmo's Diner on 9th street is a good family restaurant. 
    4. Everywhere you turn there are great restaurants. See the April 2010 New York Times article: Durham, a Tobacco Town, Turns to Local Food.  
    Categories
    Duke Divinity School Job Search Personal Seminaries Th.D. / Ph.D.

    Advice about Duke Th.D. and Ph.D programs in theology

    Here are my answers to the Frequently Asked Questions I get about doing a doctorate in theology.  In this post, I address the difference between the Duke Th.D and. Ph.D. programs, discuss financial stipends, dissertations, the application process, job prospects, and some thoughts on the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree offered at some theological schools.

    I am doing my Th.D. at Duke and wrote this in my second year of the program.  I am happy to be corrected by emails to me or comments below.  I get lots of emails from people about the Th.D. program at Duke and so I thought I would just try to put this information in a blog post to be helpful.  This information should not be taken as absolutely correct but rather can serve as an introduction to the issues so that you can ask good questions to faculty and program directors who know what they are talking about.

    What is the difference between the Duke Th.D. and Ph.D. program in theology?

    • Read the official information on the respective websites: Doctor of Theology degree at Duke Divinity School and Graduate Program in Religion's website and Graduate Program in Religion at Duke University.  Update May 3, 2009: the FAQ for the Th.D. program has been updated and is excellent.
    • I understand why people are confused about the Th.D. and Ph.D. at Duke.  The Th.D. program is only three years old.  Let’s start with the basics because it is easy to be confused.  The Th.D. is from Duke Divinity School–part of Duke University.  The Ph.D. is from the Graduate Program in Religion at Duke University.  Like Duke, Harvard University has a Ph.D. and Harvard Divinity School has a Th.D..  Compare the Duke Divinity School faculty with the Graduate Program in Religion faculty–there is some overlap.  Mark Goodacre, a professor in the Graduate Program in Religion, says the best way of saying this is: "The Graduate Program in Religion is made up of faculty from both the Department of Religion and the Divinity School."  At Duke University, you can take courses in any part of the university (with some limitations) so courses are not an issue.  Many courses are cross-listed as both Duke Divinity School courses and Religion courses.  I have not mentioned that the Graduate Program in Religion offices are located in the Divinity School building.  No wonder people have trouble understanding the difference.
    • The first group of Th.D. students started in August 2006.  I started in August 2007.  They just sent out acceptance letters to the fourth class of students in February 2009 who will start in August 2009.  The Duke Ph.D. program had its first graduates in 1939.    
    • They are very similar programs.  They have similar requirements (coursework, languages, preliminary exams, dissertation proposal, dissertation) though there are some procedural differences.  For example, the preliminary exams process has to do with “fields” in the Ph.D. program and “concentrations” in the Th.D. program.  The Ph.D. program entails 4 preliminary exams and the Th.D. program entails 3 preliminary exams.  You can take classes with the same professors.   
    • The Th.D. and Ph.D. students take classes together and hang out with one another.  The discipline-specific colloquiums include both Th.D. and Ph.D. students.  For example, people interested in theology (Th.D. and Ph.D.) talk to each other a lot. 
    • My understanding is that the best funding for the Th.D. is:  tuition covered with a $13,000 per year stipend for 4 years (but the packages vary).  Th.D. students purchase their own health insurance through Duke individually (age 26 to 34, the annual charge is $1,690/yr.) and if they wish for their spouse and children.  My understanding is that the Ph.D. program offers:  tuition covered with a $20,000 per year stipend for 5 years and individual health insurance for the individual student.  (Students with families may elect to pay an additional premium for family coverage just like the Th.D. students).  I know Th.D. and Ph.D. students whose children have health insurance through Medicaid.  Spouses tend to work and bring in some additional income and/or people take out student loans. 
    • Note how similar the Ph.D. and Th.D. stipend numbers are to stipend statistics published in the Chronicle of Higher Education.  "For instance, biology departments reported an average research-assistant stipend of $18,200 for an appointment that typically lasts a full 12 months. Students in English, however, got an average teaching-assistant stipend of $13,387 for an academic year." From "Graduate Students' Pay and Benefits Vary Widely, Survey Shows" By AUDREY WILLIAMS JUNE in the Chronicle of Higher Education December 5, 2008.
    • My understanding is that the Duke Th.D. program this year accepted 9 students out of 75 applicants.  The Th.D. website has a description of concentrations.  You have a primary and secondary area of concentration; you do preliminary exams in both.  
    • See Student Profiles with all of the concentrations listed. Here is a partial list of the "concentrations" of some of the people in the program in the first four classes—(the repetition is intentional).  Some listed below are combined primary and secondary concentrations; for others it is just a primary concentration–I don't know which.
      • Bible and Christian practices
      • Christian formation and creation care
      • Evangelism and culture 
      • Evangelism and ecclesiology 
      • Homiletics
      • Homiletics      
      • Homiletics and reconciliation   
      • Homiletics and reconciliation
      • New Testament
      • OT Theology & Ethics
      • Theological Aesthetics
      • Theology (Friendship)
      • Theology and aesthetics
      • Theology and Christian formation
      • Theology and Pedagogy
      • Theology, narrative, and community
      • Theology, politics, and culture 
      • Theology, politics, and culture 
      • Wesleyan theology and practices
      • Youth Ministry / Education

     

    • My understanding is that Duke's Graduate Program in Religion Ph.D. program takes about one student per year for each of its 11 fields.

    1.    Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
    2.    New Testament
    3.    Early Christianity
    4.    European Christianity
    5.    American Religion
    6.    History of Judaism
    7.    Islamic Studies
    8.    Christian Theological Studies
    9.    Religion and Modernity
    10.  Asian Religions
    11.  Religion and Modernity

    • I am told that the Christian Theological Studies has 70 applicants for one spot.  New Testament has perhaps 50 applications for one spot.  But I am told that some of the fields may have only 3 applications for one spot.  In the eleven fields in the Graduate Program in Religion, they accepted 9 out of 207 applicants total in 2008-2009.

    What kind of work/ministry do Th.D/Ph.D. students hope to do in the future?

    Do you have access to all the incredible faculty at the Duke Divinity School and Duke University?  Is that through coursework, or just as advisers?

    • You take 12 courses in the Th.D (3 per semester for four semesters).  You can basically take the 12 courses with anyone you want.

    Did your seminary work adequately prepare you for doctoral work? 

    • Yes, seminary prepared me well and I bet your seminary prepared you fairly well.  But one needs to be passionate about the field they are interested in and to have read beyond seminary courses.  Reading needs to be a barely-in-control-passion in your life.  :-)  See the next question about the difficulty of getting in.    
    • Reading Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Wesley, Barth and MacIntrye will serve you well.  Schleiermacher, Kant, Yoder, Hauerwas, and Milbank wouldn't hurt too.  Besides reading their foundational works, I wonder if reading a biography about each of these theologians might be the best way to orient oneself to their theology and context. 
    • You might want to read secondary sources that orient you to postliberalism which is what many at Duke have wrestled with—few would still label themselves that way—who likes labels?—but most operate from a position close to postliberalism at Duke Divinity School.  (For evangelicals, this is actually not that different from what you believe even though you may never have heard of it—see the works below). 

     

     
    Do you have any advice for me on applying to the Th.D./Ph.D. program? 

    To get into a first-tier program that provides a stipend, you must be special in some way and you must be adequate in most every area. 

    • GPA (Duke Ph.D.Religion averages 3.6 undergraduate GPA)
    • GRE (Duke Ph.D.Religion averages 729 Verbal and 739 Quantitative).  Th.D. FAQ #6: "There is no specific minimum score. Students admitted to the Th.D. through our first four years had a mean GRE verbal score of 690 and a mean GRE quantitative score of 655."  See my post How to Study for the GRE.
    • Writing sample (See mine on Bonhoeffer here).
    • Languages (See my website Theological German: Advice and Resources.
    • Previous quality of schools you attended
    • References: quality, connections, and impressiveness of people giving references and how highly they rave about you.
    • Personal Statement (like a cover letter.  “This is why I want to study at your school . . .” ).
    • Previous publications.
    • Visit—personal impression you made of intellect and social skills.
    • Inside connections
    • Previous teaching experience at high school or college level and/or compelling ministry experience and/or international experience
    • A compelling story and vision for publishing, teaching and ethics in the future
    • Diversity
    • Th.M. from Princeton Seminary, Duke, Cambridge, Oxford, Yale Divinity (called a S.T.M.), or another school might help.
    • Masters degrees or doctoral degrees (MBA, M.D., J.D.) in other areas in addition to your 3 year—MDiv or 2 year—Masters of Theology would be a bonus. 
    • Be in touch with the director of the Th.D./Ph.D. program at the schools of your interest if you have questions.

    I would visit on your own dime all the schools you want to go to.  Get familiar with the work of 4-5 professors who you like from the school.  Then visit and meet with the professors—one-on-one appointments for 15 minutes each all in one day; plus one with the Th.D./Ph.D. program director.   You want to be able to name why the school is the best possible place for you to study because your interests coincide with A, B, C and D professors and that they could uniquely prepare you in your areas of interest.  (See also Maria's comment below that she didn't visit and still got in to the Ph.D. program).  

    I think it is pretty hard to get into a school without the inside knowledge of how to get in (whether that be an acquaintance who is there who gives you the scoop or a professor who wants you.)  I don't mean to paint it too scary but I did not get in anywhere in my first round of applications (0 for 5 the first year) and then got in at 3 out of the 5 places I applied the second year after talking to people.  (Details in the comments below).  Get your friends and others (at the school ideally) to help you with your statement and sample writing. 

    Basically, you have a better chance of getting more scholarship money and a better chance at getting a job at "first-tier" schools.  (See Stackhouse and Gupta links below).  Duke professors seem to have strong relationships with Yale University, Emory University, Princeton Theological Seminary, University of Chicago, and Notre Dame so one hears a lot about these schools at Duke but it depends on the field what schools are first tier institutions.  A professor or author you respect can easily tell you their opinion of what schools to consider and you can weigh their opinion.   

    See also:

     

    What's the big deal about dissertations?  What will your dissertation be about?

    First a couple comments about dissertations. 

    (a) It is difficult to finish one.  It is long solitary work on some piece of obscure scholarship.  Therefore people say things like, "A finished dissertation is a good dissertation." "Write for your adviser not the whole world."  "Unleash all your creativity and genius in your second book–not your dissertation."  "Limit its scope.  Write the __________ topic in the writing of __________ scholar."  "Let each of your 12 seminar papers be dissertation chapters if possible."  "Remember that everything one writes is in some sense unfinished."  I recommend How to Write a Lot by Paul J. Silvia for advice about churning out lots of written work–everyone should read it.

    (b) You can get hired before your dissertation is completed and be ABD (All But Dissertation) but then you carry the heavy burden of trying to finish this obscure piece of scholarship while you are preparing lectures for introductory courses to undergraduates and grading their papers.  These are two very different ends of the academic spectrum and therefore one should try very hard to finish the dissertation before starting work as a professor.  For balancing teaching and writing, I highly recommend Advice for New Faculty Members by Robert Boice.

    Note the similar advice of Steven Cahn from a review of his book  From Student to Scholar: A Candid Guide to Becoming a Professor (Columbia University Press, 2008).  JAMES M. LANG, "'From Student to Scholar': A senior professor writes a new guide for graduate students on pursuing a faculty career," February 3, 2009, Chronicle of Higher Education

    In the conclusion to his first chapter, "Graduate School," Cahn asks, and answers, a question in a way that I think most graduate students need to hear: "What is the most important ingredient for success in graduate school? Many might answer 'brilliance.' I, however, would choose 'resiliency.'"  As he points out, most students who are admitted into graduate schools are capable of handling the work on an intellectual level. Many students who end their graduate careers prematurely do so because they have become discouraged by the endless series of tasks and obstacles that lie in the way of the degree — not because they have been unable to hack the academic work. Thus, when he sees students walk across the stage to receive their Ph.D.'s, he writes, "I'm not convinced that all the recipients possess remarkable intellectual talents. I am certain, though, that every one has demonstrated the power to persevere."  On the time needed to complete a dissertation, Cahn's advice is equally brisk and demanding: "Any time beyond two years is excessive. Indeed, I would expect the task to be completed in 12 to 18 months."  That advice might sound hard to graduate students in the midst of dissertation projects that seem to stretch out endlessly before them. But projects that run far beyond the normal time frame often do so because the students want to produce that perfect book, and so they bog themselves down in revisions — hoping to pre-empt their mentors — and turn in a near-finished product. In the end, as Cahn points out, "no one will ask you whether your dissertation was passed with major or minor revisions. All that matters is that you have fulfilled every requirement for the degree."

    My dissertation is still being developed–that is more of a third year thing and I am in the second year–but my paper on John Howard Yoder on my blog is probably the best thing to see the direction I am interested in: leadership, ecclesiology, mission, church planting, evangelism—the church functioning at its best.  I’m interested in questions like: What is the theological basis of the church?  What are the dangers the church faces today theologically given an array of sociological data?  What should new and innovative churches focus on theologically?  What should established churches focus on?  I would love to tease out these themes in the form of a commentary on 1 Corinthians—but I think that is too ambitious.  I have put a list of Eight Important Theological Books to me on my blog.  Update May 3, 2009: I have given you the latest draft of my research topic at: My Th.D. program progress update    

    Is the Th.D. a "practical theology" degree? 
    No.  "Practical theology" does not have the best reputation everywhere because it has a reputation for being associated with liberal theology and liberation theology in particular—partly because it was Schleiermacher’s idea.  This is not altogether fair—see Practical Theology: An Introduction by Richard Osmer at Princeton Theological Seminary and The Shape of Practical Theology: Empowering Ministry With Theological Praxis by Ray Anderson at Fuller Theological Seminary—both people I like very much.  In evangelical settings, the term may not be related to any of these prior meanings; rather it just means "theological reflection on Christian ministry" or "practical ministry skills."

    What do you personally want to do with your Th.D. degree when you finish? 
    I want to teach church leadership at a seminary but I might pastor again.  We'll see what kind of offers I get and my wife's dreams—it is her turn next.

    If the Th.D. is an academic degree, why is your blog written at a more popular level for church leaders rather than for academics?

    First, I want to teach at a seminary and I was a pastor and so I am interested in church leadership issues.  Second, it is a way for me to keep a foot in the practical while I have a foot in the academy.  Third, I am doing my academic work precisely so that I can help others more wisely address ordinary church issues—this is a chance to keep testing that out.  Fourth, I realize that many of my blog entries are long and not easy for everyone to read and thus not as accessible as they could be!  Partly, I write long stuff because I assume some level of theological education.  But the other issue is that everything written on my blog could be written better!  My attitude toward the blog is to "write something—even imperfectly—because if I don't now, I may never return to addressing it and it is something I want to put out there because it might help someone." 

    What do you think of the D.Min.? 

    I like them.  Pastors usually do a Doctor of Ministry degree part-time while they are doing ministry.  It gives them a chance to reflect, read, and write in a disciplined way with insightful colleagues and advisers.  Yay!  I think churches should encourage pastors to do the D.Min. work and pay a portion of each class they complete—perhaps 2/3 of the tuition.  It is good for pastors and churches to have reflective pastors. 

    Pretty much everyone says that the D.Min. degrees vary in quality—some are easier than others.  Of course that is not unique to D.Min. programs—ask people about MBA programs or law schools and how they vary. 

    Duke Divinity School does not offer a D.Min now offers a D.Min!.  I hear people recommending those at Fuller Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary–though there are many other excellent programs. [Later addition: Consider Bethel Seminary!]

    The real issue people need to know about the D.Min. is that academic institutions like colleges, universities and seminaries will not see them as an academic doctorate—therefore someone with a D.Min. will not be considered to have a terminal degree—the highest academic qualifications for a position.  For example, a school looking for a preaching professor will put the Ph.D. and Th.D. resumes to the top of the pile whereas the D.Min. applications will be mixed in with or just above the MDiv applications.  This does not mean that they will not end up hiring someone with a D.Min. but they will hire that person for their other credentials—they have written 10 books and pastored a church of 2,000 for 30 years—not because they have a D.Min..  Again, I love D.Min’s and I think people who do them should be compensated for their efforts and praised and encouraged.  But it is understandable that an institution will value a D.Min. differently from a Ph.D./Th.D. which was earned with 3-7 years of full-time study when a D.Min. was earned part-time over three years.  Again, 90% of the time the person with the D.Min. has better ministry skills and pastoral sensibilities than the Ph.D./Th.D. graduate!  But the Ph.D./Th.D. graduate has demonstrated a degree of academic perseverance that the D.Min. person has not (unless they have written a few books).      

    What about doing a Ph.D. part-time?

    I don't know the answer to this but I will give you some leads. 

    See

    For UK programs see page 92 of Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008: December 2008 (PDF) (ranking 61): Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies.

    Someone else wrote me:

    London School of Theology has a strong reputation internationally, but isn't as well known here.  They have a relationship with Asbury.  Asbury also has a relationship with University of Manchester / Nazarene Theological Seminary.  The University of Wales – Lampeter has a relationship with Vancouver School of Theology.  All of these allow for part-time PhD studies with one trip overseas.  Of course Durham allows for two trips each year for part-timers . . . By the way Exeter in the UK allows for one trip over per year and usually four months residency over the course of the programme. Birmingham is the same, but "normally" the student is expected to reside in Birmingham for six months.  There might be some flexibility in the six months, but I'm not sure.  Exeter and Birmingham supposedly have reduced costs for split-site students.  So far, I don't think Durham has any reduction in costs, which is surprising – you get the same level of supervision (they say) but you are not using their research facilities.  I'm not sure, but I think the PhD's awarded by the London School of Theology are through Manchester or Brunel.  I would prefer Durham I think, but the costs are significant and there are not many financial aid options for part-timers. 

    See also Russ Veldman exploring South African schools

    For other related posts about the Th.D. program and seminaries, you can try my categories:

    Th.D. / Ph.D.

    Seminaries

    See also my post:

    Advice about moving to Durham, North Carolina

    See also the updates and interesting new information in the comments below!