It’s safe to say that’s it's been awhile since I’ve sat down and written for “blacksheepbaptist.” However my hiatus was intentional and planned. For those that read my last post, I decided to “go dark” for awhile after reading the writings of Paul Kingsnorth. His influence, coupled with my desire to be present with my new congregation, saw my removal from not only my personal site, but from much of social media. As I close out 2019, I have slightly started the process of reentering these spaces, but only doing so when I feel there is something worth saying.
To break the silence I hinted on Instagram a few weeks ago of a life event that will have a substantial impact not only on myself, but on my family and church for the next 3 years. Starting in January of next year I will attend Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where I will pursue my Doctorate in Ministry (DMin). This opportunity comes sooner than I expected, but because of the serendipitous circumstances that led to it, I had to give it serious consideration.
Ever since I began my theological education, my thought was to one day take on the challenge of entering a PhD (Doctorate in Philosophy) program. However, the more time I spent in higher education I begin to suspect that perhaps a PhD program wasn’t the best fit for me, while at the same time, became aware of the focus of the DMin degree. To offer some perspective on the difference, PhD programs are steeped in research, they require from my understanding heavy residency requirements at the institutions where they are held, and typically last anywhere between 5-8 years. Let me also mention there are ancient and modern language requirements as well as the need to submit GRE scores (Graduate Record Examinations). It’s a process, and one that demands a strong desire and commitment for good reason. In the words of one of my past professors, “If you’re going to consider a PhD, you better be sure you know what you’re signing up for.” Here, here.
Taking all this into consideration forced me to do a fair amount of self-reflection and self-awareness. As I went through my mental rolodex, I used an expression to assess the situation. “Would a PhD give me life?” Would I be willing to ask my family to possible relocate, or at least be willing to support my traveling extensively several times a week for hours on end to pursue this? Could I ask of myself to revisit Greek or take up Hebrew prior to enrolling? Whether it be now or later, could I expect my congregation to understand the time commitment it would take? These were just the tip of iceberg questions that I visited and ran scenarios through. After a considerable amount of time I had my answer; No...a PhD isn’t for me.
I had come to this conclusion for the most past by the end of my run at Wake Forest School of Divinity. I mention this because it was during my last semester there where I was required to take a travel course that I found myself in Alabama at the Samuel Dewitt Proctor Conference. While there, I had the chance to meet and talk with several different seminaries and divinity schools. Several offered PhD’s as well as the DMin. I had done my research on many DMin programs and knew that almost all were lucrative institutional programs, meaning there is little financial support outside of loans. The DMin is seen as benefiting the local church so the financial responsibility is placed back on the church if they wish to support their pastors pursuit of obtaining it. As I spoke with different representatives there, most confirmed what I already knew. Yet, when I spoke with the representative from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) I found they did offer financial support. I took that bit of information and tucked it away. It was months later when I received a personal email from PTS with additional information about their programs that phone calls started happening, writing samples were sent, recommendation letters requested, and proper paperwork submitted. I’m a firm believer in taking something as far as it will go (I mean come on, I ended up in Vermont under similar circumstances)! A few weeks passed and I got the needed affirmation I was seeking. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship through PTS and was recipient of outside scholarships from both the American Baptist Churches USA and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. With this support, and the continuing education funds my church in Vermont had allotted me, my DMin from PTS became fully funded.
Now the question changed slightly; just because I could go, should I actually go?
When discerning a commitment like this one doesn’t do it alone. Being married, my spouse’s input is vital. Without her support this wouldn’t be possible. With the addition of our daughter, I had to decide if school work would take me away from her in such a way that I would regret or even come to resent it. That was a big concern when I was thinking about the PhD, but the DMin is much more flexible with residency requirements being just two visits to campus a year from anywhere between 1-2 weeks stays at a time. My spouse and I had this conversation and we weighed the non-financial cost it would require of us. It was decided that all of us would make the necessary trips. My spouse happens to have a family member in Pittsburgh and so the opportunity to spend time with them became an added incentive. It’s a good halfway point as well for other family members to visit while we’re there. And, while this is no means a vacation, it does allow for the potential to be away from our current setting and offers us to explore a city and culture we have little knowledge of and connection to.
This decision was also given the blessing by those in leadership at my church. Not every church would let a new pastor do this early in their call, so I appreciate their support far more then words can convey. They simply “get” that classroom education is something that makes me tick and what I learn will find its way into sermons and the culture/identity of our church as we grow together.
Coming to this conclusion of pursuing the DMin has been a long process, and yet I am confident I am making the right decision. In my research, I kept coming across the the labels used to describe both PhD and DMin, one being an “academic” and the other “professional” degree. Those words I see as both helpful and yet limiting. Someone can pursue a PhD in Practical Theology while someone can produce a heavily research project that is structured under the DMin praxis, and because of this, I see no value of one over the other, just a different course of action in the process of pursuit. To each their own. I only suggest to others weighing the option to ask the right questions and evaluate their life circumstances to determine their chances of success in either program.
Look for more updates on this venture in coming post.
As you were,
~BSB