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Diaconal Program

Diaconal Program

The Diploma in Diaconal Ministry is designed to prepare men and women for diaconal ministries (ministries of Word and Service) in the Evangelical Church of Canada (ELCIC). This program is designed with sufficient flexibility to serve those who are seeking to become rostered Diaconal Ministers in the church.

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Program Description

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The Diploma in Diaconal Ministry is designed to prepare men and women for diaconal ministries (ministries of Word and Service) in the Evangelical Church of Canada (ELCIC). This program is designed with sufficient flexibility to serve those who are seeking to become rostered Diaconal Ministers in the church.

The content below is what the DMin program looks like

The STU’s Doctor of Ministry program (DMin) is a creation of the Saskatoon Theological Union’s three member schools: Lutheran Theological Seminary, St Andrew’s College, and the College of Emmanuel & St Chad. The DMin program is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States and Canada.

The DMin is a professional degree intended to sharpen ministry skills and build a student’s capacity in their place of ministry. To enroll in the program, it is vital that a student’s ministry site is prepared to support the student’s learning and to cooperate with the student’s research plans and goals.

While the program is jointly administered by the three schools of the STU, students apply to the program through either Lutheran Theological Seminary or St. Andrew’s College.  The DMin degree is granted by either of these two schools.

STU’s DMin is a cohort-based program for those who wish to complete a graduate degree without having to relocate. Students in each cohort will begin the program by spending ten days being oriented and beginning to learn together in Saskatoon. The remainder of the program will be offered using a hybrid format of in-person and online learning. Students will be encouraged to come to Saskatoon on other occasions during the course of their studies for intensive five-day learning opportunities.
Program Goals

The aim of the Diaconal program is to:

  • Apply critical thinking and a Gospel lens to primary sources, classical traditions, and current understandings of the Christian faith to support public proclamation of the Word.

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  • Integrate the liberating Gospel of Christ into their personal life in ways that inspire and support others to do the same.

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  • Engage in Gospel-based leadership in the intersections of church and society that points to the diaconal calling of the church as a whole.

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  • From both learning and teaching perspectives, engage informed, intentional, and contextualized approaches to life-long education that nurtures diaconal formation.

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  • Lead others in church and community collaborations that serve the transformative and life-affirming work of Christ-in-the-world.

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Curriculum

Generally, the Diaconal Diploma is a two-year program (full time), or a five-year program (part-time). These time-frames include internship.

Students may take a combination of:

  • Onsite intensive courses,
  • Intensive distributed learning courses (designated with the DL suffix to the course number)

The curriculum is comprised of:

  1. 15 three-credit courses (45 credits)
  2. Participation in processes of spiritual formation and worship
  3. One unit of CPE/PCE
  4. A supervised internship (field placement of 9 -12 months), and
  5. Attendance at a one-week ELCIC Diaconal retreat.

Please view our Academic Handbook for details on required courses. 

The content below is what the DMin program looks like

The DMin program is a 30 credit hour program and has three main components:

  • Colloquia (3 colloquia; 4 credit hours total)
  • Courses of instruction (7 courses total 20 credit hours total)
  • A project in ministry planned, carried-out and written as a final report in collaboration with a team in the ministry site and presented to a DMin evaluation committee (6 credit hours total)
Admission Requirements

In order to be eligible to take our Diaconal program:

  • Attainment of a Bachelor of Arts degree, or its equivalent in an area of specialization applicable to working as a Diaconal minister.
  • Synodical Candidacy Committee endorsement (for ELCIC students)
  • Completion of the online Application for Admission, plus:

    • Submission of supporting documents as outlined in the application form
    • Submission of application fee
  • Documentation of a criminal record check and vulnerable sector registry check (as available).

Foreign Equivalences:

  • For those whose first language is not English, they must successfully complete one of two options: 1) a DUOLINGO English overall test score of 120, OR 2) a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) IBT score (including the speaking component) of 88 with no component less than 20, or if the TOEFL IBT is not available, a minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper based) is a prerequisite
Info & Downloads

Click to learn more:

Tuition & Fee Information
DMin Handbook
How To Apply

Got questions about our Diaconal program?

We are here for you. Feel free to reach out to us and we will answer your questions, provide you with information or help you discern your options and next steps with Lutheran Theological Seminary.