For the past 5 years or so, I have been researching Doctorate programs that may be a good fit for a bi-vocational pastor/church planter like myself.  I work in higher education and initially was looking exclusively at PhD and EdD programs that could be a professional credential different than my BA in Christian Education and my Masters of Divinity.  I was very skeptical of any DMin program, particularly within evangelical universities, that would be different enough from a MDiv experience that would just re-hash the same material.  I was looking for something somewhat classically academically rigorous that would challenge my intellectual pursuits while also being deeply connected in mission to the real world where the Gospel is to be announced as the hope that it is.   It was at this intersection that I found George Fox University's DMin in Global Missional Leadership. 

Being a husband, father, pastor, employee etc. , I was scared to death about adding the workload of a doctorate program to my already full life.  What I have found is that my studies have been life-giving and somewhat of even a sabbatical experience for me.  When I have my planned times to read and write, I have found my engine firing on all cylinders and gifts, dreams and thoughts within me become enligthened with new understandings.  It is in these intentional study times that I can actually relax and just be myself, they have had a devotional quality to them for me.  Jason Clark, as the mentor for the doctorate program, gave us great advice at the onset.  He said, "do a little, often".  Keeping this rythymn and pace has allowed the time management piece to take care of itself and although it is challenging, the studies have even provided a kind of rest for me. 

As far as my skepticism for whether this would be "typical" western-oriented evangelical program with popular reading, that was dispelled from the get-go.  The leadership of the GML program are ardent and trained learners of theology, church history, cultural dynamics, global trends and missional praxis.  I have been astounded at the depth of material we are covering across so many pertinent foundational issues for those wanting training in global missional leadership.  With as much as I have already learned and digested this first year of GML1, I am eagerly anticipating the coming semesters.  I wanted serious theological and cultural scholarship, I found it.  Dr. Clark as well challenged us from the beginning to be true "reflective practitioners".  Our academics existed to inform our service to the Church in the real world.  We study to learn so that we can better serve and be in mission to the needs of our contexts.  By utilizing open blogs and social media spaces for the majority of our writing, it has allowed the people from the community I serve in to interact with my thinking and learning and create great conversations for our ministry context.

Lastly, I just want to speak to the global Advances and the cohort model.  Our cohort gathered for the first time in Oxford, England and then spent time together in Cambridge, London and Germany.  These settings were as picturesque for their aesthetic beauty as they were historic for classical learning.  The highlight for me was that in these 10 days, we went from being in a new cohort together to becoming a learning community.  We traveled together, we ate together, we shared our stories together and we had our "new program" fears relieved together.  As we moved forward, it would be together.  These relationships formed the foundation for inspiring discussions in our weekly chats throughout the year.  We don't agree on every point and come from widely different backgrounds and perspectives, but relationship set the tone for theological discussions sprinkled with grace and mercy to one another.  For each of us, we can often be heard saying that these weekly online chats are the highlight to our weeks.  As well, social media keeps us up to date on one another's lives and ministry contexts so we can better pray and support one another.  This kind of well knit learning community has been a highlight for me.  I love reading other's perspectives and being challenged in my own by people I deeply respect and I know care for me.  It is a taste of Kingdom now. 

I was looking for a solid doctorate program, what I found was that in GML1, I'm right at home and can't wait for more.