The body of the Prospectus should be less than 130 double-spaced pages in length. It will
probably be between 60 to 80 pages, not including front matter, bibliography, and appendices.
The majority of the prospectus is a compilation of signature assignments from courses already
taken. Lengths of sections will vary depending on the number of signature assignments that
have been completed at the time of the prospectus defense. The Literature Review and
Theology of Ministry chapters will be especially subject to fluctuations depending on which
courses have been completed.
The Prospectus should be outlined as follows.
● Front Matter
○ An Executive Summary (no more than 2 single-spaced pages, using bullet points
where appropriate)
■ Proposed Title of Project/Dissertation
■ Student Name
■ Ministry Context – 3 to 5 sentences
■ Statement on Theology of Ministry — 1 paragraph
■ Statement of Problem – 1 sentence
■ Research Question — 1 paragraph
■ Hypothesis and Null Hypothesis — 1 sentence each
■ Key variables — 3 to 5 with concise labels/descriptions
■ Project/Intervention Description – 1 paragraph
■ Methods of Research — List all key methods
■ Projected Time Table — Tentative dates (month & year) for (a) prospectus
defense, (b) project implementation, (c) dissertation defense, (d)
graduation.
○ Blank Page
○ Title Page
○ Signature Page (Signed by Colloquial Team upon approval)
○ Table of Contents
○ List of Charts
○ List of Graphs
Preface (Optional)
DRAFT
Chapter 1: Story and Context — Less than 50 pages
A. Personal Ministry Assessment (DM 901)
a. My Story and My Call [What have been the major chapters, persons and
influences on my life? How did I come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and how has
he brought me to my current place in life? What is God’s vocational will for my life
and how did I come to understand this? Who have been my mentors in ministry?]
b. My Passions, Strengths and Goals for Ministry (Personal Assessment) [In terms
of ministry, I feel the pleasure of God when…? I believe my strengths for ministry
are…?]
c. My Personality and My Ministry: Strengths and Challenges [A selected
personality inventory(ies) suggests my dominant traits to be…?]
B. Ministry Context (DM 901, 931)
a. Institutional Story, Identity and Mission [I minister with/through what ministry
group? What is the history of the institution? How does this group self-identify?
What is/are the mission and vision of this group (formal and/or informal)?]
b. Institutional Setting/Context with Societal Demographics [Describe the context in
which the group exists — geo-political, socio-economic, racial-ethnic, etc.]
c. Institutional Internal Demographics [Describe the internal demographics of the
group — geo-political, socio-economic, racial-ethnic, etc.]
C. Ministry Community (DM 901)
a. Significant Ministry Relationships [Choose 3 to 5. Describe your more significant
ministry relationships. Think in terms of time spent with persons, depth of
personal conversations, and effect on you.]
b. My Context-Based Covenant Group1 [Describe to membership of your context
based covenant group. Include you rationale and expectations for each selection.
Unless agreed to by all of the members, use pseudonyms.]
c. My Mentee [Describe the person you have secured to be your mentee
throughout the degree program. Why did you choose this person? What ministry
practice will fou focus on and why? What are your hopes for the Mentee?]
d. My Class Cohort and my Colloquial Team [Describe the membership of your
class cohort or team and your expectations for the contributions of each member.
Unless otherwise requested by the members, use pseudonyms. What do you
expect to learn from and and contribute to them as a group and as individuals?
Describe the membership of your requested colloquial team and your
expectations for the contributions of each member.]
D. Passion and Focus in Context
a. Convergence of Passion and Context [Identify areas of ministry practice in which
your ministry passions might be used to strengthen the effectiveness of your
ministry and/or the ministry of your institution in context.]
1 Items b, c, and d may be omitted from the dissertation.
DRAFT
b. Degree Ministry Focus/Plan [Identify the ministry practice or specialized ministry
on which you intend to focus in your project. Briefly describe the courses you
have or will complete and explain their relationship to your ministry focus.]
Chapter 2: Preliminary Personal Theology of Ministry (Revised signature assignments from the
core curriculum) — If any of DM 915, 914, and 908 have not been taken, those sections (A, B, or
C) may be replaced with a 10 item bibliography for each. — Less than 30 pages.
A. Practical Theology of a Selected Ministry Practice (DM 915)
B. Scriptural Foundations for a Selected Ministry Practice (DM 914)
C. Theological Foundations for a Selected Ministry Practice (DM 908)
D. Preliminary Draft of My Personal Theology of (Focus Area) Ministry
Chapter 3: Preliminary Focus Area/Project Literature Review — Key Scholars, Concepts, Models
and Theories Concerning a Selected Ministry Practice and/or Problem2 (Edited and expanded
signature assignments from the student’s focus area) If any of the focus area electives have not
been taken, those sections (A, B, or C) may be replaced with a 10 item bibliography for each. In
the dissertation, the literature review may be restructured around the project variables. — Less
than 30 pages
A. Topic A (from focus area elective)
B. Topic B (from focus area elective)
C. Topic C (from focus area elective)
D. Conclusions:
Chapter 4: Project Design — Less than 35 pages
A. Narrative of the Development of the Project Design
a. Selection of a Problem/Issue
b. Verification of the Problem/Issue
c. Identification of Intervention Variable and Other Key Variables
d. Creation of the Intervention Concept
e. Approval of Proposal
f. Development up to the defence of the Prospectus
B. The Question Refined (Statement of The Question, the Hypothesis, the Null
Hypothesis including a narrative of their development) (DM 931, 911)
C. Problem Description: History of the problem, Personal Intersections with the
problem, Social, Theological Contexts
D. Project Plan (For testing the null hypothesis, including research model with chart,
intervention design with chart, methods for selection of intervention and control
groups, and time tables) (DM 932, 912)
2 Think of a “Literature Review” as a descriptive analytical research paper. It is not to be a paper
in which you argue for a thesis. It should instead identify the major relevant concepts, models
and theories associated with your research question. It should do that for all of the major
variables you identified but it must concentrate on the two central variables being addressed by
the project, i.e., the independent and dependant variables.
DRAFT
E. Project Instruments/Materials (DM 932, 912 — abstracted here, full documents in
appendices)
a. Informational Materials to be Used in the Project
b. Test Instruments to be Used in the Project
Chapter 5: Assessment Plans3 — Less than 12 pages
a. General Description of Approach to Assessment
b. Participants in Assessment
c. Time Table
d. Methods: Tools, Instruments and Needed Resources
e. Strategic Considerations/Challenges for the Assessment
f. Anticipated results (Impact of the independent variable on…)
i. Primary Variable
ii. Secondary Variables
Bibliography
Appendices (Include complete test instruments, a copy of the original Project Proposal, etc.)
3 In this chapter offer a brief description of the methods, instruments, and tools to be used in the
assessment of the project.
