The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (SVOTS) has benefited from the recent additions of outstanding scholars to the program: Drs. Gregory J. Abdalah, Jeffrey P. Bishop, Ana S. Iltis, and John Mark Reynolds.
“We saw an opportunity to address areas we needed in the D.Min. program, and we were able, thanks be to God, to recruit professors of great quality for that purpose,” said Academic Dean Dr. Ionuţ-Alexandru Tudorie.
"The D.Min. program provides clergy and other pastoral professionals with advanced knowledge and skills through critical reflection on the practice of ministry,” added Very Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen, the D.Min. program director. “The tremendous wealth of experience and expertise that our new faculty bring to the program is a great benefit to our students."
The D.Min. faculty members, who joined SVOTS at the beginning of the academic year, have brought varied and distinguished expertise to St. Vladimir’s. Dr. Gregory Abdalah, assistant professor of pastoral theology, is himself a graduate of SVOTS’ D.Min. program who has worked extensively in youth ministry and other pastoral capacities; he has been invited to speak at various camps and youth retreats around the US and Canada. Dr. Jeffrey Bishop, professor of health care ethics, is the Tenet Endowed Chair in Health Care Ethics and director of the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University; he holds degrees in medicine and theology. Dr. Ana Iltis, professor of philosophy, is director of the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society and professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University; she is published widely in bioethics and serves on several National Institutes of Health data safety monitoring boards. Dr. John Mark Reynolds, professor of philosophy, is the president of The Saint Constantine School in Houston, TX and a fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at The Discovery Institute; he is the author of numerous books and is a frequent blogger and lecturer on a wide range of topics. All four professors are active members of the Orthodox Church.
“Over the past few years, we have been able to bring in a number of scholars who are well respected in their fields,” said SVOTS President Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield. “The addition of these newest faculty members is a major draw for our already excellent Doctor of Ministry program.”
The new faculty members join Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards as the five professors who teach exclusively for the Doctor of Ministry track. Other Seminary faculty members, including D.Min. Program Director Very Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen, Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel, Very Rev. Dr. Nicholas Solak, and Rev. Dr. Bogdan Bucur, also teach D.Min. courses.
About the Doctor of Ministry Program
The accredited Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary was launched in 2013 to offer continuing education to clergy and help address immense challenges facing pastors in their ministry across North America and abroad. The D.Min. program provides priests, chaplains, and other pastoral professionals with advanced knowledge and skills, integrating doctoral level academic work with pastoral spirituality. The program combines distance learning, one-week onsite intensives, and an academic schedule tailored to the cycles of the liturgical year so that D.Min. students can continue to serve in their current ministries while completing their doctoral degree.
The D.Min. program recruits a new cohort every two years, with the next scheduled to begin in the fall of 2022. Contact Very Rev. Dr. Sergius Halvorsen, program director, at shalvorsen@svots.edu for more information about the D.Min. track at St. Vladimir’s Seminary.
