A little bit of background: I've only ever had or felt called to church/ministry jobs. I got my M.Div from a decent school when relatively young, was ordained in my tradition, and worked for 5 years in ministry. Then I got married, moved, and had two kids. When my oldest was just about to turn two, I started a D.Min (completed last April.) Despite the fact that I had another child in the middle of it, as well as the usual ministry job, I'm the only one of my cohort to have finished so far, with most of the other students expected to defend sometime this spring.
I've always been good at academics. The biggest criticism of my D.Min thesis was that at times it veered towards a more academic style than is usual in the D.Min program. I started the D.Min because it was the only option for me at the time. We were living in a small town in the middle of nowhere and my husband had taken on a position that was important for his career.
I enjoyed the D.Min process. It challenged me and provided focus and structure. I was also at times somewhat frustrated by the not entirely academic aspects of the program, and I was very aware that if we had lived elsewhere, I would have chosen a PhD or ThD over a D.Min.
Well, we've moved. We're now less than 15 miles from one of the best theological schools in the country. And I keep thinking about the idea of going back for yet another degree.
I'm thinking about applying for the Th.M program to start in September 2013. I don't think I would be a good candidate to apply directly to the ThD or PhD, in part because the program is incredibly competitive and a slightly older mom of two small children with a church job and a need to go part-time doesn't sound all that appealing a candidate.
But I've always felt called to a more academic vocation. I do have experience teaching in an academic setting and I write well. I feel that the academic piece is "the one that got away" and I'm thinking about the Th.M as a way to revisit and test out that possibility. If it went well, I would continue with an academic doctorate and hope to teach and write someday. If it didn't, then I would not continue on beyond the initial Th.M.
What do you think? Unnecessary waste of time and money? Or worth exploring?
And thanks for reading all this
