Regent University
Your Title Goes Here and Should be in Bold Font and Unitalicized according
to Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers (8th edit.)
A Dissertation Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Partial Fulfillment of the Degree of
Doctor of Ministry
by
John L. Lambert (name should be bolded)
Virginia Beach, Virginia (your city, your state)
January 2015
Copyright © 2015 by John L. Lambert (Your Name Here)
All rights reserved
School of Divinity
Regent University
This is to certify that the dissertation prepared by:
Student Name
Titled
TITLE OF DISSERTATION IN UPPER CASE AND BOLD
Has been approved by his/her committee as satisfactory completion of
the dissertation requirement of the degree of Doctor of Ministry
Approved By:
Name, Degree, Committee Chair
School of …
Name, Degree, Committee Member
School of…
Name, Degree, Committee Member
School of…
Month Year
iv
ABSTRACT
The abstract of one paragraph in length is a concise summary of the ministry
project in 150-350 words. The abstract is to be completed last so that it is precise and
cogent.
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This is the page where you may provide an acknowledgement to those who have
been significant to you throughout the dissertation process. Generally the
acknowledgement page is no longer than one page.
[If the author wants to include a listing of abbreviations or a glossary of terms,
this would go on the next page/s with an appropriate heading/s.]
vi
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………………………… v
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT……………………………………………. 1
Overview (Heading 2)………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Statement of the Problem (Heading 2)………………………………………………………….. 1
Rationale for Doing the Ministry Project………………………………………………………. 2
Limitations and Assumptions ……………………………………………………………………… 2
Summary of the Literature ………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Biblical, Theological, and Historical Foundations …………………………………………. 3
Methods for Analyzing the Problem…………………………………………………………….. 3
Results and Contributions…………………………………………………………………………… 3
Evaluation of the Project…………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Working Outline and Timeline ……………………………………………………………………. 4
WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………………………………… 5
This table of contents page is to be formatted so that the page numbers have an automated
update feature. If you have these items to include, they would appear on subsequent
pages after this page in this order: List of Figures, List of Tables,
List of Abbreviations, and Glossary (or Definition of Terms)
1
CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT
Overview (Heading 2)
In the Turabian 8th edition, footnotes are in Times New Roman (10 count), and
single spaced at the bottom of the page, with a double-space line between them. The first
line is indented .5 inches. See the first footnote below.
1 Also see the second footnote
below.
2
In Turabian’s 8th edition the numbers are not hyperscripted (i.e., elevated from
the line). However, for our purposes, we will retain the hyperscripted numbers for
footnotes, unless otherwise indicated.
Statement of the Problem (Heading 2)
The statement of the problem clearly identifies the topic under consideration in as
clear and concise manner as possible. The statement of the problem may also amplify the
issues that surround the problem under consideration. In this section, the statement of the
problem should be developed into a one-sentence question that captures the trust of the
problem that will propel the doctoral project.
Heading 3
Heading 3 is listed here for your information only to show you how the headings
for the dissertation are to be formatted. You will likely not use a Heading 3 under the
Statement of the Problem.
1 Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th edit.
(Chicago: University of Chicago, 2013).
2 Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference (Boston: Little,
Brown, 2000), 64-65.
2
Heading 4
Heading 4 is to be flush against the left margin in bold, italicized font. This
Heading 4 is listed here for your reference only and for use, as needed, in this
proposal/dissertation.
Rationale for Doing the Ministry Project
The rationale for undertaking this ministry project is to be clearly stated here. This
section briefly explains to the reader the significance of the study. This section should
answer the questions: (1) why is the researcher interested in this specific topic?, (2) why
is there a need to solve this problem?, (3) who would benefit from this research (i.e., the
church, ministry leadership, other people connected to the issue/s at hand) and why, (4)
what gap in research is your research addressing?
Limitations and Assumptions
In that this doctoral project will not be exhaustive, it will be important to clearly
identify the scope of the research, which should be realistic and doable. The limitations of
the study are to state the boundaries of the project, so that the project is clearly focused.
Further, you are to clearly state the assumptions that undergird the study and how these
assumptions inform the direction of your research project. One assumption of your
project will include that this project will be undertaking from an evangelical perspective
and in consonance with the statements of faith as they appear in the Regent School of
Divinity catalog.
Summary of the Literature
Having a solid grasp of the relevant literature surrounding the ministry question or
topic is vital. Therefore, ongoing reading on the topic and related topics throughout the
3
dissertation process is expected. Read, read, and read! Aim to secure the top resources
and authors who are writing on your topic. Developing a working bibliography as you
encounter resources will save you from having to do it at the very end of writing the
proposal. Recouping these resources later can involve much wasted time.
Biblical, Theological, and Historical Foundations
This section should set the ministry problem, question, or situation within biblical,
theological, and historical contexts. What does the Bible, theology, and Christian history
have to say about your research question or topic? Do some digging and utilize the
strongest resources you can find for this section.
Methods for Analyzing the Problem
Although there may be many ways to solve the problem, the doctoral candidate
needs to indicate which method/s will be utilized by first considering all of the
possibilities. Then a final decision can be made based on these considerations.
Results and Contributions
This section relates your expectations about the results and outcome of the project
regarding benefits and contributions to your specific ministry context.
Evaluation of the Project
In this section, you will include the plan for evaluating the project. Establish
criteria for project evaluation. This section also includes specifics related to use of
surveys, evaluation forms, focus group assessment, personal interviews, and any other
evaluation tools utilized in the project.
4
Summary
This section of no longer than one page provides a summary of what has been
presented previously in 2-3 paragraphs. This summary should be clear and concise so that
the reader sees exactly where the project is going, based upon what the previous sections
have described.
Working Outline and Timeline
This section is included for proposals only and will be omitted for the actual
dissertation. This outline and timeline provides the candidate and the dissertation
committee the opportunity to see how the proposal/chapter 1 will proceed and if this plan
is realistic. As the candidate engages in research for the proposal/chapter 1, the outline
and timeline may change. It is important that the candidate communicates with his/her
dissertation chair when changes to the outline and timeline ensue.
5
WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY
Consult the 8th Edition of the Turabian Manual for how to format the bibliography. For
the final dissertation, the word “WORKING” should be deleted. Each
bibliographic inclusion is single-spaced with one line space between entries. The
first line of each entry is left justified, while the lines beneath are indented .5
inches (use the control key plus the “T” key for the indents on line 2 to create the
indent). The bibliography is to be prepared by authors’ last names.
Next bibliography resource to go here.
