Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Tracy Cotterell, DMin

Second Advisor

Michael Larson, DMin

Third Advisor

Ken Van Vliet, DMin

Abstract

The project was developed to address the NPO: Women in Alliance Missions have unmet developmental needs, are often overlooked in the first decade of service, and underutilized for leadership opportunities.

A key insight of the research was a twofold obstacle facing women in ministry. First, the fundamental theological disagreement over women’s participation in leadership results in pervasive patriarchal preference and predominance of male leadership voices in the organizational culture. Second, a general lack of preparation and mentoring for women in the areas of leadership and formation results in an absence of women in the leadership pipeline and an additional layer of struggle when women are released into leadership. This clarified my need to determine which front the project would address.

My ministry context is in transition. I currently serve as a team developer with Alliance Missions in Europe engaging in coaching, consulting, and worker development. I have also entered into a secondment agreement with Women’s Development Track, a 501c3 focused on providing development opportunities to missionary women primarily in the Missio Nexus community. I will assume the executive director role effective July 1, 2026.

The project, called Leadership Pathways: Foundations, is a foundational level leadership development and mentoring program for women. The program consists of six units focused on: self-leadership through spiritual formation, cultivating a leader identity, and unpacking leadership challenges in safe community. The program launches with an in-person retreat facilitated by live teaching and cohort interaction. Mentoring groups are formed during the retreat, with ongoing individual and cohort mentoring for six months following the retreat. Units 1-3 are introduced at the retreat and units 4-6 are presented in video format during the mentoring process. The scope of the doctoral project focuses on creating the in-person retreat experience and providing an overview of the subsequent mentoring and remaining units.

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