2027 Best Online Christian Counseling Doctorate Programs for Nonprofit, Policy, and Community Leadership Careers
Choosing an online Christian counseling doctorate is a leadership decision, not just an academic one. Independent Sector's latest sector reporting notes that U.S. nonprofits employ about 12.8 million workers, making mission-driven leadership a large and competitive career space.
This guide is for counseling, ministry, human services, and nonprofit professionals comparing doctoral options for nonprofit management, policy influence, and community leadership. You will learn how to evaluate program quality, specialization fit, cost, accreditation, online format, faculty networks, and career alignment before committing time and money.
Key Things You Should Know
- The strongest fit for nonprofit, policy, and community leadership is usually an accredited, applied doctorate with coursework in counseling theory, ethics, organizational leadership, program evaluation, grant-informed service design, and community-based research.
- BLS employment projections published in 2024 show social and community service manager jobs growing 8% from 2023 to 2033, with a May 2023 median wage of $77,030, doctoral study may help with senior leadership, teaching, consulting, or program-design roles, but it does not guarantee advancement.
- Federal graduate unsubsidized loans carry an 8.08% fixed interest rate for 2024-25, while Grad PLUS loans carry 9.08%, so total program length, residency travel, and dissertation fees should be compared alongside tuition.
Which Online Christian Counseling Doctorate Programs Are Best for Nonprofit, Policy, and Community Leadership?
The best online Christian counseling doctorate for nonprofit, policy, and community leadership is the one whose accreditation, doctoral model, faculty expertise, and applied learning requirements match your intended role. A "Christian counseling doctorate" can mean several different things: a faith-integrated counseling PhD, a Doctor of Ministry with pastoral counseling emphasis, a counselor education doctorate at a Christian university, a community care and counseling doctorate, or a leadership doctorate with counseling-related coursework.
Use the following comparison to identify the program type that most closely fits your target career. The key is to avoid choosing by title alone because similar-sounding doctorates can lead to very different outcomes.
| Program type | Best fit | Leadership value | Watch-outs |
| CACREP-aligned or CACREP-accredited counselor education doctorate | Licensed counselors who want faculty, supervision, clinical leadership, or mental health program administration roles | Strong fit for clinical governance, counselor training, supervision, and evidence-based service design | May be more clinically focused than nonprofit or policy focused; admissions often require counseling licensure or a counseling master's |
| PhD in Christian counseling or pastoral counseling | Professionals interested in research, teaching, faith-based consulting, or ministry-related counseling leadership | Good fit when the dissertation can address community mental health, trauma, family systems, or faith-based service delivery | May not meet state clinical licensure or faculty hiring expectations unless accreditation and curriculum are strong |
| Doctor of Ministry in pastoral counseling, chaplaincy, or care leadership | Ministers, chaplains, pastoral care directors, and faith-based nonprofit leaders | Strong for church-based care systems, crisis response, spiritual formation, and community ministry leadership | Less suitable for public policy analysis or licensed mental health practice if the curriculum is ministry-specific |
| Doctorate in community care, human services, or counseling leadership | Nonprofit executives, program directors, community advocates, and social service leaders | Strong applied fit for program evaluation, community partnerships, staff development, and service innovation | Quality depends heavily on faculty expertise, research methods depth, and field-based project requirements |
| Doctorate in marriage and family therapy or family systems with Christian integration | Family-service leaders, child welfare partners, marriage ministry leaders, and community family-resource directors | Useful for family systems thinking, relational health, trauma-informed services, and community intervention design | Licensure relevance depends on prior credentials and state rules; not all programs are leadership-oriented |
If your goal is to become licensed as a counselor rather than move into doctoral-level leadership, a doctorate is usually not the first step. In that case, compare online masters programs for counseling before evaluating doctoral programs, because state counseling licensure generally starts at the master's level.
A strong program for nonprofit, policy, or community leadership should show clear evidence of sector alignment. Look for applied projects with community partners, courses in program evaluation or organizational leadership, faculty who publish or practice in mission-driven settings, and student support for dissertation or capstone topics tied to real service problems.
Which Christian Counseling Doctorate Specializations Best Align With Nonprofit, Policy, and Community Leadership?
Specialization fit is often more important than the degree title. A Christian counseling doctorate can support nonprofit, policy, and community leadership, but only if the concentration builds the tools needed for your setting: managing people, measuring outcomes, interpreting community needs, handling ethics, and communicating across faith-based and public systems.
The table below summarizes common specialization choices and how they align with leadership pathways. Use it to narrow your search before requesting admissions calls.
| Specialization | Best aligned careers | What it should teach | Best for students who want to |
| Nonprofit and human services leadership | Executive director, program director, behavioral health administrator, faith-based agency leader | Organizational change, governance, fundraising context, outcomes assessment, staff supervision | Lead agencies that deliver counseling-adjacent or community care services |
| Community care and trauma | Community intervention director, crisis-response leader, victim services administrator, church-based care coordinator | Trauma-informed systems, crisis care, group support models, referral networks, cultural humility | Build or improve care systems for vulnerable populations |
| Pastoral counseling and chaplaincy leadership | Pastoral care director, chaplain supervisor, ministry counseling leader, congregational care strategist | Spiritual assessment, grief care, ethics, theological integration, referral boundaries | Lead counseling-related ministries without misrepresenting clinical licensure |
| Family systems and marriage counseling leadership | Family ministry director, family-resource nonprofit leader, child and family services administrator | Family systems, relational intervention, prevention programming, community family education | Design services for couples, parents, youth, and family resilience |
| Public policy, advocacy, and social change | Policy advisor, advocacy director, community coalition leader, nonprofit government-relations specialist | Policy analysis, ethics, research translation, community data, stakeholder communication | Influence systems, funding priorities, and public decisions affecting mental health or family services |
| Research, teaching, and counselor education | Professor, researcher, clinical training director, doctoral supervisor | Advanced research methods, pedagogy, supervision, publishing, assessment | Teach, supervise, or produce scholarship in counseling-related fields |
Family-focused professionals should pay particular attention to whether the program teaches systems theory, family assessment, and community intervention rather than only pastoral care. If your target role centers on family counseling or relational health, comparing best online MFT programs can also help you understand the clinical foundation that many doctoral programs expect applicants to have.
A common mistake is choosing a specialization because it sounds broad. Broad concentrations can be useful for executives, but they can also become too general if they lack measurable competencies. Ask whether you will graduate with a portfolio, dissertation, applied project, grant-style proposal, program evaluation, training model, or publishable research that demonstrates leadership capacity.

What Curriculum Should a Christian Counseling Doctorate Offer for Mission-Driven Leadership?
A mission-driven Christian counseling doctorate should connect faith integration with rigorous leadership practice. That means the curriculum should not stop at counseling theory or biblical foundations; it should also train you to design services, evaluate outcomes, manage ethical risk, lead teams, and communicate with funders, boards, churches, agencies, and public partners.
The strongest programs usually combine several curriculum areas. These components matter because nonprofit, policy, and community leadership roles require both people-centered judgment and organizational competence.
- Advanced counseling and pastoral care foundations: courses should clarify the difference between spiritual care, pastoral counseling, peer support, clinical counseling, and referral-based care.
- Research methods and evaluation: look for qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and program evaluation coursework that helps you measure whether services are working.
- Organizational leadership: courses should cover change management, supervision, conflict, board or stakeholder communication, and ethical decision-making.
- Community assessment: strong programs teach students to analyze local needs, service gaps, demographic realities, and cultural factors before designing interventions.
- Policy and advocacy literacy: leadership-focused students should learn how laws, funding streams, public agencies, and institutional policies shape counseling-related services.
- Faith integration and ethics: programs should address informed consent, boundaries, pluralistic settings, mandated reporting, referral ethics, and the limits of pastoral or lay counseling.
- Applied doctoral project or dissertation: the final project should allow a nonprofit, policy, or community problem to be studied in a rigorous and useful way.
Students who need to build the clinical foundation before doctoral work may be better served by accelerated mental health counseling programs online, especially if their immediate goal is licensure preparation rather than executive leadership.
Current trends make curriculum fit even more important. Nonprofits and community agencies increasingly use data dashboards, telehealth partnerships, outcomes reporting, and trauma-informed care models. A doctoral program that ignores technology, evaluation, and cross-sector collaboration may leave graduates underprepared for modern leadership expectations.
For nonprofit, policy, and community leadership careers, an applied doctorate is often the more practical choice, while a research-focused doctorate is usually better for academic, publishing, or high-level research roles. Neither option is automatically better; the right choice depends on how you plan to use the degree.
This comparison shows how applied and research-focused doctorates differ in structure and career fit. Use it to decide whether you need a dissertation designed for scholarly contribution or a doctoral project designed for organizational problem-solving.
| Factor | Applied doctorate | Research-focused doctorate |
| Common degree examples | DMin, EdD, applied PhD, Doctor of Community Care, leadership-oriented counseling doctorate | PhD in counseling, counselor education, pastoral counseling, psychology-adjacent Christian counseling, or theology |
| Main purpose | Solve a practice problem in an organization, ministry, nonprofit, or community setting | Create original scholarship and prepare for research, teaching, or theory development |
| Final requirement | Applied doctoral project, intervention design, program evaluation, or practice-based dissertation | Traditional dissertation with deeper methodology and literature contribution |
| Best leadership fit | Executive leadership, program design, community partnerships, training, consulting | Faculty roles, research leadership, policy research, scholarly publishing |
| Potential limitation | May be less competitive for research-intensive faculty positions | May be less directly connected to immediate organizational problems |
Choose an applied doctorate if your goal is to strengthen a counseling ministry, build a nonprofit mental health initiative, lead community programs, or evaluate services. Choose a research-focused doctorate if you want to teach at the graduate level, publish scholarship, influence policy through research, or compete for roles where doctoral research design is central.
A practical way to decide is to review recent dissertation or project titles from the program. If most projects resemble the work you want to do, the fit is promising. If the projects are far removed from nonprofit, policy, or community leadership, the program may not provide the applied relevance you need.
Accreditation is one of the highest-stakes factors in choosing an online Christian counseling doctorate. It affects federal financial aid eligibility, credit transfer, employer recognition, faculty hiring prospects, and, in some cases, licensure or supervision pathways. For leadership careers, accreditation is not just a compliance detail; it is a credibility signal.
Start by checking institutional accreditation, then examine programmatic accreditation where relevant. The following categories help you understand what each type does and does not prove.
| Accreditation type | Why it matters | What to verify |
| Institutional accreditation | Confirms the institution meets broad academic and administrative quality standards and is usually required for federal aid | Confirm the accreditor is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA |
| CACREP accreditation | Important for counselor education and supervision pathways; often valued in academic and clinical training settings | Check whether the specific doctoral program, not just the university, is accredited |
| ATS accreditation | Relevant for seminary-based DMin, pastoral counseling, chaplaincy, and ministry leadership doctorates | Confirm the degree level and delivery format are covered |
| COAMFTE accreditation | Relevant for marriage and family therapy programs | Verify whether the program is doctoral-level and whether it supports your state or employer goals |
| State authorization and professional approval | Important for online students and for programs tied to regulated practice | Ask whether the school can enroll students from your state and whether the program supports any intended credential |
Be especially careful with programs that use counseling language but do not prepare students for regulated counseling practice. Many Christian counseling or pastoral counseling doctorates are designed for ministry, coaching, education, or leadership, not LPC, LMFT, psychologist, or social work licensure.
Before enrolling, complete these checks in order. They are simple, but they can prevent expensive mistakes.
- Verify institutional accreditation through official federal or accreditor databases.
- Ask whether the specific doctorate has programmatic accreditation or professional recognition.
- Confirm whether the program is intended for licensed counselors, ministers, nonprofit leaders, researchers, or another audience.
- Contact your state licensing board if you expect the degree to affect clinical practice, supervision, or credentials.
- Ask employers or denominational bodies whether they recognize the credential for leadership, chaplaincy, teaching, or advancement.

Online Christian counseling doctorates vary widely in format. Some are fully online and asynchronous, while others require live evening classes, weeklong intensives, clinical supervision, ministry-based fieldwork, or campus residencies. These differences affect cost, schedule, travel, networking, and your ability to complete the dissertation or project while working full time.
The table below compares common delivery models. Use it to estimate the real time commitment, not just the advertised program length.
| Format feature | What it means | Best for | Possible drawback |
| Asynchronous online courses | Students complete weekly work without fixed class meetings | Working professionals with unpredictable schedules | Less real-time faculty and peer interaction |
| Synchronous online courses | Students attend scheduled live sessions | Students who want discussion, accountability, and cohort connection | Harder for shift workers or leaders with evening commitments |
| Short residencies | Students attend campus or retreat-based intensives | Students who value networking, mentoring, and faculty access | Adds travel, lodging, time away from work, and family logistics |
| Field-based learning | Students complete projects in a ministry, nonprofit, agency, or community setting | Students seeking applied leadership impact | Requires access to an approved site and organizational support |
| Dissertation-only final phase | Coursework ends before independent dissertation work begins | Research-focused students with strong self-direction | Can extend time to completion if advising is weak |
| Embedded doctoral project | Students build the final project throughout the program | Applied leaders who want steady progress | May offer less methodological depth than a traditional dissertation |
Residencies are not automatically bad. For leadership students, a short residency can create valuable relationships with faculty, peers, denominational leaders, and nonprofit partners. The problem is enrolling without calculating the full cost and time impact.
Ask admissions advisors specific operational questions before applying. These questions reveal whether the format fits your life and leadership goals.
- Are courses asynchronous, synchronous, or mixed?
- How many residencies are required, where are they held, and what do students typically spend on travel?
- Can the applied project or dissertation be completed in my current organization?
- How often do students meet with dissertation chairs or project mentors?
- What happens if I change jobs, move states, or lose access to a field site?
- Are there cohort activities, research groups, supervision groups, or leadership labs?
Admissions requirements depend on the degree model. Clinical or counselor education doctorates may expect a counseling master's, licensure, supervised experience, and research readiness. Ministry-based doctorates may require an MDiv or equivalent theological training, ministry experience, and endorsement. Leadership-oriented community care doctorates may admit professionals from counseling, ministry, social work, education, nonprofit management, chaplaincy, or human services backgrounds.
The following table summarizes common requirements and why they matter. Always confirm details with the school because doctoral admissions standards vary by program and specialization.
| Requirement | Common expectation | Why it matters for leadership applicants |
| Master's degree | Counseling, psychology, social work, divinity, theology, human services, education, or related field | Shows graduate-level preparation and helps determine whether prerequisites are needed |
| Professional experience | Often several years in counseling, ministry, nonprofit, education, chaplaincy, or community services | Applied doctorates work best when students bring real organizational problems to study |
| Licensure or credential | Required or preferred for some counselor education and clinical leadership programs | Important if the program involves supervision, clinical training, or regulated practice |
| Statement of purpose | Usually required | Should connect your research or project idea to nonprofit, policy, or community leadership goals |
| Writing sample | Often required | Demonstrates readiness for doctoral research, theological reflection, or applied analysis |
| References | Academic, professional, ministry, or supervisory references | Helps programs assess leadership readiness and ethical maturity |
| Interview | Common in selective or cohort-based programs | Allows faculty to test fit, motivation, and clarity of doctoral purpose |
A strong application does more than say you want to help people. It identifies a specific leadership problem, such as improving trauma-informed care in churches, evaluating a family-resource nonprofit, strengthening pastoral referral systems, or studying policy barriers to community mental health access.
Applicants should avoid three common mistakes during admissions. These mistakes can lead to poor fit even when the school is reputable.
- Applying before clarifying career use: explain whether you want executive leadership, teaching, policy work, chaplaincy leadership, consulting, or research.
- Ignoring prerequisite gaps: ask whether your master's degree satisfies counseling, theology, statistics, or research-methods prerequisites.
- Submitting a vague project idea: doctoral programs are more likely to see fit when your interests align with faculty expertise and available methodology support.
Online Christian counseling doctorate costs vary because programs differ in credit length, tuition model, residency requirements, dissertation fees, technology fees, and whether students study full time or part time. Do not compare programs by per-credit tuition alone. A lower tuition rate can become expensive if the program requires more credits, extra continuation terms, or frequent travel.
Federal loan costs also matter. For 2024-25, federal graduate unsubsidized loans have an 8.08% fixed interest rate, and Grad PLUS loans have a 9.08% fixed interest rate; this means the amount borrowed and the time spent in school can significantly affect long-term repayment.
When comparing program cost, ask schools for a full written estimate that includes all required expenses. The most important cost categories are:
- Tuition per credit or per term.
- Total credits required for graduation.
- Application, graduation, technology, library, and dissertation or project fees.
- Residency travel, lodging, meals, and time away from work.
- Books, software, assessment tools, transcription, data analysis, or research expenses.
- Continuation tuition if the dissertation or project extends beyond the standard timeline.
- Supervision, field placement, background check, or liability insurance costs if required.
The table below shows how funding sources typically work for doctoral students. Use it to build a realistic financing plan before committing to enrollment.
| Funding source | How it may help | What to confirm |
| Institutional scholarships | Can reduce tuition for eligible doctoral students | Whether awards are renewable and whether online students qualify |
| Employer tuition assistance | Useful for nonprofit, church, hospital, school, or agency employees | Annual limits, service commitments, reimbursement timing, and tax implications |
| Denominational or ministry grants | May support pastoral counseling, chaplaincy, or ministry leadership study | Eligibility, endorsement requirements, and approved school lists |
| Federal unsubsidized loans | Common option for graduate students | Annual limits, interest accrual, and repayment plan options |
| Grad PLUS loans | Can cover remaining cost of attendance after other aid | Credit check requirements and higher interest cost |
| Assistantships or teaching opportunities | May provide tuition support or stipends in some research-oriented programs | Availability for online students and workload expectations |
If affordability is your main constraint, compare total program cost and completion structure, not just the advertised tuition rate. A guide to the cheapest online PhD in counseling can be useful for identifying lower-cost doctoral options, but affordability should still be weighed against accreditation, faculty fit, and career relevance.
A practical ROI rule is to borrow only what your intended career path can reasonably support. Nonprofit and ministry leadership can be meaningful and influential, but compensation varies widely by organization size, region, funding model, and role. A doctorate may support advancement, consulting, teaching, or executive credibility, but it should not be treated as a guaranteed salary increase.
Faculty and professional networks matter because doctoral study is mentorship-intensive. In an online Christian counseling doctorate, your dissertation chair, project mentor, cohort peers, and institutional partners can shape your research topic, professional credibility, publication opportunities, and access to leadership networks.
Strong programs are transparent about faculty backgrounds and student support. Look for faculty who combine academic qualifications with experience in counseling, ministry leadership, nonprofit administration, chaplaincy, public policy, family systems, trauma care, community mental health, or program evaluation.
Use these signals to assess faculty and network strength before applying:
- Faculty alignment: at least one faculty member should have expertise close to your intended dissertation or applied project topic.
- Doctoral mentoring structure: the program should explain how chairs are assigned, how often students receive feedback, and how stalled projects are handled.
- Professional partnerships: look for relationships with churches, nonprofits, health systems, schools, advocacy groups, or community agencies.
- Research and publication culture: research-focused students should see evidence of faculty publishing, conference participation, and student scholarship.
- Leadership practice opportunities: applied students should have access to consulting-style projects, organizational assessments, training design, or program evaluation work.
- Alumni visibility: graduates should be working in roles that resemble your goals, such as executive leadership, teaching, chaplaincy supervision, community programming, or policy advocacy.
Networking is especially important in nonprofit and community leadership because many opportunities move through relationships, coalitions, denominational systems, boards, and local partnerships. A low-interaction online program may be convenient, but it can be a poor fit if it leaves students isolated during the doctoral project phase.
During admissions conversations, ask for examples of recent student projects, faculty-student collaborations, alumni roles, and professional events available to online doctoral students. A program that cannot answer these questions may still be academically legitimate, but it may not offer the leadership ecosystem you need.
How Should You Evaluate Career Outcomes and ROI When Choosing an Online Christian Counseling Doctorate?
ROI for an online Christian counseling doctorate should be evaluated in terms of career alignment, credential value, debt risk, and practical leadership outcomes. For nonprofit, policy, and community leadership careers, the return may include promotion potential, teaching opportunities, consulting credibility, stronger program design skills, or expanded influence rather than a simple salary calculation.
BLS data published in 2024 reports a May 2023 median wage of $77,030 for social and community service managers. Use that figure as context, not a promise: actual compensation depends on sector, geography, organization budget, faith-based versus public funding, and whether the role is executive, administrative, clinical, academic, or ministerial.
The table below connects common career goals with the program evidence you should look for. This helps you judge whether a doctorate is likely to support your specific plan.
| Career goal | Program evidence to look for | ROI concern |
| Nonprofit executive leadership | Courses in organizational leadership, governance, evaluation, ethics, and community partnerships | Debt should be weighed against expected nonprofit compensation and employer tuition support |
| Policy or advocacy leadership | Policy analysis, research methods, data translation, public communication, and stakeholder engagement | A public policy doctorate may be a better fit if counseling integration is secondary |
| Community care program design | Applied projects, needs assessment, trauma-informed care, and measurable outcomes | Program should produce a usable portfolio, not only theoretical coursework |
| Faculty or teaching roles | Research methods depth, dissertation rigor, teaching experience, publications, and recognized accreditation | Academic hiring can be competitive and may prefer specific accreditation or research output |
| Pastoral counseling or chaplaincy leadership | Theological integration, pastoral care ethics, chaplaincy supervision, and referral boundaries | Degree should match denominational, hospital, or employer credential expectations |
| Consulting and training | Organizational assessment, curriculum design, evaluation, facilitation, and a clear niche | Success depends on market demand, network strength, and prior professional credibility |
Before enrolling, work through these decision steps. They turn a broad interest in doctoral study into a concrete investment decision.
- Write a one-sentence target role, such as "I want to lead a faith-based trauma recovery nonprofit" or "I want to teach counseling leadership at a Christian university."
- List the credentials that employers, licensing boards, seminaries, or agencies typically expect for that role.
- Compare at least three programs by accreditation, faculty fit, curriculum, final project type, residency cost, and total estimated price.
- Ask each program for recent dissertation or applied project examples related to nonprofit, policy, or community leadership.
- Estimate monthly loan repayment under realistic borrowing scenarios before accepting aid.
- Choose the program that gives you the strongest combination of credibility, usable skills, mentoring, and manageable cost.
Red flags include unclear accreditation, vague career outcomes, no faculty match for your topic, pressure to enroll quickly, hidden continuation fees, no dissertation support plan, and claims that the doctorate automatically qualifies you for licensure or high-paying leadership roles. A strong program will be clear about what it can and cannot do.
Other Things You Should Know About Christian Counseling
It depends on your state, credentials, and work setting. A doctorate may support ministry, education, consulting, or leadership roles, but regulated clinical titles such as licensed professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, or clinical social worker require specific state-approved credentials.
No. You can start a nonprofit without a doctorate. The degree may be useful if your mission involves counseling-related services, pastoral care systems, trauma-informed programming, research, or executive credibility, but nonprofit formation also requires governance, compliance, funding, and operational skills.
Yes, but fit matters. Public agencies and secular nonprofits may value leadership, evaluation, ethics, trauma, and community-care skills, while expecting clear boundaries around religious content. Programs that teach pluralistic practice and ethical referral are stronger for cross-sector roles.
Many students finish in about three to five years, depending on credit load, dissertation or project progress, residency requirements, transfer credits, and whether they study full time or part time. The final research or applied project phase is often the biggest variable.
- Advance Your Ministry: Doctorate in Christian Counseling! https://andersonvilleseminary.com/gradulate/doctor-of-ministry-christian-counseling/
- Top Accrediting Bodies For Counseling Degrees https://www.psychology.org/resources/accreditation-for-counseling-degrees/
- Home - CACREP https://www.cacrep.org/
- Best Online Master's in Christian Counseling in 2025 https://www.onlinemastersdegrees.org/best-programs/counseling/christian-counseling/
- 2025 Most Affordable Online Master's Degree in Christian Counseling https://www.onlineu.com/most-affordable-colleges/christian-counseling-masters-degrees
- M.A. in Christian Counseling | Cornerstone University https://www.cornerstone.edu/programs/m-a-in-christian-counseling/
- Best Online Psychology Degrees: Differences Between Christian and Secular Schools - Grace Christian University https://gracechristian.edu/blog/best-online-psychology-degrees-differences-between-christian-and-secular-schools/
- Doctor of Christian Psychology and Counseling Online https://cornerstonechristianuniversity.com/programs/christian-psychology-and-counseling/doctor-of-christian-psychology-and-counseling/
- Online Doctorate in Professional Counseling, D.P.C. https://www.mc.edu/academics/departments/counseling/graduate-programs/professional-counseling-dpc
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Christian Education and Counseling https://eldermont.com/course/doctor-of-philosophy-ph-d-in-christian-education-and-counseling/