Transformational Development and Integral Mission Cohort

Transformational Development and Integral Mission Cohort

Spring 2027

Application Deadline: January 31, 2027

Overview

This cohort is designed for development professionals and Christian leaders interested in the fields of community and international development who seek to strengthen their leadership capacity by drawing on scholarship in missiology, transformational development, holistic mission, and leadership theory, and applying this knowledge to a critical research project in their context.

Students will learn key missiological concepts from traditional and modern sources, transformational development and holistic mission principles and tools, leadership and organizational change, and leadership dynamics and research skills. Their research project will be relevant to their ministry, include both analytical and experimental change components, and result in a doctoral dissertation. Students will also participate in an ongoing learning community designed to support spiritual formation and academic success.

This doctoral program is designed to strengthen leadership capacity for transformational mission among the poor and marginalized in both local and global contexts, whether in the Global North or South. It equips missional leaders to integrate theology with development, humanitarian action, advocacy, and public policy, fostering transformative change.

Values

We will be characterized as global. - Our students will study with others from around the world and, in these learning communities, be exposed to global trends and cultural, contextual analysis.
We nurture missional commitment. - We desire our students to embrace their role in missio Dei and become missional change agents in their communities.
We serve active leaders who are adult learners. - We partner with identified leaders in their communities. An adult-learning philosophy and praxis typify our program, providing opportunities for reflecting, learning, and doing.
We create biblical communities of practice. - We understand that transformation best happens in safe, peer-oriented environments. Therefore, we create space for dialogue and support.

Schedule

Year One

Core Concepts, Program Overview and Research Preparation (14 units)

During the first year, participants will focus on building a knowledge foundation in the multiple disciplines of the cohort, understanding the components of a doctoral program, reflecting on their research interests in the light of key course concepts, learning the skills necessary to do a literature review and research design, and building a community of mutual support and formation.

Spring 2027: Missiological Foundations | March 29 - June 9, 2027 (4 units, online live)

The course will include weekly selected foundational readings on missiology, transformational development and leadership dynamics, related assignments, and a one-week online intensive May 31-June 4, 2027). It will culminate in the completion of an initial draft research proposal, which students will peer-review and submit.

Summer 2027: Research Methods | June 21–September 3, 2027 (4 units, online)

This summer course will familiarize participants with the overall dissertation outline, library research, academic writing, and literature critique. Participants will begin their literature review in their area of interest and draft the beginning of their research proposal.

Fall 2027: Missiological Foundations and Research Applied | September 27–December 10, 2026 (6 units, online)

The fall course will continue to focus on missiological foundations with an additional literature review in the area of interest, and conclude with drafting a literature review chapter.

The course of study begins with introducing core theological, missiological, and sociological frameworks related to power and gender in organizational contexts. Students will draw on seminal literature to explore and expand their understanding of leadership, considering the implications for the context in which they live and work. By the end of Year 1, students will have articulated a clear research focus and surveyed the literature related to that focus, identifying a key challenge they will explore in their field research in Year 2.

Year Two

Contextualization, Research Methods, Program Design Paper, Field Research Phase 1 (14 units)

Participants draw on their preliminary literature review to identify a key theoretical construct that guides the design of their field research, and continue to develop their research design. Based on this, participants will design, develop, and enact their field research and complete a preliminary analysis of their findings.

Spring 2028: Developing Contextual Research Methodology | March 27–June 9, 2028 (4 units, online)

The spring course will focus on qualitative research methods and the ethics of human subject research. It includes a three-week pre-intensive reading and related assignments in preparation for an online intensive, followed by weekly assignments on specific components of research methodology and design of research tools. By the end, participants will have created an updated research design proposal, submitted an HSR application for review, and completed a draft of the methods chapter.

Summer 2028: Studying Contexts | June 19–September 1, 2028 (4 units, online)

The Summer 2027 course is directed toward field data collection. Professors will be available for consultation with students on a needed basis. Participants will submit a data analysis plan, along with a report on their field collection at the end of the course. Preliminary reading and discussion of data analysis methods will take place during the quarter.

Fall 2028: Studying Contexts | Sept –December 2028 (6 units, online live)

The fall course is designed to analyze collected field data and write of initial findings. There will be regular one-on-one meetings with faculty and synchronized sessions to facilitate mutual learning.

In Year 2, students will learn the tools of qualitative research for the sake of robust contextual analysis. Informed by their work in Year 1, and located in a particular leadership context, students will learn to name and analyze current organizational and/or cultural praxis with the intent of discerning and strategizing experiments as a way forward.

Year Three

Transformational Leadership in Practice, Revised Project Design, and Revised Literature Review (14 units)

In the first half of the third year, the curriculum will focus on transformational leadership in practice, emphasizing reflective leadership and the integration of research findings into real-world contexts. Students will revise their literature review and refine their research design for the second phase of their study, which involves an experimental pilot change project. Working collaboratively with their cohort, students will analyze the leadership dynamics and structures within their organizations, churches, or ministries to identify meaningful and contextually relevant change initiatives. They will engage in critical reflection to determine the most effective leadership approach based on the insights gained from their initial research. In the final component of the third year, students will implement their experimental change project in a pilot form. Alternatively, some may use this time to design a more comprehensive future change initiative while testing a specific, focused aspect of their proposed intervention.

Spring 2029: Leadership Change | March –June 2029 (4 units, online live)

This spring course will guide students in developing a change vision and strategy based on leadership and change dynamics literature. This strategy will be designed to address key issues identified in their field research. Students will also create a pilot project or plan to test a critical aspect of their proposed change strategy. The course will include weekly selected readings, related assignments, and a week-long online intensive. By the end of the course, students will have developed a concrete organizational change pilot plan for testing.

Summer 2029: Change Dynamics | June –September 2029 (4 units, online)

The summer course aims to prepare for and conduct the organizational change pilot. There will be regular one-on-one meetings with faculty and synchronized sessions to facilitate mutual learning. Participants will submit a report on their change project at the end of the course.

Fall 2029: Leadership and Change Dynamics Applied | September –December 2029 (4 units, online and online live)

The fall course is designed to integrate findings from the pilot project as part of the overall research findings and discussions. There will be regular one-on-one meetings with faculty and synchronized sessions to facilitate mutual learning. Participants will submit a draft of a chapter discussing the pilot project that entails what was designed (based on research findings and change dynamics readings), what was completed, and what was learned from the experience.

Students will build and test prototypes for generative change in their context that help them build toward their final project. Leveraging those experiments (and the lessons from them), by the end of Year 3 students will have articulated a larger project for change/innovation given their vocational context and constraints.

Year Four

Dissertation Writing and Presentation (12 Units)

Year 4 guides the participants through the final stages of their dissertation journey. Students will integrate and refine their work, develop a fair draft for peer and mentor review, complete their final version, defend their dissertation, and complete required revisions. Structured support and guidance from mentors, readers, and peers ensure readiness for successful graduation.

Spring 2030: MI772: Missiological Integration March –June (4 units, online)
Summer 2030: ML790A: Dissertation Writing June –Sept (6 units, online)
Fall 2030: ML790B: Dissertation Writing September –December(6 units, online)

Cohort Mentors

Alexia Salvatierra is academic dean for Centro Latino and associate professor of mission and global transformation at Fuller Seminary. She is coauthor of Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World (2013), Buried Seeds: Learning from the Resilience of Vibrant Marginalized Christian Communities (2022), and God’s Resistance: Mobilizing Faith to Defend Immigrants (2023).

A Lutheran pastor with over forty years of experience in bilingual congregational and community ministry, Rev. Dr. Salvatierra is a consultant for a variety of national/international organizations, including World Vision, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and the Christian Community Development Association. She has been a national leader in the areas of working poverty and immigration for over twenty-five years, and has founded multiple programs and organizations in the US and overseas, including: the national Evangelical Immigration Table in 2011, the 2007 New Sanctuary Movement, the Guardian Angels project for unaccompanied migrant minors in 2014, the Ecumenical Collaboration for Asylum Seekers, and Matthew 25/Mateo 25 (a bipartisan Christian network to protect and defend families facing deportation in the name and spirit of Jesus) in 2016.

Rev. Dr. Salvatierra previously served as the director of Justice for the Southwest California Synod of the ELCA under Bishop Nelson and founding director of the Berkeley Ecumenical Chaplaincy to the Homeless. She was also previously executive director of Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, where she became the first director of CLUE-CA, a statewide alliance of organizations of religious leaders who come together to respond to the crisis of working poverty by joining low-wage workers in their struggle for a living wage, health insurance, fair working conditions and a voice in the decisions that affect them.

She has been awarded the Fuller School of Intercultural Studies 2019 David Allan Hubbard Achievement Award, the Changemaker award from the Liberty Hill Foundation, the Stanton Fellowship from the Durfee Foundation, the Amos Award from Sojourners, the Giants of Justice award from CLUE LA, and the Prime Mover fellowship from the Hunt Alternatives Fund.

Jaisankar (Jai) Sarma is affiliate assistant professor of transformational development at Fuller Seminary. As a dedicated follower of Christ with a life mission to serve the poor, he is deeply committed to a holistic approach to mission, integrating the physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of life into a unified whole. With extensive field experience, Dr. Sarma has held four field-based positions and has contributed to transformational development programs in over fifty countries. He holds a PhD in development studies from Middlesex University in London and the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, UK. His research focused on the judgment and discretion of field workers serving at the intersection of Christian NGOs and local communities.

Dr. Sarma has held a range of leadership roles, from serving on a grassroots project management team to serving as a country director, leading global field operations, and working as vice president for transformational development at World Vision International. Since then, he has been consulting with Christian ministries worldwide, supporting holistic community development efforts. With a career spanning numerous countries, including conflict and post-conflict zones, he has extensive experience in international development, program management, and team leadership, all aimed at creating lasting impact among vulnerable populations. He is currently authoring Transformational Frontiers, a book that explores the critical role of frontline workers in Christian organizations, scheduled for publication in 2026.