Christian Legal Studies (E.J.D.)

Program Overview

The Executive Juris Doctor (E.J.D.) in Christian Legal Studies is for Christian leaders who carry legal responsibility without practising law. Executives, pastors, board members, and ministry founders make decisions about contracts, employment, disputes, and governance, and they want those decisions to reflect both legal competence and Christian conviction. This program joins the two, so that faithfulness and good legal judgment stop being separate conversations. After the foundations in legal systems, contracts and liability, and regulation and governance, students study the Christian legal tradition from biblical law to the Reformers and Blackstone; natural law and its use in public argument; biblical principles for resolving disputes, including Christian conciliation and arbitration; the Christian ethics of leadership, stewardship, and fiduciary trust; and the application of these principles to the legal decisions of ministries and Christian-owned businesses. Graduates serve as executives, trustees, conciliators, and ministry leaders who can reason through legal questions faithfully and work effectively with counsel. The executive capstone applies Christian legal principles to a real decision — a dispute, a contract, or a governance reform — in the student's organization. The E.J.D. is a professional credential for leaders.

Core Courses

• EJD 501 — Legal Systems and Legal Reasoning for Executives (6 credits)
• EJD 510 — Contracts, Liability, and Risk (6 credits)
• EJD 520 — Regulation, Compliance, and Governance (6 credits)
• EJD 615 — The Christian Legal Tradition for Leaders (6 credits)
• EJD 625 — Peacemaking, Conciliation, and Christian Arbitration (6 credits)
• EJD 635 — Christian Ethics of Stewardship and Trust (6 credits)
• EJD 690 — Executive Legal Capstone in Christian Legal Studies (12 credits)
• EJD 870 — Christian Institutional Judgment and Legal Analysis (3 credits)

Credit requirements

• Core courses: 51 credits
• Required elective credits: 9 credits

Total required: 60 credits

Elective Courses

Complete 9 credits from the options below (18 credits offered).

• EJD 715 — Natural Law and Public Argument (3 credits)
• EJD 725 — Christian-Owned Business and the Law (3 credits)
• EJD 735 — Contracts and Covenants (3 credits)
• EJD 745 — Advocacy and the Christian Citizen (3 credits)
• EJD 950 — Stewardship, Transparency, and Executive Responsibility (3 credits)
• EJD 951 — Christian Institutions and Public Partnerships (3 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a recognized institution
• At least five years of professional, executive, or ministry leadership experience
• Statement describing the legal questions the applicant’s work regularly raises
• Current résumé or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available