Christian Legal Studies (E.J.D.)
Credential: Executive Juris Doctor (E.J.D.)
Degree Level: Doctoral Degree
Credits: 60 total, with up to 0 transfer credits accepted
School: School of Divinity
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; it does not qualify graduates for bar admission or the practice of law.
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)
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
- Signed acknowledgment that the degree does not qualify the holder for bar admission or the practice of law