School of Theology Resources and Programs

The School of Theology offers a wide variety of resource centers and programs for students to use.

RESOURCES FOR THEOLOGICAL STUDY AT THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

Bookstores

Boston boasts many extraordinary bookstores for both new and used books. School of Theology students purchase their coursebooks from Barnes & Noble at Boston University in Kenmore Square.

Boston Theological Institute

The Boston University School of Theology is part of a nine-member seminary consortium in the Greater Boston area known as the Boston Theological Institute (BTI). The consortium represents Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox traditions and includes Andover Newton Theological School, Boston College Department of Theology, Episcopal Divinity School, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Harvard Divinity School, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, St. John’s Seminary, and Weston Jesuit School of Theology.

The Boston Theological Institute brings together a rich combination of faculty, resources, and library facilities. School of Theology students are granted cross-registration and library privileges at each member school at the time of registration. Information on special lectures, ecumenical travel opportunities, and consortiumwide study and work groups is disseminated via a biweekly newsletter.

Students are reminded that each institution retains its identity, autonomy, and individual semester course schedule. Eligibility for cross-registration is determined by the host school’s academic calendar.

The Boston Theological Institute’s Web page can be accessed at Boston Theological.

Boston University Theological Students Association

Each year, students in the School of Theology form the Boston University Theological Students Association (BUTSA). The organization is recognized by Boston University student government and is funded in part by the Community Service Fee. BUTSA organizes the student body in various ways, including the approval of a yearly program budget, offering advice to the Office of the Dean, and developing a series of academic and social events in the life of the School. Student groups formed under the umbrella of BUTSA include the Black Seminarian Association, the Korean Students’ Association, the Sacred Worth Ministry, the International Students Association, the Order of Saint Luke, and various other groups.

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The Center for Congregational Research and Development

Ever-changing cultural contexts create enormous challenges and tremendous opportunities for the public role of congregations and for the shape of congregational mission to and interaction with its community. Congregations must become more engaged than ever in the public life of their communities if they are to remain viable and find creative ways of demonstrating the message of the gospel in diverse settings. At the same time, the church no longer stands at the center of society as it once did.

The central activity of the Center for Congregational Research and Development (CCRD) is contextual theological research. By bringing together a community of scholars, teachers, students, and congregational leaders, the Center hopes to deepen our understanding of the manifold contours of contemporary culture and thereby to find better ways of living out the gospel in diverse settings and among diverse populations. Research-based strategies for nurturing more publicly-engaged congregations help future religious leaders find creative methods for helping congregations not only survive, but thrive.

The Center hosts a wide variety of media and resources and sponsors conferences that bring together students, congregational leaders, scholars, and expert practitioners to learn together and share resources in new church development and congregational transformation. The conferences wed theological reflection with strategic practice, and feature guest speakers, workshops, and small group interaction. Activities and resources may be viewed at Center for Congregational Research and Development.

Sustaining Urban Pastoral Excellence

This is a CCRD-sponsored program of compensated leave, study, and spiritual formation for urban pastors. Urban pastoral leaders across the United States face a variety of challenges and opportunities. Complex patterns of wealth and poverty, community and loneliness, density and intensity combine to form the fast-paced and ever-changing mosaic that is city life.

Pastoral excellence in the city requires careful cultivation of the life of faith—of relationships and practices that nurture the faith and that keep ministry from degenerating into mere busyness. The project invites Christian pastors from across America to form partnerships of four pastors each within their particular urban contexts; to define together a question, problem, or issue related to urban pastoral ministry; and to participate together in a six-month program of study, reflection, and spiritual renewal. Included within that six-month period is a 4–8-week period of compensated leave from congregational duties funded by Boston University School of Theology. Program details can be viewed at Center for Congregational Research and Development.

Clinical Pastoral Education

The School of Theology is a member of the Boston Cluster for Clinical Pastoral Education. This and other CPE centers across the United States conduct 12-week intensive training sessions throughout the year. These may be taken by full-time students during the summer. CPE centers also offer extended units, which require a time commitment of two days per week for one academic year. These may be taken as part of one’s regular coursework at the School. By prior arrangement with the director of professional education or a designated professor, a student may receive up to 8 elective credits (one unit) of CPE toward the MDiv degree. Students desiring to participate in CPE should apply during the preceding fall for a summer program and in spring for an extended program.

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Curricular Practical Training

STH CT 800—This course encourages theology students to take advantage of opportunities for practical experience in area churches as an extension of their theological training in the School of Theology. A credit bearing course, CPT is established as an elective course that can be taken for 1/2 credit each semester or 1 credit during the summer session. A maximum of 4 elective credits can be applied to degree requirements for a master level degree (MDiv, MTS, MSM). These elective credits may not be substituted for major or minor coursework in a STM or ThD program but can augment either of these post-master’s degrees.

This course may not be taken in the first year of study, and registration for CPT requires a minimum GPA of 3.0. At the close of each semester the student will submit documentation outlining their experience in the CPT site. An application for CPT will include site information, including supervisor contact information. Compliance with Curricular Practical Training for F-1 students requires that an international student must register for the course, be recommended by the School to the ISSO, and be approved by the ISSO for CPT.

Distance Learning

Along with evolving technology, increasing numbers of colleges and universities have developed Distance Education online courses. The School of Theology does not currently accept distance learning credits for transfer in their academic programs. Several of the Boston Theological Institute (BTI) consortium schools do offer online courses. For this reason, the School will review master level student requests, by petition, to take one of these courses during their academic program.

Office of Community Life

The Office of Community Life is a student-run program at the School of Theology, supported by the Office of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. The program coordinates student life through monthly community lunches, discussion groups, and related events. The Director of Community Life is available for individual consultations and meetings.

Albert V. Danielsen Institute

Founded in 1952 as a pastoral counseling service in the School of Theology, the Albert V. Danielsen Institute is now a separate mental health center, fully licensed by the State of Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Danielsen Institute services are available to students, faculty, and staff of Boston University, as well as to the general public.

The institute’s mission, as stated in the deed of the gift from the Danielsen family, is to alleviate human suffering and enhance human growth through service, training, and research. An accredited pastoral counseling center with staff specifically trained in this area, the Danielsen Institute has grown to include multidisciplinary staff from all mental health-related fields in the University. It provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples, partners, families, and special groups. Fees are often covered by health insurance plans, and self-pay fees may be negotiated on an adjusted fee scale.

The Danielsen Institute also provides psychological and aptitude testing for individuals, denominations, and other groups. All first-time matriculants in the Master of Divinity degree program at the School of Theology participate in a selection of these tests as part of New Student Orientation.

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The Denominational Liaison Program

Many different denominations send their students to the School of Theology for a theological education, and the School provides denominational counseling through the Liaison Program. Ordained School of Theology faculty and staff help students identify resources and courses in the greater Boston area that assist in formation for ministry. Contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for more information.

The Hymn Society

Boston University School of Theology is pleased to house the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada. The society, founded in 1922, is dedicated to the enjoyment and improvement of congregational singing. In addition to conducting various workshops and conferences around North America, the Hymn Society produces two publications, the Hymn and the Stanza. The society operates a book service for persons interested in denominational hymnals and other worship materials.

Although the Hymn Society is separate from the School of Theology, it is a tremendous resource for the training of church musicians and pastors. Its director, the Reverend Dr. Carl Daw, an Episcopal Priest, is an adjunct member of the School of Theology faculty.

E. Stanley Jones Lectureship

Established through the generosity of Sollie and Lilla McCreless in 1973, the E. Stanley Jones Lecture is given each year to the School of Theology and interested public. Particular attention in the lecture is given to the claims of the Christian faith and effective methods of presenting these claims in both personal and social contexts. Evangelism is specifically emphasized in accordance with the interests of E. Stanley Jones.

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Lowell Institute Lectures

The Lowell Institute, a famous part of Boston’s cultural life for many decades, placed a lecture under the auspices of the School of Theology in 1966. The purpose of the Lowell Institute Lecture is to promote the intellectual and religious life of the School, University, and community.

New Student Orientation

The Office of the Assistant Dean for Student Services conducts New Student Orientation before the beginning of each semester. The program includes an introduction to community life, faculty, and staff; reviews academic standards, rules, and regulations; and includes registration for new students. A Spiritual Life Retreat is also included in the orientation program.

New Student Orientation is required of all students entering the School of Theology before registration is approved.

Office of Information Technology (Academic Computing Center, 111 Cummington Street)

All Boston University students are entitled to a free e-mail account with free access to the Internet. The Office of Information Technology coordinates student academic computing services, and the School of Theology urges its students to take advantage of this new technology.

Institute for Dialogue Among Religious Traditions (INDART)

The mission of the Institute for Dialogue Among Religious Traditions (INDART) is to encourage interfaith relations within the School of Theology. The programs of the institute enable academic, professional, and theological reflection on the diversities of contemporary pluralistic religious experience and societies. The goals of the institute are (1) to stimulate Christian reflection about the theological challenge of religious pluralism and (2) to encourage the practical exploration of interfaith relations, cooperation, and dialogue with individuals, as well as authentic communities of faith.

The institute arranges and sponsors lectures, seminars, conferences, courses, field education, exchanges, and travel programs designed to explore the modern diversity of global and local dialogue relationships. The institute also cooperates in the interfaith work of other local collaborators, such as the Society for Comparative Theology and the Boston Theological Institute.

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School of Theology Web Home Page

www.bu.edu/sth

The Boston University School of Theology maintains a range of information and research services on its World Wide Web home page. The website has information on application procedures, degree programs, class descriptions, housing, financial aid, alumni affairs, and community events. Also present are administration and faculty profiles that often include complete publication information and e-mail links. The STH Web offers many resources to current students as well, such as important registration materials and graduation information.

The School of Theology Library maintains a religion and philosophy page that links to numerous websites and servers. These sites include:

Anglicans On-Line

Guide to Early Church Documents

Asian Religion Research Guide

Project Wittenburg

The Islamic Resources Server

The Anna Howard Shaw Center

The Anna Howard Shaw Center was established in 1978: a place at Boston University School of Theology that promotes structures and practices that empower women and honor diversity. Ten years later, it was designated the women’s center for the Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church.

The Center’s primary goals are in the areas of research, education, support, and advocacy. Its activities and resources include a library, bibliographic materials, oral histories, special educational training and events, women’s heritage programs, and continuing education for women in ministry, both clergy and lay. The Center is named for The Reverend Dr. Shaw, a graduate of the Boston Theological School in 1878. Anna Howard Shaw was an ordained Methodist minister, a medical doctor, and president of the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association. The Shaw Center telephone number is 617-353-3075 and e-mail address is shawctr@bu.edu.

School of Theology Library

The Library of the School of Theology is an independent unit serving as a cooperating part of the Boston University library system, to which all members of the University community have access. Collections support the curriculum and related interests of School of Theology students: all aspects of Christianity and historic Judaism, with special emphasis on the Methodist heritage of the School. These are complemented by collections in comparative religion, non-Christian religions, and the other academic disciplines, located in the University library.

The Library provides a number of electronic information-access tools. A first-rate automated catalog gives quick access to the holdings in the collection and provides a gateway to the automated catalogs of consortium libraries. The University’s open-access computing policy insures that these electronic services are accessible from any home computer equipped with a modem. In addition, electronic periodical indexes are available at two CD-ROM workstations. An additional workstation provides access to the Union List of Serials of the Boston Theological Institute.

The Library contains 138,000 volumes and 625 periodical subscriptions as well as United Methodist curriculum materials. Special collections include general Methodist history and polity, the holdings of the New England United Methodist Historical Society, Bible texts and translations, hymnals, missiology, liturgy, and worship.

Students and faculty of the School of Theology have borrowing privileges at all libraries of member institutions of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of nine theological schools in the Boston area. Total collections of the BTI number more than 1.5 million volumes in theology and cognate disciplines. In addition, the facilities of the Boston Public Library and the Boston Library Consortium are available to School of Theology students and faculty.

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The Mentor Program

The Mentor Program helps incoming students adjust to the rigors of seminary life by matching returning and incoming School of Theology students during the first six weeks of each academic semester. The mentors, volunteers who are identified during these six weeks with red buttons, provide support to incoming students by being available to answer questions or offer advice.

Office of Professional Education

Supervised Field Education The Office of Professional Education coordinates the placement of Master of Divinity students in church settings for the required field education component of the curriculum. First-year students are required to consult the Director during the spring semester to determine the best field education site. Usually, the field education placement is during the fall and spring semesters of the second year in the Master of Divinity degree program.

Continuing Education The School of Theology presents many continuing education opportunities through its different centers, lecture programs, and colloquies. It is also possible to take courses as a Special Student. If people are interested in any of these programs or would like to arrange for a person from the School to do a lecture, workshop, or conference for their church, agency, or jurisdiction, they can contact the Office of Professional Education.

Institute for Philosophy and Religion

The Institute for Philosophy and Religion delivers a series of lectures by distinguished philosophers and theologians. The lectures are open to the public, and interested School of Theology students may register for a 2-credit Institute Seminar each fall and spring. The theme of lectures changes each academic year.

The Pastoral and Spiritual Formation Program

Formation for the ministry begins for the first-year students in the MDiv, MTS, and MSM degrees through participation in the Pastoral and Spiritual Formation Program. All MDiv and MSM students are required to complete two 1-credit courses, Pastoral and Spiritual Formation I and II, in the fall and spring semesters. Interested MTS students are encouraged to register for these courses as well. The program continues in the second year through the Integration of Theory and Practice courses required during the field education placement.

The Pastoral and Spiritual Formation Program helps students examine their call to ministry and their understanding of Christian vocations. Topics discussed include the role of the minister, exploring religious identity, Christian spiritual disciplines, the challenge of growth in Christian vocation, and contemporary spiritual concerns.

The Preaching Forum

Established by a grant from the Office of the President in conjunction with the School’s Chapel program, the Preaching Forum invites many of the country’s leading preachers to campus to be a part of the School for a day. Students have the opportunity to hear the preacher at Chapel and ask him or her questions during a plenary session or in a preaching class.

Office of Student Affairs

The Office of Student Affairs acts as a liaison between students, faculty, and administrators in review of student concerns. The Office is responsible for developing academic policies that guide students toward quality theological scholarship as well as for providing academic advising. To achieve the School’s goal of a sound quality of life for all its students, student life policies address concerns such as sexual harassment and student responsibility. The Office sponsors orientation for new students at the beginning of each semester. The orientation schedule leads matriculating students through the registration processes and provides students with the opportunity to be oriented to the life of a university-based seminary. The Office of Student Affairs also coordinates a spiritual formation retreat as part of student orientation to the seminary. Pastoral and spiritual formation groups meet weekly.

The seminary is central in the formation of religious professionals, as it presents opportunities for spiritual experience and theological reflection in a diverse community. Its task is to provide the foundation for ministry by facilitating the lifelong process of noticing, refining, and articulating spiritual experience. Seminary academic work is devotional practice. Therefore, spiritual formation in the seminary setting is the process of integrating the spiritual life with theoretical understanding of the practical applications of ministry.

In an effort to be responsibly engaged in the development of strategies for corrective action in response to discrimination, the Office of Student Affairs developed the Dean’s Council Against Discrimination, which sponsors training events on issues of discrimination. The student-directed Council is under the supervision of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.

Other services offered by the Office of Student Affairs include Denominational and Alumni Liaison programs that provide students with mentors. A Pastoral Educational Program series addresses important sociopolitical issues and their impact on the church. The Office of Student Affairs also operates the Office of Community Life, which offers student forums and seminary programs.

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Women of the World

Each March, the Anna Howard Shaw Center of the School of Theology holds its Women of the World conference. The conference is centered on a theme concerning women’s contributions to preaching, theological inquiry, and church life. Sessions for the conference are scheduled for a two-day period, and students, pastors, laity, and interested guests are encouraged to participate in all programs. The Women of the World conference is highlighted by lectures and sermons by distinguished women preachers and professors.

Worship and Spiritual Life

The center of worship and spiritual life at the School of Theology is located in Marsh Chapel, a beautiful neo-Gothic structure located in the heart of the Charles River Campus, adjacent to the School of Theology building. Marsh Chapel organizes a series 
of spiritual and religious life programs, which are highlighted by Sunday worship at 11 a.m.

The School of Theology gathers for worship each Wednesday at Marsh Chapel. Each Tuesday, the School gathers in the Muelder Prayer Chapel, located on the third floor of the School of Theology building, for a service of Holy Communion.

Joint Marsh Chapel and School of Theology worship services are offered each year in connection with the Christian Year. These include an Ash Wednesday service, an Easter Vigil, Easter services, and Lessons and Carols at Christmas.

Spiritual growth is a strong component of the degree program at the School of Theology. Courses and programs are offered each year in spiritual direction, journal writing, mysticism, and prayer. All Master of Divinity students are required to participate in the Pastoral and Spiritual Formation Program during their first year. The Assistant Dean of Student Affairs appoints a Spiritual Director each year who is available for group leadership and individual consultations. A spiritual retreat is a required component of New Student Orientation.

Students interested in spiritual growth groups can petition the Boston University Theological Students Association for funding, and groups can meet in Marsh Chapel, Muelder Prayer Chapel, the Oxnam and Hartman Rooms, as well as at Sargent Center for Outdoor Education, Boston University’s retreat center in Peterborough, New Hampshire. BUTSA sponsors a chapter of the Order of Saint Luke, which meets monthly for prayer, communion, and a light meal.

Writing Works

Effective preaching and teaching requires a mastery of the use of English in writing and speaking. The Writing Works Program at the School of Theology is available to students each year. Students may be referred to the Writing Works Center by a dean or faculty member. The Writing Works consultants give plenary sessions on standard forms of citation, journal writing, and the use of English for nonnative speakers. The consultants are also available for individual advising. For more information contact the Assistant Dean and Office of Student Affairs.

Programs in Mission and Evangelism

Instruction in Christian world mission at the School of Theology began in 1869, making it the oldest continuous program in mission studies in an American university. The founding president of Boston University was a former missionary to Germany, and zeal for missions combined with intellectual rigor became a trademark of the Boston University School of Theology. Many outstanding twentieth-century missionaries and world church leaders attended the School of Theology, including Ralph Dodge, missionary bishop of the former Rhodesia; Helen Kim, president of Ewha Women’s University; Kim Yap Hao, president of the Christian Conference of Asia; Gerald Anderson, editor of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research; and Yusufi Turaki, president of the Evangelical Church of West Africa. Today STH offers one of the few university-based doctorates in missiology. A study done in 1983 found that Boston University had produced the largest number of doctoral dissertations in mission studies to date. Recent graduates of the doctoral program fill teaching posts in Brazil, Taiwan, Korea, Estonia, and the United States.

In addition to the School’s teaching program in mission theology and history, the theology library maintains an outstanding collection for mission research, including microform archival collections from Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, French Protestant, ecumenical, and other sources. The School of Theology also helps support an ongoing program in theological training for indigenous African churches in Zimbabwe, founded by Professor M. L. Daneel.

The E. Stanley Jones Program in Evangelism, funded through the Evangelism Foundation of the United Methodist Church, offers courses, lectures, workshops, and field experience in evangelism, congregational development, new church planting, cross-cultural and urban ministry. In addition to regular curricular offerings, the program also features a DMin in Evangelism and Congregational Development and has recently begun to work closely with denominations and churches throughout New England in the actual planting of new congregations.

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College of Fine Arts Electives

A wide variety of elective offerings are available through the College of Fine Arts. These include Acting for Nonmajors and Modern Drama in the School of Theatre Arts; Drawing, Painting, and Ceramics in the School of Visual Arts; Music Theory, History and Literature, Class Instruments, and Musical Organizations in the School of Music. For a complete listing, consult the College of Fine Arts Bulletin or the College of Fine Arts special brochure listing courses for nonmajors. School of Theology tuition rates may not apply when taking courses in other Boston University Schools. It is also important to note that these courses do not count towards your School of Theology degree program, unless approved by petition.

Office of Development

For the Boston University School of Theology to continue to be an exciting and fulfilling educational experience, it needs the undergirding of solid financial support. Faculty salaries, quality administration, excellent scholarship aid, and outstanding library resources need the constant financial support of alumnae/i, friends, and corporations. The Office of Development at the School, with the support of fine University services, is constantly involved in soliciting annual and planned gifts. With the University’s help the School offers annuities, pooled-income funds, and trust possibilities. We are constantly looking for persons who believe in our vision and are able to support it through gifts, planned gifts, and bequests.

Please join the thousands of supporters who have made the last 150 years of programs possible by pledging your financial support. For further information please contact the Development Office at 617-353-2348.

Office of Alumni and Alumnae Affairs

The School of Theology has approximately 3,400 alumni and alumnae comprised of graduates of all degree programs offered by the School of Theology, the Graduate School Division of Religious and Theological Studies, and the School of Religious Education and Social Services, which closed in 1942. These men and women represent a wide range of professions, predominantly in the Christian ministry, and make their homes across the United States and in countries all over the world.

The University’s Office of Alumni Relations and the School’s Office of Alumni and Alumnae Affairs coordinate a variety of programs including class agents, reunions, alumni club meetings and events (both domestic and international), distinguished alumni awards, lectures, newsletters, and special events.

Prospective students can call or meet with alumni and alumnae to discuss the degree programs at the School of Theology and the quality of life in the greater Boston area. Appointments should be arranged through the School’s Office of Alumni and Alumnae Affairs. Questions regarding alumni and alumnae programs should be directed to the School of Theology Office of Alumni and Alumnae Affairs, 745 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 109, Boston, MA 02215; 617-353-2349.

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Published by Trustees of Boston University
One Sherborn Street
Boston, MA 02215

30 November 2007
Boston University
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