School of Theology

The Mission of the School of Theology

The purpose of the Boston University School of Theology is to pursue knowledge of God, to cultivate leaders for communities of faith, to enrich the academy, and to seek peace with justice in a diverse and interconnected world.

As the founding school of Boston University and the oldest United Methodist seminary in North America, we are a professional school within a cosmopolitan research university that is itself committed to “learning, virtue, and piety.” Rooted in the Wesleyan traditions and drawing from the wider Christian traditions of the world, we strive to equip women and men for ministries and vocations that foster personal and social transformation, that are oriented to the world’s diversities, and that expand the prophetic legacy of this historic School of Theology.

Community Principles

1. Love. As a community with roots in a Christian tradition, we affirm that love for our neighbor, as an expression of God’s infinite love for humankind, is a compelling command to work towards the well-being of every single member of our community. An offense against one is therefore an offense against all.
2. Justice. As a community with an historic and sometimes prophetic commitment to justice, we must commit ourselves to working for justice and exposing injustice, not only for ourselves, but for every member of the community. That involves positively resisting the evils of violence, racism, hate, discrimination, and silencing.
3. Safety. We all must commit to making our community a safe learning environment where no student, staff, or faculty, regardless of age, sex, color, ethnicity, physical disability, sexual orientation, or religious opinion, is harassed, bullied, or intimidated for any reason. We must commit to support policies that prohibit the mistreatment of any individual or group and provide appropriate avenues for redressing grievances.
4. Rights. Religious liberty and freedom of expression are inalienable rights for all guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and by the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. The purpose of these statements is to safeguard individual rights from the actions of majorities and institutions. Every effort should be made in the School of Theology community to protect these rights for all students, staff, faculty, and administrators.
5. Responsibilities. As members of the School of Theology community, we have a solemn responsibility to respect these rights for others, including those with whom we deeply disagree. Rights are best guarded and responsibilities best exercised when each person and group guards for all others those rights they wish for themselves. As fallible beings we acknowledge our failures, past and present, and agree to hold ourselves accountable to one another and to the values we wish to live by.
6. Respect. Frank and open discussions are vital to the health of any educational institution. Every individual within the School of Theology community, whatever the issue under discussion, and wherever the discussion takes place, has a responsibility to treat others with civility and respect, both in speech and in action.

These principles, as approved by the Faculty of the Boston University School of Theology, are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive, but they provide a common denominator of civil discourse, along with mutual love and respect, that will govern our words and behavior in the School community. These are the principles we believe should govern our collective work as a professional/graduate faculty within a large, private urban research university.

Context

Boston

Boston boasts great museums, a world-class symphony orchestra, opera, ballet, and theatre, popular sports teams, and more than 60 colleges and universities. At the same time, Boston is not exempt from challenges that characterize most urban contexts such as economic disparity, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, racial tensions, and political scandals. These are serious social issues for which there are no easy answers. However, the religious community of Boston has always faced them squarely, providing physical comfort in the form of shelters for the homeless, emotional support in the form of teen counseling, and spiritual and political leadership. Indeed, the religious community and leaders of Boston have had a profound effect on American life since Boston’s founding, from influencing American culture and education in the early 1800s and leading the abolitionist movement in the mid-1800s, to criticizing both the conduct of the Vietnam War in the 1960s and the preparation for nuclear war in the 1980s, to organizing for worker justice in the past few years.

Boston is a proud city: it is tough and it endures. It is a city with unequalled strength and charm in all seasons. Boston challenges, defies, and cheers, when you least expect it. For many, there is no better place for learning about religious leadership and ministry.

School of Theology

Boston University originated in 1839 when a group of lay and ministerial delegates of the Methodist Episcopal Church began a school for the improvement of theological training. As the founding school of Boston University, the School of Theology now stands at the heart of the Charles River Campus, surrounded by the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Law, Mugar Memorial Library, the George Sherman Union, and Marsh Chapel. Friends and members of the United Methodist Church provided the major funding for the School’s seven-story modified Gothic-style building, designed in 1948. Within the main facility are administrative offices, the Oxnam and Hartman Rooms, the Jefferson-Brown Museum, the Muelder Chapel, and the School of Theology Library.

The School of Theology is a member of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of nine theological schools in the Boston area. Through this institute, those attending any one of the member schools may participate in the life of the other schools by registering for classes, using the libraries, or attending special lectures or workshops.

Students are offered combined degree opportunities, a diversity of concentrations, special lectures, and a stimulating faculty and curriculum. Varied intellectual resources are available for exploring the dynamics of faith in a world of change. These resources include the Albert & Jessie Danielsen Institute, the Anna Howard Shaw Women’s Center, the Center for Practical Theology, the Institute for Religion & Philosophy, the Center for Global Christianity & Mission, and extensive library collections.

The community of the School of Theology is diverse. It reflects not only the urban environment of Boston, but also the backgrounds of men and women whose homes may be found in Nebraska’s farmlands, the Dutch country of Pennsylvania, or suburban California. Men and women from China, Ghana, Korea, and many other countries contribute to students’ understanding of the diverse values and beliefs operative in our global society.

In addition to chapel services various times each week and informal fellowship, students may find opportunities for spiritual development within the curriculum itself and in a variety of organizations. These include Student Association Groups such as the Black Seminarians, the Korean Students Association, Sacred Worth, and CAUSE as well as the Anna Howard Shaw Women’s Center, and the Seminary Singers. The community is also built upon the simple friendships formed during study breaks, classes, and social events exploring the city of Boston.

Counseling is provided by the Albert & Jessie Danielsen Institute, located in a beautiful Victorian brownstone at 185 Bay State Road. Counselors are doctoral candidates in the field of psychology of religion and pastoral psychology who are mature pastors under excellent supervision. Regardless of the many demands on the counseling services, every effort is made to accommodate requests promptly from students and spouses in the School of Theology.

The University

Stately oaks and wide expanses of carefully trimmed lawn are part of the context of learning at Boston University. But the University does not rest reflectively behind the historic walls of a quadrangle nor on the rural fringes of the city. Boston University is surrounded by the noise of sirens, the dust of construction, the congestion of traffic, and the cry of the city. Far from being a distraction or a debit on the aesthetic ledger, this urban setting facilitates an understanding of modern urban life and provides a range of resources unequalled in many quarters.

Accreditation

The Association of Theological Schools was established in 1936 to provide an accrediting agency in the field of theological study. Boston University School of Theology has been included in the list of fully approved members from the beginning of the accrediting program. It is also a member of the Association of United Methodist Theological Schools.

Boston University as a whole is accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The School of Theology is represented in the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. The Master of Sacred Music degree program is also accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.