Programs & Content
Degree Programs
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary offers a comprehensive set of degree programs that integrate rigorous academics with real-world application to prepare students for today's church, academy, and a wide-range of vocational settings. Our vision of theological education embraces John Wesley's understanding of personal and social transformation out of a commitment to share the transforming love of Jesus Christ and to address head-on the variety of challenges and injustices our churches and communities face. The leaders we prepare will not just manage churches, organizations, and institutions, but will lead movements in their local communities and our world.
MDiv
Master of Divinity
At Garrett-Evangelical, we equip students to serve as servant leaders who can listen, recognize, analyze, and respond to the needs of our communities out of a radical theological imagination rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a MDiv student, you will take an active part in exploring and defining your strengths, background, gifts for ministry, and vocational calling through our integrative curriculum. Whether you are called to parish ministry, campus ministry, advocacy work, or still discerning God's calling for your life, our MDiv degree prepares you for a variety of ministry settings in the 21st century.
There are more open electives and a variety of concentrations possible in the MDiv, including: child advocacy, ecological regeneration, social justice, and peace studies.
At Garrett-Evangelical, we equip students to serve as servant leaders who can listen, recognize, analyze, and respond to the needs of our communities out of a radical theological imagination rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a MDiv student, you will take an active part in exploring and defining your strengths, background, gifts for ministry, and vocational calling through our integrative curriculum. Whether you are called to parish ministry, campus ministry, advocacy work, or still discerning God's calling for your life, our MDiv degree prepares you for a variety of ministry settings in the 21st century.
There are more open electives and a variety of concentrations possible in the MDiv, including: child advocacy, ecological regeneration, social justice, and peace studies.
Master of arts in public ministry
Master of Arts in Public Ministry
Students in this program aspire to fulfill their Christian vocations to love God and serve neighbor through public ministries of advocacy, organizing, and justice-making in collaboration with other communities of faith and conscience. In particular, this program equips laity serving in community, social, or justice-oriented organizations who seek to enhance their public work by engaging with theological education and formation.
Program goals/outcomes:
Students in this program aspire to fulfill their Christian vocations to love God and serve neighbor through public ministries of advocacy, organizing, and justice-making in collaboration with other communities of faith and conscience. In particular, this program equips laity serving in community, social, or justice-oriented organizations who seek to enhance their public work by engaging with theological education and formation.
Program goals/outcomes:
- Apply biblical, theological, and ecclesial traditions in diverse public spheres to realize justice in solidarity with those who are made poor, the exploited, disinherited, excluded, and oppressed.
- Engage in critical and constructive theological exploration of the major socio-political, economic, and cultural ideologies, institutions, and forces shaping various publics today.
- Understand, evaluate, and implement diverse ministry models (e.g. direct action, community organizing, policy advocacy) for attaining social justice and promoting the common good.
- Lead organizations, groups, and movements with administrative, financial, interpersonal, and online/digital competence.
- Inhabit and promote spiritual wisdoms and practices to sustain personal and communal struggles for public justice.
Master of arts in christian education
Master of Arts in Christian Education
The Master of Arts in Christian Education will prepare you to lead Christian education programs for adults, youth, and children in a wide variety of settings. You will study human development, Christian tradition in Scripture and history, theology, and Christian education theories. This program can be tailored to your needs to include academic training for certification in Christian education, youth ministry, and for ordination as a Deacon in The United Methodist Church.
The Master of Arts in Christian Education will prepare you to lead Christian education programs for adults, youth, and children in a wide variety of settings. You will study human development, Christian tradition in Scripture and history, theology, and Christian education theories. This program can be tailored to your needs to include academic training for certification in Christian education, youth ministry, and for ordination as a Deacon in The United Methodist Church.
Master of arts in pastoral care and counseling
Master of Arts in Pastoral Care and Counseling
The Master of Arts in Pastoral Care and Counseling (MAPCC) provides academic and professional training needed in order for persons to provide ministerial support and counseling within a variety of settings. This program will equip you with the skills necessary to effectively integrate theology and pastoral education (inclusive of, but not limited to the study of human development, crisis intervention and counseling, and pathology) into your ministerial practice.
Clinical Track Option
For those seeking licensure as a professional counselor in the state of Illinois, coursework required for licensure is available through The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy of Chicago (CRPC). Those who chose the clinical track option will be required to complete 63-credit hours to fulfill the requirements of the MAPCC, including two courses at Northwestern University and clinical courses at the Center for Religion and Psychotherapy of Chicago (CRPC).
Students must first apply to Garrett-Evangelical's MAPCC program and following their first semester, they will apply to CRPC's program.
Please note: Acceptance into the Garrett-Evangelical MAPCC program does not guarantee acceptance into the clinical program at CRPC. Each institution has its own admissions process and students are are strongly encouraged to discuss their career goals with one of the Pastoral Care professors as they apply. Once accepted into the MAPCC program, students should meet in early September with their advisor to discuss interest in clinical training.
The Master of Arts in Pastoral Care and Counseling (MAPCC) provides academic and professional training needed in order for persons to provide ministerial support and counseling within a variety of settings. This program will equip you with the skills necessary to effectively integrate theology and pastoral education (inclusive of, but not limited to the study of human development, crisis intervention and counseling, and pathology) into your ministerial practice.
Clinical Track Option
For those seeking licensure as a professional counselor in the state of Illinois, coursework required for licensure is available through The Center for Religion and Psychotherapy of Chicago (CRPC). Those who chose the clinical track option will be required to complete 63-credit hours to fulfill the requirements of the MAPCC, including two courses at Northwestern University and clinical courses at the Center for Religion and Psychotherapy of Chicago (CRPC).
Students must first apply to Garrett-Evangelical's MAPCC program and following their first semester, they will apply to CRPC's program.
Please note: Acceptance into the Garrett-Evangelical MAPCC program does not guarantee acceptance into the clinical program at CRPC. Each institution has its own admissions process and students are are strongly encouraged to discuss their career goals with one of the Pastoral Care professors as they apply. Once accepted into the MAPCC program, students should meet in early September with their advisor to discuss interest in clinical training.
Master of theological studies
Master of Theological Studies
The Master of Theological Studies offers six areas of specialization that allows students to pursue rigorous and critical theological study. Students will build a strong academic foundation for future graduate-level research, for professional enhancement, or for personal enrichment. It can also be combined with another professional degree, such as law, journalism, or social work, to provide a solid foundation for a career in religious leadership.
The Garrett-Evangelical Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program provides the background for preparation for the doctoral study of religion. It can also be combined with another professional degree to provide the foundation for a career in religious leadership in a variety of ministry settings. This two-year degree program allows for specialization in a chosen area of research and a thesis or project that reflects your vocational goals.
While the program is taught by faculty of Garrett-Evangelical, students may also take courses at Northwestern University and at any of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Styberg Library and the Northwestern University Library, just steps away, provide an extraordinary collection of print and digital resources. In addition, MTS students come from all over the world to form an exciting and diverse classroom experience.
Area of Specialization
At the heart of the curriculum is the master's thesis, which acts as the capstone to your research. Your faculty advisor will normally be in the field of specialization. Advisors in other fields may be made with the approval of the program director in consultation with the field of specialization.
Areas of specialization include:
The Master of Theological Studies offers six areas of specialization that allows students to pursue rigorous and critical theological study. Students will build a strong academic foundation for future graduate-level research, for professional enhancement, or for personal enrichment. It can also be combined with another professional degree, such as law, journalism, or social work, to provide a solid foundation for a career in religious leadership.
The Garrett-Evangelical Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program provides the background for preparation for the doctoral study of religion. It can also be combined with another professional degree to provide the foundation for a career in religious leadership in a variety of ministry settings. This two-year degree program allows for specialization in a chosen area of research and a thesis or project that reflects your vocational goals.
While the program is taught by faculty of Garrett-Evangelical, students may also take courses at Northwestern University and at any of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Styberg Library and the Northwestern University Library, just steps away, provide an extraordinary collection of print and digital resources. In addition, MTS students come from all over the world to form an exciting and diverse classroom experience.
Area of Specialization
At the heart of the curriculum is the master's thesis, which acts as the capstone to your research. Your faculty advisor will normally be in the field of specialization. Advisors in other fields may be made with the approval of the program director in consultation with the field of specialization.
Areas of specialization include:
- New Testament
- Old Testament
- History of Christianity
- Theology and Ethics
- Liturgy
- Religion, Personality, and Culture
Courses Integrating Faith and Service
View Courses
Theories and Theologies for Public Justice
This course provides a survey of prominent theories and theologies for public justice from the 19th century to present alongside an examination of the primary logics and dynamics at work in multiple public spheres today. Students will be immersed in various strands of radical Christian thought in understanding and responding to the interconnected sins of economic exploitation, structural racism, social inequality, environmental degradation, and more.
Methods, Models and Tools for Social Change
While most Christians believe the Gospel calls them to change the world – out of charity, to do justice, by divine command, for the common good, as a witness – the many approaches used by individuals, groups, and ecclesial traditions to do so vary widely. In some cases, well-meaning impulses to make a difference or to transform the world can lead to unreflective actions, which often do far more harm than good. This course surveys and evaluates a variety of methods and tools Christians have used to bring about social change from within and outside of existing institutions. The aim is to equip students to be thoughtful, effective, and faithful in seeking to love God and neighbor, realize justice for the poor and oppressed, and promote the common good.
Public Ministry Project
The Public Ministry Project is the capstone course for the Master of Arts in Public Ministry degree through which students demonstrate capacities for public ministry acquired via the degree curriculum, co-curricular opportunities, vocational discernment, and career preparation. The online mediated course is structured around a set of self-directed assignments that, when completed, will form a portfolio to help students assemble and integrate core elements of their education while further equipping them to secure employment after graduation and serve in their chosen fields of public ministry.
Ecological Theology: God and Creation in Travail
This course is a survey of major figures and approaches in the field of Christian ecological theology over the past half century in the context of the environmental crises facing human societies worldwide and the need for widespread conversion to ecologically regenerative beliefs, lifestyles, and systems. Students will examine the development of theological reflection on the promises, dynamics, and labors of God and the creation by reading primary texts from a diversity of perspectives, including from Lutheran/Reformed, Trinitarian, Eco-Feminist, Indigenous, Catholic, Liberation, Evangelical, Process, and Womanist theologies.
Regenerative Ethics: Theory, Design, Practice
The environmental crises facing human communities worldwide present a host of difficult moral and practical questions for the Christian life. The overlapping problems of ecological degradation, resource depletion, climate disruption, and more – alongside related manifestations of social inequity and unrest – reveal the urgent need for systemic and regenerative changes within each sphere of our personal, social, economic, and public lives today. This course introduces students to the fundamental principles and tasks of complex systems theory, regenerative development, and a variety of ecological praxes in the context of Christian moral reflection for the sake of building up leaders equipped to envision, design, and implement ministries of socio-ecological regeneration. The course is a requirement in the Ecological Regeneration concentration but is open to students outside of the concentration and from many degree programs.
Faith in Place: Organizing for Environmental Justice
This course provides educational resources and practical experiences to organize for environmental justice in the contexts of neighborhoods, cities, and regions through not-for-profit management, faith-based leadership, and public engagement. Leadership and content for this course is provided by Faith in Place (faithinplace.org), a globally recognized faith-based environmental justice organization.
Earth Ministry for Ecological Renewal
The purpose of this course is to orient students to many of the perspectives, challenges, and emerging approaches to ecological ministry in an age of biospheric crisis. Some of the areas covered will include the following: place-based approaches focused on bioregions, practical methods of transitioning away from fossil-fuel based lifestyles, and justice approaches focused on food security; the distinctive leadership challenges of ecological ministry in an age of multiple, intersecting crises; and innovations in ecological ministry related to climate trauma, the practices of direct action, and the role of movement chaplains. In addition to discussing weekly reading assignments, class time will include eco-devotional practices related to scripture, exercises related to The Work That Reconnects, and interviews with leading practitioners in the emerging field of ecological ministry.
Commensal Theology: Faithful Eating for a New Creation
Commensality (from Latin com- together + mensa table) relates to the practice of eating together, especially in forms of companionship absent competition or harm. Eating in any form is an inescapably relational, cultural, ecological, economic, and political act, which means it is also inherently theological. This intensive course will integrate a constructive theological exploration of key doctrines of the Christian faith, a critical ethical examination of the global economy with a focus on food production and consumption, and an active spiritual engagement with alternatives to capitalism’s table practices. Through classroom learning via lectures, media presentations, and discussion combined with outdoor visits to Chicago area urban gardens, permaculture sites, food cooperatives, and more, participants will be immersed in the questions, dynamics, and struggles bound up in efforts for a more ecologically sustainable, economically just, and politically democratic food economy.
Educating Christians for Social Change
This course in Christian Education considers the relationship between the church’s educational ministry and the ministries of social transformation. The course will examine personal commitments to social transformation, theologies of change, and educational skills for transformation.
Child Advocacy Seminar
The goal of this class is to help persons understand that the lives of all children are of worth and value to God, and that we are called to remove the stumbling blocks that hinder a child from living the life that God created them to live. This class will explore child advocacy from a variety of perspectives, including theological, biblical, and sociological perspectives. Students will have an opportunity to focus on a particular area/aspect of child advocacy and seek ways to develop coalitions to advance advocacy and community response to children, youth and families.
Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry
Join clergy, seminarians, Christian educators, young adult leaders and other faith-based advocates for children at CDF Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee, for five days of spiritual renewal, networking, movement building workshops, and continuing education about the urgent needs of children at the annual Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry.
Literacy and Children's Books
This class will look at literacy and what it means in the life of a child. The lives of all children are of worth and value to God, and we embody that belief when all children see themselves and their stories in the children’s books they read. We will consider literacy and children’s books from a variety of perspectives including theological and sociological. Students will have an opportunity to consider literacy and children’s books from their particular interest or focus.
Theology, Art, Body
In this class we will explore theologies of art and art as theologies of the body. We will examine the visual contestations and reclamations of humanity from communities often represented outside of the imago dei. These contestations will be put in conversation with a genealogy of the visual in Christian thought, in particular the development of body/image in Euro-Christian thought and its inflections in the colonial world. Taken together, we will ask how these historical, theological, and theoretical resources will allow us to consider our bodies as seen and seeing, or put differently, as texts that speak.
Theology, Race, and Culture
Since its inception the church has struggled to articulate what it means to be a follower of Christ within its broader cultural, political, and social context. This tension became a unique and powerful reality in the modern world as cultural, social, and political realities radically expanded from regional to global realities. The expansion of European colonial powers to “the world” grew out of and instantiated new and powerful ways of imagining one’s place in the world with consequences for all peoples. Sadly, part of the legacy of this modern racial reality was the presence of the church in the midst of and as a catalyst for the re-imagining how lives are ordered and bound to one another. This course will examine the relationship between the theology and ministry of the church and the complicated realities of race and culture in the modern world.
Drawing upon a variety of explicit and implicit theological sources we will attend to the creation of race and ethnicity as a theological moment in the modern world and how this reality has been negotiated. In the midst of this, we will reflect upon the challenges and possibilities of discipleship and ministry in a world so profoundly shaped by realities of race.
Theologies of Black Life
This course will examine theologies that emerge from black diasporic existence in America. Examining both theologies within a frame of historical development as well as examples of current questions and answers regarding theological explications of black life, we will ask how black life is imagined and reimagined in response to the denials of its humanity, and how understandings of God shape and are shaped by realities of suffering, survival, and hope, whether in wide movements or everyday modes.
Postcolonial Theory and Theology
What is the legacy of colonialism and imperialism? What are its key dynamics? How does race, ethnicity, territory, natural resources, militarism, psycho-socio-cultural-religious domination take shape in the process of colonialism? What are ways that the conditions of possibility for western modernity were made only possible and co-constitutive with colonialist formations? How has Christianity in particular, been both the source of complicity and resistance in relation to colonization? What are some of the noticeable consequences, legacy of colonization? This course examines the complex relationship between the colonizer and the colonized in the historical experience of colonization. We will engage with texts from both theological and “non-theological” disciplines in order to have a better grip on what it is that comprise the postcolonial theological project.
This course provides a survey of prominent theories and theologies for public justice from the 19th century to present alongside an examination of the primary logics and dynamics at work in multiple public spheres today. Students will be immersed in various strands of radical Christian thought in understanding and responding to the interconnected sins of economic exploitation, structural racism, social inequality, environmental degradation, and more.
Methods, Models and Tools for Social Change
While most Christians believe the Gospel calls them to change the world – out of charity, to do justice, by divine command, for the common good, as a witness – the many approaches used by individuals, groups, and ecclesial traditions to do so vary widely. In some cases, well-meaning impulses to make a difference or to transform the world can lead to unreflective actions, which often do far more harm than good. This course surveys and evaluates a variety of methods and tools Christians have used to bring about social change from within and outside of existing institutions. The aim is to equip students to be thoughtful, effective, and faithful in seeking to love God and neighbor, realize justice for the poor and oppressed, and promote the common good.
Public Ministry Project
The Public Ministry Project is the capstone course for the Master of Arts in Public Ministry degree through which students demonstrate capacities for public ministry acquired via the degree curriculum, co-curricular opportunities, vocational discernment, and career preparation. The online mediated course is structured around a set of self-directed assignments that, when completed, will form a portfolio to help students assemble and integrate core elements of their education while further equipping them to secure employment after graduation and serve in their chosen fields of public ministry.
Ecological Theology: God and Creation in Travail
This course is a survey of major figures and approaches in the field of Christian ecological theology over the past half century in the context of the environmental crises facing human societies worldwide and the need for widespread conversion to ecologically regenerative beliefs, lifestyles, and systems. Students will examine the development of theological reflection on the promises, dynamics, and labors of God and the creation by reading primary texts from a diversity of perspectives, including from Lutheran/Reformed, Trinitarian, Eco-Feminist, Indigenous, Catholic, Liberation, Evangelical, Process, and Womanist theologies.
Regenerative Ethics: Theory, Design, Practice
The environmental crises facing human communities worldwide present a host of difficult moral and practical questions for the Christian life. The overlapping problems of ecological degradation, resource depletion, climate disruption, and more – alongside related manifestations of social inequity and unrest – reveal the urgent need for systemic and regenerative changes within each sphere of our personal, social, economic, and public lives today. This course introduces students to the fundamental principles and tasks of complex systems theory, regenerative development, and a variety of ecological praxes in the context of Christian moral reflection for the sake of building up leaders equipped to envision, design, and implement ministries of socio-ecological regeneration. The course is a requirement in the Ecological Regeneration concentration but is open to students outside of the concentration and from many degree programs.
Faith in Place: Organizing for Environmental Justice
This course provides educational resources and practical experiences to organize for environmental justice in the contexts of neighborhoods, cities, and regions through not-for-profit management, faith-based leadership, and public engagement. Leadership and content for this course is provided by Faith in Place (faithinplace.org), a globally recognized faith-based environmental justice organization.
Earth Ministry for Ecological Renewal
The purpose of this course is to orient students to many of the perspectives, challenges, and emerging approaches to ecological ministry in an age of biospheric crisis. Some of the areas covered will include the following: place-based approaches focused on bioregions, practical methods of transitioning away from fossil-fuel based lifestyles, and justice approaches focused on food security; the distinctive leadership challenges of ecological ministry in an age of multiple, intersecting crises; and innovations in ecological ministry related to climate trauma, the practices of direct action, and the role of movement chaplains. In addition to discussing weekly reading assignments, class time will include eco-devotional practices related to scripture, exercises related to The Work That Reconnects, and interviews with leading practitioners in the emerging field of ecological ministry.
Commensal Theology: Faithful Eating for a New Creation
Commensality (from Latin com- together + mensa table) relates to the practice of eating together, especially in forms of companionship absent competition or harm. Eating in any form is an inescapably relational, cultural, ecological, economic, and political act, which means it is also inherently theological. This intensive course will integrate a constructive theological exploration of key doctrines of the Christian faith, a critical ethical examination of the global economy with a focus on food production and consumption, and an active spiritual engagement with alternatives to capitalism’s table practices. Through classroom learning via lectures, media presentations, and discussion combined with outdoor visits to Chicago area urban gardens, permaculture sites, food cooperatives, and more, participants will be immersed in the questions, dynamics, and struggles bound up in efforts for a more ecologically sustainable, economically just, and politically democratic food economy.
Educating Christians for Social Change
This course in Christian Education considers the relationship between the church’s educational ministry and the ministries of social transformation. The course will examine personal commitments to social transformation, theologies of change, and educational skills for transformation.
Child Advocacy Seminar
The goal of this class is to help persons understand that the lives of all children are of worth and value to God, and that we are called to remove the stumbling blocks that hinder a child from living the life that God created them to live. This class will explore child advocacy from a variety of perspectives, including theological, biblical, and sociological perspectives. Students will have an opportunity to focus on a particular area/aspect of child advocacy and seek ways to develop coalitions to advance advocacy and community response to children, youth and families.
Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry
Join clergy, seminarians, Christian educators, young adult leaders and other faith-based advocates for children at CDF Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee, for five days of spiritual renewal, networking, movement building workshops, and continuing education about the urgent needs of children at the annual Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry.
Literacy and Children's Books
This class will look at literacy and what it means in the life of a child. The lives of all children are of worth and value to God, and we embody that belief when all children see themselves and their stories in the children’s books they read. We will consider literacy and children’s books from a variety of perspectives including theological and sociological. Students will have an opportunity to consider literacy and children’s books from their particular interest or focus.
Theology, Art, Body
In this class we will explore theologies of art and art as theologies of the body. We will examine the visual contestations and reclamations of humanity from communities often represented outside of the imago dei. These contestations will be put in conversation with a genealogy of the visual in Christian thought, in particular the development of body/image in Euro-Christian thought and its inflections in the colonial world. Taken together, we will ask how these historical, theological, and theoretical resources will allow us to consider our bodies as seen and seeing, or put differently, as texts that speak.
Theology, Race, and Culture
Since its inception the church has struggled to articulate what it means to be a follower of Christ within its broader cultural, political, and social context. This tension became a unique and powerful reality in the modern world as cultural, social, and political realities radically expanded from regional to global realities. The expansion of European colonial powers to “the world” grew out of and instantiated new and powerful ways of imagining one’s place in the world with consequences for all peoples. Sadly, part of the legacy of this modern racial reality was the presence of the church in the midst of and as a catalyst for the re-imagining how lives are ordered and bound to one another. This course will examine the relationship between the theology and ministry of the church and the complicated realities of race and culture in the modern world.
Drawing upon a variety of explicit and implicit theological sources we will attend to the creation of race and ethnicity as a theological moment in the modern world and how this reality has been negotiated. In the midst of this, we will reflect upon the challenges and possibilities of discipleship and ministry in a world so profoundly shaped by realities of race.
Theologies of Black Life
This course will examine theologies that emerge from black diasporic existence in America. Examining both theologies within a frame of historical development as well as examples of current questions and answers regarding theological explications of black life, we will ask how black life is imagined and reimagined in response to the denials of its humanity, and how understandings of God shape and are shaped by realities of suffering, survival, and hope, whether in wide movements or everyday modes.
Postcolonial Theory and Theology
What is the legacy of colonialism and imperialism? What are its key dynamics? How does race, ethnicity, territory, natural resources, militarism, psycho-socio-cultural-religious domination take shape in the process of colonialism? What are ways that the conditions of possibility for western modernity were made only possible and co-constitutive with colonialist formations? How has Christianity in particular, been both the source of complicity and resistance in relation to colonization? What are some of the noticeable consequences, legacy of colonization? This course examines the complex relationship between the colonizer and the colonized in the historical experience of colonization. We will engage with texts from both theological and “non-theological” disciplines in order to have a better grip on what it is that comprise the postcolonial theological project.
Field Education Connecting Faith and Justice:
A key aspect of the Field Education Program at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is the intentional consultation that takes place between each M.Div. student and the Field Education staff.
We do our best to understand the call, vocation, and passion of each student so their experience in contextual education can be maximized. We are mindful of students’ learning goals and objectives, their professional development, the style of supervision that will be most helpful to them, and the opportunities for them to be challenged and supported in their skills and character formation. With this key aspect in mind, here are some examples of Field Education internships that connect faith and justice.
We do our best to understand the call, vocation, and passion of each student so their experience in contextual education can be maximized. We are mindful of students’ learning goals and objectives, their professional development, the style of supervision that will be most helpful to them, and the opportunities for them to be challenged and supported in their skills and character formation. With this key aspect in mind, here are some examples of Field Education internships that connect faith and justice.
Business Meets Faith
Andy majored in business in undergraduate school and, while in seminary, developed his interest in ethics—specifically in business ethics. In conversation with the student, we discovered that Andy would like to bring a Christian perspective to the decision-making of the business world, either in the non-profit or for-profit arena. Through denominational connections, the Field Education staff was able to negotiate an internship for Andy at Wespath, The United Methodist Church General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits global office. There, Andy was assigned to an international team of employees that has the responsibility for developing socially-responsible investment decisions for the denomination’s multi-million dollar pension fund. Andy, the only theologically trained member of the team, was able to participate and contribute to the on-going dialogue between faith and justice.
Politics and Ethics in Public LifE
The Chicago Sunday Evening Club (CSEC) is a non-profit organization that seeks to educate and inform Chicago-based business and political leaders about the role religion and ethics plays in public life. Through documentaries, forums, prayer breakfasts, pod-casts, and other forms of social media, CSEC identifies and highlights social justice issues that impact the lives of the people of Chicago with suggestions of the role and responsibilities that business and political leaders can bring to bear on positive change. With significant interest and experience in social media and with a creative outlook on how media can be used to pursue social justice, Taylor was placed as Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary’s first student intern at CSEC. Of particular strength was the weekly theological reflection that Taylor had with her site supervisor in which she could contextualize her experiences, grow in her understanding of professionalism, and process the complex connection between faith and justice.
Building Bridges: Language and Culture
Anna and Michael were interns at a cooperative five-church experiment in Barrington, a suburb of Chicago. The cooperative consists of two English-speaking congregations and three Spanish-speaking congregations. The five churches are working organizationally and programmatically to deal with cultural, racial, and economic differences in a collegial and equitable way. In addition to the two interns, there are five pastors on the multi-church staff: an African-American, a Korean-American, a Hispanic-American, and two Euro-Americans. Every week this field education experience for Anna and Michael has encouraged them to make connections between faith and justice.
United Church of Rogers Park
The United Church of Rogers Park (UCRP) is closely connected with the ethnically diverse Chicago neighborhood in which it is located. After-school and summer education programs, a community garden, a restorative justice project, community organizing, and developing small businesses are just of few of the projects that distinguish the work of this congregation. Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary has a long relationship with this church because of the ways in which the congregation and pastors demonstrate a public witness of their faith and values. For the past two years, Sean has worked closely with the ordained deacon at UCRP, developing his skills in transforming the lives of children and youth, helping them to see possibilities and finding hope in the midst of difficult social and family situations. This internship has provided a very real context in which the connection between faith and justice is challenged on a regular basis.
Urban Village Church
The United Church of Rogers Park (UCRP) is closely connected with the ethnically diverse Chicago neighborhood in which it is located. After-school and summer education programs, a community garden, a restorative justice project, community organizing, and developing small businesses are just of few of the projects that distinguish the work of this congregation. Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary has a long relationship with this church because of the ways in which the congregation and pastors demonstrate a public witness of their faith and values. For the past two years, Sean has worked closely with the ordained deacon at UCRP, developing his skills in transforming the lives of children and youth, helping them to see possibilities and finding hope in the midst of difficult social and family situations. This internship has provided a very real context in which the connection between faith and justice is challenged on a regular basis.
Student Engagement
Extra-Curricular Opportunities
In additional to field education, students have opportunities to participate in the below student groups, centers and programs while they are in school which increase their engagement with the local community and world.
Genesis Collective
Genesis Collective
A new Christian community has formed at Garrett-Evangelical in the spirit of living simply, relationally, and with an eye to the liberation of both human and non-human creation. The Genesis Collective gathers weekly to share in local meals and practices of spiritual formation for loving actio
A new Christian community has formed at Garrett-Evangelical in the spirit of living simply, relationally, and with an eye to the liberation of both human and non-human creation. The Genesis Collective gathers weekly to share in local meals and practices of spiritual formation for loving actio
sustain-GETS
Garrett-Evangelical's commitment to environmental sustainability includes empowering students, faculty, and staff to be good stewards of the earth and its resources in their daily lives, while seeking out institutional collaboration with environmental groups in the Northwestern, Evanston, and Chicago communities. Because the ecological crises we face are interconnected with matters of human justice, and since the poor and marginalized are often hardest hit by realities like climate change, toxic waste, and resource depletion, Garrett-Evangelical encourages efforts to tie our commitments to creation care with the seminary’s longstanding commitments to racial, gender, and socio-economic justice.
Sacred Worth
Sacred Worth
Sacred Worth at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is a student group that seeks to advocate for the dignity, rights, and issues of the LGBTQ+ communities and their allies. It is a place of fellowship and support for all persons. Sacred Worth affirms that all persons are of sacred worth, created in the image of God and every effort is made to recognize the rights of all people and to celebrate each person regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Sacred Worth at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is a student group that seeks to advocate for the dignity, rights, and issues of the LGBTQ+ communities and their allies. It is a place of fellowship and support for all persons. Sacred Worth affirms that all persons are of sacred worth, created in the image of God and every effort is made to recognize the rights of all people and to celebrate each person regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Center for Asian/Asian American Ministry and Theology
Center for Asian/Asian American Ministry and Theology
Established by the seminary in 1984, this center serves the needs of Asian American students, pastors, and churches. The office provides services to churches throughout the North Central Jurisdiction by recruiting students for ordained ministry and by training seminarians, pastors, and lay leaders for effective ministry in cross-cultural settings. For more information, contact Wonhee Anne Joh, faculty director, at 847.866.3974.
Established by the seminary in 1984, this center serves the needs of Asian American students, pastors, and churches. The office provides services to churches throughout the North Central Jurisdiction by recruiting students for ordained ministry and by training seminarians, pastors, and lay leaders for effective ministry in cross-cultural settings. For more information, contact Wonhee Anne Joh, faculty director, at 847.866.3974.
Center for the Church and the Black Experience
Center for the Church and the Black Experience
Instituted in 1970 as one of the primary emphases of the seminary, the Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE) focuses on African American experience and ministry. This center responds to the needs of the African American students, pastors, and churches. Its purpose is to ensure the integration of black religious experience into all aspects of seminary life, including student recruitment, faculty development, curriculum planning, and special programs. Its aims are instituted by incorporating the African American experience into existing curricula, rather than establishing separate black studies programs; by the endowment of scholarships for black students; and by the establishment of a parity committee made up of equal numbers of black and white faculty. For more information, contact Taurean Webb, director, at 847-866-3984. To learn more about CBE, go to www.Garrett.edu/CBE.
Instituted in 1970 as one of the primary emphases of the seminary, the Center for the Church and the Black Experience (CBE) focuses on African American experience and ministry. This center responds to the needs of the African American students, pastors, and churches. Its purpose is to ensure the integration of black religious experience into all aspects of seminary life, including student recruitment, faculty development, curriculum planning, and special programs. Its aims are instituted by incorporating the African American experience into existing curricula, rather than establishing separate black studies programs; by the endowment of scholarships for black students; and by the establishment of a parity committee made up of equal numbers of black and white faculty. For more information, contact Taurean Webb, director, at 847-866-3984. To learn more about CBE, go to www.Garrett.edu/CBE.
Hispanic-Latinx Center
Hispanic-Latinx Center
Established in 1988, this center seeks to bring Hispanic culture and experience into the life of the seminary and provide continuing education to the church. It strives to serve the needs of Hispanic and Latin American students, pastors, and churches. The office provides services to churches throughout the North Central Jurisdiction by recruiting students for ordained ministry and by training seminarians, pastors, and lay leaders for effective ministry in cross-cultural settings. For more information, contact Débora Junker, director, at 847-866-3871.
Established in 1988, this center seeks to bring Hispanic culture and experience into the life of the seminary and provide continuing education to the church. It strives to serve the needs of Hispanic and Latin American students, pastors, and churches. The office provides services to churches throughout the North Central Jurisdiction by recruiting students for ordained ministry and by training seminarians, pastors, and lay leaders for effective ministry in cross-cultural settings. For more information, contact Débora Junker, director, at 847-866-3871.
Stead Center for Ethics and Values
Stead Center for Ethics and Values
An endowed center, the Stead Center for Ethics and Values draws on the resources of the Seminary, Northwestern University, and diverse parishes and agencies to address the compelling ethical issues facing contemporary society; e.g., technological interventions at the beginning and ending of life; war and religion; the plight of children in the cities; the environment; and human experimentation. It seeks to bring a theological perspective to these issues of ecumenical and international scope. Special lecture series and seminars are among the settings which will bring religious communities, seminary scholars, and university colleagues together with the Garrett-Evangelical community. You can contact Brent Waters, faculty director, at 847.866.3915 or stead.center@garrett.edu.
An endowed center, the Stead Center for Ethics and Values draws on the resources of the Seminary, Northwestern University, and diverse parishes and agencies to address the compelling ethical issues facing contemporary society; e.g., technological interventions at the beginning and ending of life; war and religion; the plight of children in the cities; the environment; and human experimentation. It seeks to bring a theological perspective to these issues of ecumenical and international scope. Special lecture series and seminars are among the settings which will bring religious communities, seminary scholars, and university colleagues together with the Garrett-Evangelical community. You can contact Brent Waters, faculty director, at 847.866.3915 or stead.center@garrett.edu.
Womenimages center
WomenIMAGES Center
Established in the early 1970s to provide programs and act as a catalyst for the whole community, WomenIMAGES (Women in Ministry at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary) provides community and educational opportunities for women and seeks to create a nonsexist context for theological education. The center offers student-organized opportunities for learning and advocacy.
Established in the early 1970s to provide programs and act as a catalyst for the whole community, WomenIMAGES (Women in Ministry at Garrett-Evangelical Seminary) provides community and educational opportunities for women and seeks to create a nonsexist context for theological education. The center offers student-organized opportunities for learning and advocacy.
Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools Program
Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools Program
Garrett-Evangelical is an official partner of the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program and, in partnership with the Evanston community, will be offering this high-quality, literacy-rich program free to underserved children in the Evanston community in the summer. The six-week program helps children fall in love with reading and makes learning fun. It has proven to curb summer learning loss and help close achievement gaps.
Garrett-Evangelical is an official partner of the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program and, in partnership with the Evanston community, will be offering this high-quality, literacy-rich program free to underserved children in the Evanston community in the summer. The six-week program helps children fall in love with reading and makes learning fun. It has proven to curb summer learning loss and help close achievement gaps.
The spoon collective
The Spoon Collective
The Spoon Collective is a group of seminarians at Garrett-Evangelical who experience the effects of chronic illness and/or disability. We exist to offer peer support, encouragement, promote advocacy/education, and question ableism around us. Our name is based on the Spoon Theory, created by Christine Miserandino, to explain the limited energy of those who experience chronic illness or disability.
The Spoon Collective is a group of seminarians at Garrett-Evangelical who experience the effects of chronic illness and/or disability. We exist to offer peer support, encouragement, promote advocacy/education, and question ableism around us. Our name is based on the Spoon Theory, created by Christine Miserandino, to explain the limited energy of those who experience chronic illness or disability.
Service-Based Scholarships
At Garrett-Evangelical, every master’s degree student receives a scholarship. Scholarships are available for full-time and part-time students and are designed with an eye toward each student’s passion and our mission. Scholarships for full-time students range from 50% of tuition up to 100% of tuition with stipends, and are awarded for the number of hours to complete the degree program. We do not have a separate application for scholarships; a student’s application for admission will be reviewed holistically for admission as well as scholarship. We award over 2.5 million dollars in scholarships each year.
Asian & Asian-American ministry & theology scholarships
For applicants who are Asian or Asian American and who are interested in multi-ethnic ministries and organizations with a focus on social justice. Students who receive these scholarships have opportunities to work with and help shape the activities of the Asian/Asian American Center. Learn more about the Center for Asian/Asian American Ministry and Theology here. Priority is given to international Asian and first- and second-generation Asian Americans, persons engaged with NEXUS UMC, and others called to serve in Asian/Asian American ministry contexts.
Church and Black Experience (CBE) Scholarships
These scholarships are for applicants of African and African American descent who are called to lead congregations and associations prophetically and in the service of justice, and equity. Students who receive these scholarships have opportunities to work with and help shape the activities of the Center for the Church and Black Experience. Learn more about the Center for the Church and Black Experience here. Priority is given to students and graduates of HBCUs and those committed to racial justice.
Community Engagement Scholarships
For applicants who have a call to Public Theology and are, therefore, engaged in community building, advocacy, and activism for the common good. Garrett-Evangelical has a history of preparing faith leaders who are engaged in the wellbeing of all persons and of creation. To learn more about our current public theology initiatives, click here. Priority is given to students who have experience working with and/or a passion for racial justice, child advocacy, environmental/ecological justice, conflict transformation/peace studies, and/or LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Deacon Fellows
These scholarships are for applicants who are seeking ordination as Deacons in The United Methodist Church. Recipients have opportunities for fellowship, mentorship, and networking. They also have the opportunity to attend and help work with the bi-annual Deacon Dialogue. To learn more about Deacons Studies go here.
Hispanic-Latinx Center Scholarships
These scholarships recognize the unique gifts of our Hispanic and Latinx applicants who will be ministering in bilingual settings and/or who have significant contributions to make to the global religious landscape. Students who receive these scholarships have opportunities to work with and help shape the activities of the Hispanic-Latinx Center. To learn more about the Hispanic-Latinx Center go here. Priority is given to bi-lingual and/or first and second generation Hispanic and Latinx students.
Mission & Service Scholarships
For applicants who have served in a year-long volunteer mission or service program and are interested in service and non-profit ministries. To learn more about how Garrett-Evangelical is serving the church and the world through its redefined master of divinity degree program, click here. Additionally, go here to learn more about our Public Theology initiatives. Priority is given to students who have completed programs such as: US-2, Global Mission Interns, Teach for America, AmeriCorps, City Year, DOOR, Peace Corps, Presbyterian Youth Adult Volunteer (YAV), Jesuit Volunteers Corps, Luther Volunteer Corps, Brethren Volunteer Corps, Christian Appalachian Project, or a year-long campus ministry internship.
LGBTQ+ Reconciliation Scholarships
For applicants who have a passion for LGBTQ+ reconciliation ministries that involve working with individuals, groups, and/or societies to affirm that all persons are of sacred worth, created in the image of God, and should be fully included in church and society. Garrett-Evangelical’s President and Board of Trustees released a community statement affirming the seminary’s commitment to full LGBTQ+ inclusivity building upon years of a strong student-led Sacred Worth group and the seminary’s LGBTQ Studies concentration. Priority is given to students who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or who have demonstrated experience advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church and in society.
Core Commitments
Environmental Q&A: How does Garrett-Evangelical practice and promote environmental stewardship and sustainability?
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is committed to integrating ecological perspectives and sustainable practices throughout the curriculum, worship and spiritual life, programming, buildings and grounds, and administrative operations of the seminary. Our commitment to environmental sustainability also includes empowering students, faculty, and staff to be good stewards of the earth and its resources in their daily lives, while seeking out institutional collaboration with environmental groups in the Northwestern, Evanston, and Chicago communities.
Garrett-Evangelical's environmental sustainability efforts are ongoing and expanding. Through our various partnerships, practices, LEED certified Loder Hall, academic course offerings, and sustainGETS Committee, a lot of small efforts are making a huge impact.
Garrett-Evangelical's environmental sustainability efforts are ongoing and expanding. Through our various partnerships, practices, LEED certified Loder Hall, academic course offerings, and sustainGETS Committee, a lot of small efforts are making a huge impact.
Partnerships with the Green Seminary Initiative
The Green Seminary Initiative encourages schools of theology to be participants in, and keepers of, God’s creation in all its human, biological, geological, and ecological manifestations.
Academic Courses
- Ecological Theology: God and Creation in Travail
- Regenerative Ethics: Theory, Design, Practice
- Commensal Theology: Faithful Eating for a New Creation
- Faith in Place: Organizing for Environmental Justice
- Earth Ministry for Ecological Renewa
Sustain-Gets Committee
The sustainGETS Committee promotes the just and wise care of God’s creation in all areas of our seminary life together.
Sustainable Practices
- Campus wide recycling
- Recycling bins at seminary-owned apartment buildings
- Campus wide use of green cleaning products (no bleach or harsh chemicals)
- Updating air conditioners with energy efficient options
- Putting in energy efficient pipe insulation
- Designating a hybrid car parking spot in visitors lot
- Updating lighting to be more energy efficient
- Use of green products or products made with recycled content
LEED Gold Certification
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary was awarded a LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the renovation of Loder Hall in November 2012. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system that awards points for satisfying specified green building criteria. Some of the improvements that qualified the building for LEED certification were: geo-thermal heating, motion sensor lights, wall and roof insulation, dual disposal water conservation commodes, and ENERGY STAR building materials.
Hope For creation endowment campaign
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is committed to addressing the urgent environmental crises facing the world’s peoples today and to promoting the just and wise care of God’s creation for the flourishing of all. This commitment is rooted in an affirmation of God’s love for the world, an embrace of our human vocation to be faithful stewards of the good earth, and an active hope in God’s promise to establish justice and righteousness throughout the land.
Through the pioneering work of faculty emeritus Rosemary Radford Ruether, Garrett-Evangelical has long been associated with a critical eco-theological perspective, viewing the aims of environmental sustainability as inseparable from struggles for racial, gender, and socio-economic justice. In recent years, the seminary became a founding member of the Seminary Stewardship Alliance,[1] achieved LEED Gold certification for Loder Hall, and formed a sustainGETS student group and administrative oversight committee. Additionally, Garrett-Evangelical hired assistant professor of theology and ecology Timothy R. Eberhart to teach in the areas of ecological theology, environmental ethics, and food justice. Eberhart was recognized for his work in the recent “Report on Faith and Ecology Courses in North American Seminaries. ”[2]
Even so, the times call for even deeper levels of commitment and response. The human-related crises of climate change, ecological degradation, biodiversity collapse, and resource depletion are already the sources of devastating social and ecological harm worldwide. Unless we see widespread, profound changes in humanity’s relationship to nature and to one another, we can expect an ecological collapse of the earth and human society as we know it.
Theological education has a unique role to play in the great work of transitioning toward a more life-sustaining and socially just future. In the September 2014 issue of Science magazine, scientists Partha Dasgupta of Cambridge University and Veerabadran Ramanathan of the University of California write that “finding ways to develop a sustainable relationship with nature requires not only engagement of scientists and political leaders, but also moral leadership that religious institutions are in a position to offer.”[3] In a separate article, Ramanathan writes, “eight decades of research…on the natural and social science aspects of environmental changes has led us to the doorsteps of moral leaders of religions to rescue humanity from climate change.”[4]
Garrett-Evangelical is poised to meet this urgent challenge. In particular, we aim to strengthen our longstanding commitments to ecological justice in three distinct but overlapping ways: 1) by educating ecologically literate leaders for faithful service to the church and the world, 2) by integrating sustainable practices and ecological awareness throughout the life of the seminary, and 3) by expanding our public engagement for the sake of environmental and social regeneration.
I. Education
a. An Endowed Chair in Theology and Ecology
A fully endowed chair will ensure that ecological justice remains central to the seminary’s curriculum offerings at the certificate, master, and doctoral levels, support the development of an MA focus in environmental theory and practice, and solidify the seminary’s leadership in the fields of ecological theology and environmental ethics. Garrett-Evangelical is seeking $2 million to permanently endow a chair in theology and ecology.
b. Endowed Student Scholarships for Eco-Cohort
Financial support for students drawn to study ecological theology/philosophy and environmental ethics in a setting of experimental learning will help nurture faith leaders equipped to address the environmental challenges of our time. Garrett-Evangelical is seeking $5 million to support full-tuition scholarships for five students a year (at the endowment cost of $400,000 per student per year) for up to three years as part of an eco-cohort of no more than 15 total students.
II. Integration
a. The Greening of the Seminary
The integration of sustaining ecological practices and a robust ecological consciousness across the seminary’s entire operation spans the following areas: administration (e.g. coordination, purchasing and investments, metrics), buildings and grounds (e.g. energy, dining services, cleaning supplies, waste and recycling), faculty and curriculum (e.g. faculty training, new course development, library resources, field education opportunities), seminary culture (e.g. community life, worship, student groups, programming), and institutional collaboration (e.g. Northwestern, Seminary Stewardship Alliance, Green Seminary Network, Faith in Place, Citizens Greener Evanston). Garrett-Evangelical is seeking $1 million to support the implementation of the sustainGETS Environmental Stewardship Plan, which identifies key sustainability goals across all areas internal to the seminary’s operations.
III. Engagement
a. An Endowed Center for Ecological Regeneration
The historic social commitments of Garrett-Evangelical are embedded in our many centers and institutes: e.g. Center for the Church and the Black Experience, Hispanic/Latino/a Center, and Reuben P. Job Institute for Spiritual Formation.[5] At present, the seminary does not have a related center/institute focused upon ecological justice. Garrett-Evangelical is seeking $2 million to endow a Center for Ecological Regeneration to support an annual budget for staffing, research, conferences/ workshops, an online Journal for Bioregional Discipleship, and public eco-theological engagement with the Evanston community, Chicago area, and Midwest region.
Through the pioneering work of faculty emeritus Rosemary Radford Ruether, Garrett-Evangelical has long been associated with a critical eco-theological perspective, viewing the aims of environmental sustainability as inseparable from struggles for racial, gender, and socio-economic justice. In recent years, the seminary became a founding member of the Seminary Stewardship Alliance,[1] achieved LEED Gold certification for Loder Hall, and formed a sustainGETS student group and administrative oversight committee. Additionally, Garrett-Evangelical hired assistant professor of theology and ecology Timothy R. Eberhart to teach in the areas of ecological theology, environmental ethics, and food justice. Eberhart was recognized for his work in the recent “Report on Faith and Ecology Courses in North American Seminaries. ”[2]
Even so, the times call for even deeper levels of commitment and response. The human-related crises of climate change, ecological degradation, biodiversity collapse, and resource depletion are already the sources of devastating social and ecological harm worldwide. Unless we see widespread, profound changes in humanity’s relationship to nature and to one another, we can expect an ecological collapse of the earth and human society as we know it.
Theological education has a unique role to play in the great work of transitioning toward a more life-sustaining and socially just future. In the September 2014 issue of Science magazine, scientists Partha Dasgupta of Cambridge University and Veerabadran Ramanathan of the University of California write that “finding ways to develop a sustainable relationship with nature requires not only engagement of scientists and political leaders, but also moral leadership that religious institutions are in a position to offer.”[3] In a separate article, Ramanathan writes, “eight decades of research…on the natural and social science aspects of environmental changes has led us to the doorsteps of moral leaders of religions to rescue humanity from climate change.”[4]
Garrett-Evangelical is poised to meet this urgent challenge. In particular, we aim to strengthen our longstanding commitments to ecological justice in three distinct but overlapping ways: 1) by educating ecologically literate leaders for faithful service to the church and the world, 2) by integrating sustainable practices and ecological awareness throughout the life of the seminary, and 3) by expanding our public engagement for the sake of environmental and social regeneration.
I. Education
a. An Endowed Chair in Theology and Ecology
A fully endowed chair will ensure that ecological justice remains central to the seminary’s curriculum offerings at the certificate, master, and doctoral levels, support the development of an MA focus in environmental theory and practice, and solidify the seminary’s leadership in the fields of ecological theology and environmental ethics. Garrett-Evangelical is seeking $2 million to permanently endow a chair in theology and ecology.
b. Endowed Student Scholarships for Eco-Cohort
Financial support for students drawn to study ecological theology/philosophy and environmental ethics in a setting of experimental learning will help nurture faith leaders equipped to address the environmental challenges of our time. Garrett-Evangelical is seeking $5 million to support full-tuition scholarships for five students a year (at the endowment cost of $400,000 per student per year) for up to three years as part of an eco-cohort of no more than 15 total students.
II. Integration
a. The Greening of the Seminary
The integration of sustaining ecological practices and a robust ecological consciousness across the seminary’s entire operation spans the following areas: administration (e.g. coordination, purchasing and investments, metrics), buildings and grounds (e.g. energy, dining services, cleaning supplies, waste and recycling), faculty and curriculum (e.g. faculty training, new course development, library resources, field education opportunities), seminary culture (e.g. community life, worship, student groups, programming), and institutional collaboration (e.g. Northwestern, Seminary Stewardship Alliance, Green Seminary Network, Faith in Place, Citizens Greener Evanston). Garrett-Evangelical is seeking $1 million to support the implementation of the sustainGETS Environmental Stewardship Plan, which identifies key sustainability goals across all areas internal to the seminary’s operations.
III. Engagement
a. An Endowed Center for Ecological Regeneration
The historic social commitments of Garrett-Evangelical are embedded in our many centers and institutes: e.g. Center for the Church and the Black Experience, Hispanic/Latino/a Center, and Reuben P. Job Institute for Spiritual Formation.[5] At present, the seminary does not have a related center/institute focused upon ecological justice. Garrett-Evangelical is seeking $2 million to endow a Center for Ecological Regeneration to support an annual budget for staffing, research, conferences/ workshops, an online Journal for Bioregional Discipleship, and public eco-theological engagement with the Evanston community, Chicago area, and Midwest region.
Sustain-Gets Student Group
The sustainGETS Student Group offers educational, advocacy, and spiritual formation opportunities for students, faculty, and staff committed to ecological justice and regeneration.
Let Justice Roll Down! A Liturgical Resource Center
Let Justice Roll Down! is a liturgical resource center of the Chapel at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Its vision is to serve our incarnate God by envisioning a just earth, working for liberation, and learning from intersectionality as we worship our Creator in Spirit and truth. Let Justice Roll Down! accomplishes this task by creating and curating liturgical resources that call the church into ecological faithfulness. When we worship, we are formed to be like God, the One who lovingly created and cares for the whole of the cosmos. As we face the unprecedented challenges of climate change and environmental degradation, churches are uniquely positioned to organize for justice. The resources on this site are curated to assist worship planners in designing services that celebrate our Creator and call us to the task of joining the Creator's work in the world.
Genesis Collective Student Group
A new Christian community has formed at Garrett-Evangelical in the spirit of living simply, relationally, and with an eye to the liberation of both human and non-human creation. The Genesis Collective gathers weekly to share in local meals and practices of spiritual formation for loving action.
Q: What makes Garrett-Evangelical unique?
Our vision of theological education embraces John Wesley’s understanding of personal and social transformation. We trust that God is at work in reconciling, liberating, and sanctifying the lives of persons, communities, and nations, and we witness that work in and through the lives of our graduates and their ministries. The leaders we seek to prepare will not just manage churches, organizations, and institutions, but will lead movements in their local communities and our world.
We foster a culture that celebrates and learns from the unique gifts and experiences of each individual within a community that seeks to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to lead transformative change for the well-being of all persons and creation.
This means that at the heart of our curriculum is an understanding that all ministry, regardless of form or geographical location, is cross-cultural. At Garrett, students learn from one of the most diverse faculties in the nation (17% Asian, 20% Black, 13% Hispanic, and 50% White). Our faculty are committed to providing a comprehensive theological education that brings to the center cross-cultural competencies, sexual and racial identities, and spiritual formation.
Additionally, our students are also immersed in an inter-cultural and inclusive community with over 35% of our students living in three seminary-owned apartments within walking distance from campus and two resident halls on campus. Our student body comes from 19 countries and 34 states, with 14% International, 8% Asian, 8% Hispanic/Latinx, 22% Black, 46% White, 1% Multiracial, and 1% Unknown.
At Garrett we understand that not every skill necessary to succeed professionally can be mastered in the classroom. That’s why we offer workshops, programs, and resources to help you develop the practical skills needed for your vocational calling.
Through our Vocational Network initiative, you can explore questions of vocation and take full advantage of a variety of resources and programming that will help you navigate the ordination and job search processes. Our three-tier approach of discernment, development and placement will better equip you to thrive in the unique ministry to which God has called you to serve.
We foster a culture that celebrates and learns from the unique gifts and experiences of each individual within a community that seeks to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to lead transformative change for the well-being of all persons and creation.
This means that at the heart of our curriculum is an understanding that all ministry, regardless of form or geographical location, is cross-cultural. At Garrett, students learn from one of the most diverse faculties in the nation (17% Asian, 20% Black, 13% Hispanic, and 50% White). Our faculty are committed to providing a comprehensive theological education that brings to the center cross-cultural competencies, sexual and racial identities, and spiritual formation.
Additionally, our students are also immersed in an inter-cultural and inclusive community with over 35% of our students living in three seminary-owned apartments within walking distance from campus and two resident halls on campus. Our student body comes from 19 countries and 34 states, with 14% International, 8% Asian, 8% Hispanic/Latinx, 22% Black, 46% White, 1% Multiracial, and 1% Unknown.
At Garrett we understand that not every skill necessary to succeed professionally can be mastered in the classroom. That’s why we offer workshops, programs, and resources to help you develop the practical skills needed for your vocational calling.
Through our Vocational Network initiative, you can explore questions of vocation and take full advantage of a variety of resources and programming that will help you navigate the ordination and job search processes. Our three-tier approach of discernment, development and placement will better equip you to thrive in the unique ministry to which God has called you to serve.
Careers that Change the World
Q: What are some of the innovative or non-traditional jobs/careers recent grads have landed?
- Maria Alejandra Salazar, MDiv’19, Program Associate for Immigration Initiatives, Borealis Philanthropy
- Brittney Stephan, MDiv’18, Associate Director of Multicultural Vibrancy, Michigan Annual Conference of the UMC
- Lamon Caldwell, MDiv’17, Thornwood High School, Character Development Instructor - Works with high school students to develop positive character traits, social-emotional skills, restorative practices, and team building.
- Nick Joyner, MDiv’16, ACT Recovery Counselor at Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare
- Pat Efiom, DMin’15, Equity & Empowerment Coordinator at City of Evanston Illinois Government
Q: Profile three alum who are integrating faith and service in their current ministry/career fields.
Jonah Holm, MDiv 2016
Church Planting Pastor, Zao MKE Church
Jonah has been sent out by The United Methodist Church to plant a new, radically inclusive Christian church in the city of Milwaukee, WI. By spending time embedded in communities of art, activism, and liberation across the city, Jonah reaches people not often found in traditional settings. The gathering that has emerged from Jonah’s work is made up of people of many backgrounds, races, genders, and orientations. Together they have committee to building Zao MKE as a Jesus-rooted, justice centered, radically inclusive church.
Jonah has been sent out by The United Methodist Church to plant a new, radically inclusive Christian church in the city of Milwaukee, WI. By spending time embedded in communities of art, activism, and liberation across the city, Jonah reaches people not often found in traditional settings. The gathering that has emerged from Jonah’s work is made up of people of many backgrounds, races, genders, and orientations. Together they have committee to building Zao MKE as a Jesus-rooted, justice centered, radically inclusive church.
Evens Paul, MA in Christian Education 2018
Program Director at Sustainable Action International and Pastor of Storehouse Church of La Victoire, Haiti
Following graduation, Evens and his family moved back to Haiti to serve with Sustainable Action International, the non-profit Evens and his wife, Karina, co-founded in 2012. Through this non-profit, they invest in education through the two schools they opened in Haiti in the last past seven years. About 500 students attend their elementary school and high school. Their ministry also includes church planting, a clean water initiative, and sustainable agricultural practices, where they teach families how they can become sustainable by growing their own crops. They also support a healthcare initiative, where they partner with some churches in the United States and some awesome medical teams to provide good healthcare services to the least fortunate in Haiti.
Following graduation, Evens and his family moved back to Haiti to serve with Sustainable Action International, the non-profit Evens and his wife, Karina, co-founded in 2012. Through this non-profit, they invest in education through the two schools they opened in Haiti in the last past seven years. About 500 students attend their elementary school and high school. Their ministry also includes church planting, a clean water initiative, and sustainable agricultural practices, where they teach families how they can become sustainable by growing their own crops. They also support a healthcare initiative, where they partner with some churches in the United States and some awesome medical teams to provide good healthcare services to the least fortunate in Haiti.
Rebecca Wharton Bowers, MA in Pastoral Care and Counseling – Clinical Track 2018
Provisional Counselor at Moore Wellness LLC, Lafayette, Louisiana
Rebecca helps teens and adults overcome trauma, identify and accomplish their goals, and supports families through foster care and adoptive services. She uses therapy as a tool to equip clients with healthy ways of identifying, processing, and expressing their needs and emotions during struggles of sexuality, gender identity, and spiritual trauma.
Rebecca helps teens and adults overcome trauma, identify and accomplish their goals, and supports families through foster care and adoptive services. She uses therapy as a tool to equip clients with healthy ways of identifying, processing, and expressing their needs and emotions during struggles of sexuality, gender identity, and spiritual trauma.
- Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor, Deacon Candidate
- Uplifting voices, LBGT Affirming, trauma recovery (including spiritual trauma), and non-traditional and strained relationships
- Mother/Daughter relationships with teens & their parents
The President's Q&A
Q: How is Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary changing the world?
Dr. Lallene RectorPresident, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
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We begin with a vision statement that informs all the strategic priorities at the seminary with its declaration of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary as a “servant seminary” dedicated to serving the community around the seminary, to partnership with the local and global church, to hospitality and welcome for all persons, and to generational stewardship. This understanding of the institution as servant is critical to the ethos - its values and its actions - in which our students are immersed for several years.
The embodiment of this is shown in part by the school’s mission to educate and equip graduates who understand themselves as public theologians committed to work for the wellbeing of all persons and creation – and to lead others in doing so. We expect them to work not only with Christians, but also with persons of other faiths, and persons of no faith – to work with all those who share a commitment to the common good and to leading the kind of transformation that is necessary to change the world. This work as public theologians does not begin following commencement, but begins with recruitment, and then more actively upon enrollment with the explicit goals of formation (being), theological education (knowing), and skill building (doing). Formation happens during the whole tenure of a student but receives specific attention in discernment work focused on understanding call and the theological underpinnings of what it means to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength – and then to engage what necessarily follows, the love of neighbor. It is in the expression of love of neighbor that the knowing and doing aspects of the curriculum come to play most visibly in “changing the world.” This can be seen in several ways: Field Education Placements
Field Education Placements in which students work in congregation and community assessing the particular needs of a community and then taking action. Dimensions of this are experienced, for example, in community organizing courses in economically challenged communities torn apart by racial conflict, gang life, gun and police violence - faculty, clergy, laity, and student all working together to make a specific difference in a community. Our collaboration with the United Methodist Church’s “Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st c.” initiative is another example. Curriculum
Specific Courses taught by our faculty in community: Community Organizing courses; Public Theology courses; Travel Trips for course credit focused on environmental sustainability; courses that include experiences of constructive protest against inequity, racial discrimination, immigration bans, and environmental degradation. Children's Defense Fund Freedom School
Sponsorship of a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School for elementary children in an underserved ward of Evanston. The 6-week summer literacy program serves as many as 50 children each summer and engages a number of our seminary students and faculty as well as community members, parents, and clergy in a program that has been transformative for all involved. The work of the CDF Freedom School is ongoing during the academic year with supportive course work and preparation that includes learning about racial and economic discriminations that must be systemically challenged. Commitment to Diversity
Commitment to Racial/Ethnic Diversity as embodied in our curriculum, our recruitment and hiring practices, as well as in our Center for the Church and the Black Experience (over 45 years of preparing black clergy, as well as being a leading source in the country of Black PhD scholars in religion); our Hispanic/Latinx Center, and our Center for Asian/Asian American Ministry and Theology. The school is dedicated to recruiting a diverse faculty and student body – diverse in race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and culture – one that reflects the world in which our graduates will serve – as we continually seek to be an inclusive and welcoming community. We believe this is part of what it means to be servant seminary with the capacity to prepare leaders who will “change the world.” Our application goes into to greater detail, but from a presidential perspective, I want to convey the depth of our institution’s commitment to not only preparing leaders who will change the world, but also to being an institution that makes a difference in our surrounding community while we are educating and equipping those leaders. It is part of our institutional DNA to participate in John Wesley’s call to “social holiness” (love of neighbor) based upon vital piety (love of God and the practices that support deepening this love of God). We are grateful for the ways in which being recognized as “a seminary that changes the world” strengthens our ability to continue doing so!
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