Meadville Lombard Theological School
Encyclopedia
The Meadville Lombard Theological School, located in Chicago
, is a Unitarian Universalist
seminary
.
It is a result of a merger in the 1930s between a Unitarian
and a Universalist
institution. Meadville Lombard is one of two Unitarian Universalist seminaries and offers the following graduate degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion, Doctor of Ministry, and the Dual Degree of Master of Divinity/Master of Arts in Leadership Studies. The school's mission is to educate ministers to serve in Unitarian Universalists congregations or wherever else they are called to serve. These degree programs are open to students of all faith traditions.
The Meadville Theological School was founded in 1844 in Meadville
, Pennsylvania
. Most of the original funding came from a recent convert to Unitarianism
, a wealthy businessman named Harm Jan Huidekoper. One of its best-known alumni was Jenkin Lloyd Jones
, who later played a prominent role in the growth of the Western Unitarian Convention.
The Meadville Theological School moved to Chicago
and became affiliated with the University of Chicago
in 1926. It began construction on its permanent building in 1929. With the failure of Ryder Divinity School and Lombard College
in 1930, the Lombard charter moved to Meadville Theological School in Chicago, and the institution became known as the Meadville Lombard Theological School. The school is unique as it has "one of only three in Illinois granting full tax-exempt status in perpetuity for all college-owned property. Monmouth College
and Northwestern University
have the other two."
Meadville Lombard is distinctive because of the caliber of its faculty, including world-renowned ethicist Dr. Sharon D. Welch, Dr. Michael Hogue (2008 recipient of the Templeton Award for Theological Promise), as well as graduates and affiliated Faculty members the Rev. Dr. William F. Schulz and the Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed.
The school offers four full-tuition scholarships based on merit, and provides students with generous amounts of institutional financial aid.
The school is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. The Meadville Lombard Educational Model will commence with students entering the Master of Divinity degree program in Fall 2009. The model blends traditional (and rigorous) academic learning with experiential learning in community and congregational settings.
Meadville Lombard said its trustees decided to place its campus in Chicago for sale as a means to liquidate its assets, expanding its options financially and placing it on the path to jettison an increasingly large list of deferred maintenance needs. Meadville Lombard said it intended to remain based in Chicago, but its future location in the Windy City was undetermined at mid-2010.
, a seminary in Newton, Massachusetts
affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
and the United Church of Christ
, announced plans to create a "new university-style institution" based at Andover Newton's campus, with an interfaith model for theological education. Meadville Lombard would have become the Unitarian Universalist college in the new theological university. The two schools, Meadville Lombard and Andover Newton, announced they were seeking additional partners for the proposed institution. They announced their intention to form the new university as a legal entity by June 15, 2011, but the two institutions withdrew from the plan in April 2011, citing issues related to governance and finances.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, is a Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
.
It is a result of a merger in the 1930s between a Unitarian
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
and a Universalist
Universalist Church of America
The Universalist Church of America was a Christian Universalist religious denomination in the United States . Known from 1866 as the Universalist General Convention, the name was changed to the Universalist Church of America in 1942...
institution. Meadville Lombard is one of two Unitarian Universalist seminaries and offers the following graduate degree programs: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion, Doctor of Ministry, and the Dual Degree of Master of Divinity/Master of Arts in Leadership Studies. The school's mission is to educate ministers to serve in Unitarian Universalists congregations or wherever else they are called to serve. These degree programs are open to students of all faith traditions.
The Meadville Theological School was founded in 1844 in Meadville
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Most of the original funding came from a recent convert to Unitarianism
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
, a wealthy businessman named Harm Jan Huidekoper. One of its best-known alumni was Jenkin Lloyd Jones
Jenkin Lloyd Jones (minister)
Jenkin Lloyd Jones was a Unitarian minister in the United States. He founded All Souls Unitarian Church in Chicago, Illinois, as well as its community outreach organization, the Abraham Lincoln Centre. A radical modernist, he joined the "Unity Men" and stressed a creedless "ethical basis" as the...
, who later played a prominent role in the growth of the Western Unitarian Convention.
The Meadville Theological School moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and became affiliated with the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1926. It began construction on its permanent building in 1929. With the failure of Ryder Divinity School and Lombard College
Lombard College
-History:Lombard College was founded in 1853 by the Universalist Church as the Illinois Liberal Institute. In 1855, however, a major fire damaged much of the college, placing its future at risk, but a large gift from Benjamin Lombard, an Illinois farmer and businessman, rescued the institution,...
in 1930, the Lombard charter moved to Meadville Theological School in Chicago, and the institution became known as the Meadville Lombard Theological School. The school is unique as it has "one of only three in Illinois granting full tax-exempt status in perpetuity for all college-owned property. Monmouth College
Monmouth College
Monmouth College is a four-year coeducational private liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.-History:Monmouth College was founded on April 18, 1853 by the Second Presbytery of Illinois, a frontier arm of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church...
and Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
have the other two."
Meadville Lombard is distinctive because of the caliber of its faculty, including world-renowned ethicist Dr. Sharon D. Welch, Dr. Michael Hogue (2008 recipient of the Templeton Award for Theological Promise), as well as graduates and affiliated Faculty members the Rev. Dr. William F. Schulz and the Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed.
The school offers four full-tuition scholarships based on merit, and provides students with generous amounts of institutional financial aid.
The school is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools. The Meadville Lombard Educational Model will commence with students entering the Master of Divinity degree program in Fall 2009. The model blends traditional (and rigorous) academic learning with experiential learning in community and congregational settings.
Meadville Lombard said its trustees decided to place its campus in Chicago for sale as a means to liquidate its assets, expanding its options financially and placing it on the path to jettison an increasingly large list of deferred maintenance needs. Meadville Lombard said it intended to remain based in Chicago, but its future location in the Windy City was undetermined at mid-2010.
New Theological University proposal
In 2010, Meadville Lombard and Andover Newton Theological SchoolAndover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School is a graduate school and seminary located in Newton, Massachusetts. It is America's oldest graduate seminary and the nation's first graduate institution of any kind...
, a seminary in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainline, although varying theological and mission emphases may be found among its...
and the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
, announced plans to create a "new university-style institution" based at Andover Newton's campus, with an interfaith model for theological education. Meadville Lombard would have become the Unitarian Universalist college in the new theological university. The two schools, Meadville Lombard and Andover Newton, announced they were seeking additional partners for the proposed institution. They announced their intention to form the new university as a legal entity by June 15, 2011, but the two institutions withdrew from the plan in April 2011, citing issues related to governance and finances.