Divinity - Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest

Divinity from Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest is a Campus Master Religious Studies degree that prepares you for a Liberal Arts career. The Master of Divinity degree is designed as a three-year program of preparation for ministry . It is the normative degree to prepare persons for ordained ministry and it can also be used by persons preparing for general pastoral and religious leadership responsibilities in congregations and other settings. It also prepares people for doctoral work in religious studies. Postulancy - or for non-Episcopalians, the analogous formal ecclesiastical endorsement - is not a prerequisite for admission to the Master of Divinity program (for procedures regarding non-Postulants, see page 9). Seminary of the Southwest collaborates with diocesan authorities and follows canonical requirements in the processes of discernment and formation for ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church. These processes work best when there is mutual communication among applicants, their dioceses and the seminary. Episcopal applicants for the Master of Divinity degree should therefore be familiar with the policies of their own dioceses regarding seminary admission. Applicants who are not in a diocesan process leading toward ordination are urged to consider whether consultation with their parish or diocese is appropriate for them. Similar advice is extended to applicants from other denominations. Through courses in Biblical studies, history, theology, missiology, liturgy, ethics, Hispanic and cross-cultural studies, pastoral theology, and church music and through parochial, institutional, and cross-cultural placements, MDiv students are prepared- For examination in the seven canonical areas of study required for ordination in the Episcopal church; To serve as ordained clergy or lay ministers, the mission and ministry of the Episcopal church within culturally and socially varied contexts; For interpreting and preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ both within the Church and for the religiously and ideologically plural context of the United States; To serve as Episcopal clergy or laity with understanding of, and sensitivity to, the global character of the Anglican communion; To engage with integrity and understanding, the intellectual and ethical challenges of the Church's ministry; To lead Church communities, to teach and foster lay ministry and leadership, and to exemplify a courageous Christian discipleship. The curriculum implements our conviction that Christian leaders are best prepared through a disciplined engagement in worship and prayer, accompanied by a knowledge of the Christian tradition that is both critically examined and effectively related to the social and historical environment in which it is to be lived and proclaimed. The faculty at SSW seeks to immerse their students in that tradition and at the same time provide them with the critical tools for evaluating its various expressions through the ages. Because Episcopalians have received their faith and way of life as members of the Anglican Communion of churches, SSW seeks also to immerse students in this particular tradition and in so doing makes them aware both of the ecumenical significance of Anglicanism and of the rich diversity afforded them by membership in a world-wide communion of churches. View more details on Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Religious Studies courses.