Welcome! Be a Part of the Learning Community at Meadville Lombard Our Mission At Meadville Lombard Theological School, we educate students in the Unitarian Universalist tradition to embody liberal religious ministry in Unitarian Universalist congregations and wherever else they are called to serve. We do this to take into the world our Unitarian Universalist vision of justice, equity, and compassion. Meadville Lombard offers a unique model for theological education, designed to meet the needs and opportunities of our time and to prepare students for the unforeseen and unforeseeable opportunities and challenges of the future. Built into this model is a web of support where students learn the theory and practice of religious leadership with and from academics, clergy, community leaders, and each other. Our educational model is built on the maxim based on insights from Engaged Buddhism, Native American traditions, and feminist theory: we do not think ourselves into new ways of acting, but act ourselves into new ways of thinking and being. This model and this maxim help us to inspire leaders who will have the skills to change lives in order to change the world. Kimberly Johnson and Dr. Nicole Kirk explore the history of Religious Education in our Religious Education Archives. Degree Programs at Meadville Lombard Master of Divinity This degree program is designed for those who wish to pursue ordained ministry. We are a Unitarian Universalist identity school, but students of other faith traditions may also benefit from the model of this degree program. Master of Arts in Religion Students in this program seek a depth of understanding of religion in order to pursue further academic study or to inform their leadership in lay settings. Master of Arts in Leadership Studies This degree program can be taken as a dual degree with the Master of Divinity or as a stand-alone degree for lay leaders. Part of the program is a supervised internship where the student may exercise their leadership capacity in a congregational or community setting. Our degree programs are accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.
Meadville Lombard TouchPointSM Meadville Lombard TouchPointSM is a low-residency learning format where students engage in academic learning through our week-long intensive courses offered three times each year: in January, March and July. Depending upon the degree program, full-time students may complete the program in two to three years by travelling to Chicago for classes during these periods. In our intensive format, students have the opportunity to study with our world-class faculty as well as with academics and ministers with expertise in fields of interest to our students. Classroom learning is often brought additional depth by the participation of alumni/ae and Teaching Pastors seeking continuing education who bring their day-to-day learning and experience into the classroom. Crosscultural Leadership Our learning model has been designed to develop not just crosscultural awareness, but the artistry of crosscultural leadership. Students learn how to exercise such leadership in congregations and in community settings. During the January Learning Convocation, Student Jorge Espinel participates in a small group discussion. Additional Learning Opportunities While students may take all their academic courses at Meadville Lombard, as a matriculated student in one of our degree programs, students are also eligible to take up to four (4) courses at member schools of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. Students living in the greater Chicago area may take these courses in the traditional week-to-week format, but many of these schools also offer online courses that may be of interest to all of our students. Transfer credit is also available to students in our degree programs. These are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Members of the Student Services staff can help you with questions about the limits for each degree program. Our Faculty: unapologetically progressive Meadville Lombard s faculty is comprised of worldclass scholars who are also activists in building beloved community. They bring to life their expertise in theology, ethics, religious education, ministry and more. Meadville Lombard Faculty
Scholarships and Aid Meadville Lombard is grateful to a number of donors who have provided us with the ability to offer scholarship assistance to all students who apply by the deadline. (See our website for current deadlines.) We are especially grateful to Spencer and Susan Lavan, Betty and Hardy Sanders, and Arnold and Julia Bradburd who have each provided funding for full-tuition scholarships. These scholarships are awarded on a rotating basis, one each year. All Master of Divinity students who are planning to attend full time and complete their admissions application by the deadline will be considered. Merit- and need-based scholarships will also be assessed and awarded to all students who apply by the deadline regardless of the degree program or if the student plans to attend full or part time. More information is available on our website and through the Student Services staff. Dr. Mark Hicks, Angus MacLean Professor of Religious Education, always has an interactive class, combining many different learning theories to create an engaging experience. Technology Coursework at Meadville Lombard is done through face-to-face meeting times during intensive courses, as well as through high- and low-tech methods before and after those meeting times. We provide a technology guideline for incoming students in order for them to be able to participate year-round. Students in our degree programs should also have a baseline understanding of: Standard word processing software Conference calling either through traditional telephone or via internet connections Uploading documents, photos and videos (the equivalent of uploading photos to FaceBook or videos to YouTube) Library The Wiggin Library holds about 40,000 books and periodicals and is housed on the 8th floor of our campus at 610 S. Michigan Avenue. You will have borrowing privileges as outlined on our website; most of our students access library materials by contacting our Library Assistant. For more information about the degree requirements, please visit our website. www.meadville.edu
The Master of Divinity Degree Program Be a Part of the Learning Community at Meadville Lombard The Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree program at Meadville Lombard provides the academic and experiential grounding you need to minister effectively in the multicultural, multiracial, and interfaith world of the 21st century. The degree program can be completed in as little as three years but is flexible to accommodate students who plan to study part-time. Meadville Lombard s program, while academically rigorous, is based on the premise that we learn ministry best not by cloistering ourselves away somewhere, but by learning, doing and being in the real world throughout the educational process. ~ Jim Magaw, Student Our low-residency format allows you to prepare for the ministry in the context of your local community. If you will study full-time, you should plan to make two to three trips to Chicago each year to attend Convocations and academic courses. With the support of the Director of Contextual Ministry and faculty advisers, you will arrange a schedule for completion of the degree in a timely fashion and develop a plan for locating congregations and other placement sites near where you live. Meadville Lombard TouchPoint SM is unique in the world of theological education in these major aspects: Immersion in a world of being a minister Meadville Lombard TouchPoint is a three-year integrated internship, modeled after similar programs in medicine and law. You will learn by doing--through immersion in community service and in congregational practice. Low-residency format You will do integrated internships in your home community and come to Chicago for intensive academic courses in January, March and July, and in August for a 3-day convocation. Learning community You will be part of a cohort of students who will continue to be your professional colleagues, in an educational model designed to help students learn how to support and challenge each other. You will also be taught by a faculty which is itself a learning cohort comprised of leading Unitarian Universalist congregational and community ministers, activists and scholars, who are continuously learning from and with each other and students how to deepen and open Unitarian Universalism as a living religious practice.
The MDiv program consists of 30 units anchored by and organized around our three Signature Courses: Community Studies Seminar: In your first year in the MDiv degree program and with the guidance of our Director of Contextual Ministry, you will find placement in a community service organization and then provide eight (8) hours of weekly service to that organization each week during the Fall and Spring semesters. Sites are selected with the purpose of enhancing your multicultural competencies. Congregational Studies Seminar: Enrollment in this seminar requires successful completion of the Community Studies Seminar and the completion of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). As a part of this seminar, you will work twenty (20) hours each week during the Fall and Spring semesters in a local congregation under the direct supervision of a Teaching Pastor (experienced ministers leading the congregation), as you process the assignments and reflections with a cohort from the class, and with input from the faculty. Student Theresa Soto and Schulman Professor of UU History, Dr. Nicole Kirk, share the love after a full day of community building at Fall Convocation. Leadership Studies Seminar: This seminar is the second year of study and praxis within the context of a congregation generally the same congregation as in the previous seminar, Congregational Studies. Just as in Congregational Studies, you will work twenty (20) hours each week under the direct supervision of the Teaching Pastor, as you process the weekly assignments and reflections with a cohort from your class and with input from the faculty. During the course of your enrollment in the Congregational and Leadership Studies Seminars, you will undertake a project within the congregation that enhances the ability of the congregation to engage in bordercrossing activities. Students Jim Coakley and Gretchen Weis explore the Sankofa Archives for Unitarian Universalists of Color
When enrolled in a signature course, students are required to come to Chicago for the following events: Fall Convocation for each of the three Signature Courses (dates available on our Academic Calendar) The January Learning Convocation (dates available on our Academic Calendar) The Signature Courses comprise 11 of the 30 units of credit required to complete the MDiv degree program (Community Studies = 3; Congregational and Leadership Studies = 4 each). Clinical Pastoral Education is also required and will satisfy 3 of the required units of credit. The final 16 required credits are academic courses. For a more detailed outline of the core requirements for the Master of Divinity degree program, please visit our website. Teaching Pastors serve as mentors, educators and supervisors. In their mentor role, they support the student s ministerial formation and identity development. As educators, they teach practical skills in congregational ministry. And as supervisors, they oversee and evaluate the work done in the congregation. Abhi Janamanchi, Teaching Pastor I think there has been a lot of thought put into making this internship a rich experience for me. Because my site supervisor is also a minister, I have been afforded a wealth of learning opportunities which I think will help me in my ministerial formation. ~ Vee Abbitt, Student For more information about the degree requirements, please visit our website. www.meadville.edu