San Francisco Theological Seminary

Last updated
San Francisco Theological Seminary
RedlandsGST-SFTS Style1 1815 WEB.png
Type Private seminary
Established1871 (1871)
Parent institution
University of Redlands
Religious affiliation
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Academic affiliations
University of Redlands; Graduate Theological Union; University of California, Berkeley
Students47 (FTE) [1]
Location,
U.S.

37°58′11″N122°33′56″W / 37.96972°N 122.56556°W / 37.96972; -122.56556 [2]
CampusSuburban, 14 acres (5.7 ha)
Website www.redlands.edu/study/schools-and-centers/gst/sfts/

The San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) is a seminary in San Anselmo, California with historic ties to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). [4] SFTS became embedded in a new Graduate School of Theology of the University of Redlands in 2019. [5] It was founded by the Synod of California in 1871.

Contents

SFTS is a founding member of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, a large consortium of graduate schools and seminaries in the Bay Area. [6] Through this membership, students have access to the Flora Lamson Hewlett Library and enjoy many opportunities to learn from and engage with religious traditions outside of the Reformed tradition. Through the Graduate Theological Union, students have access to the classes and the libraries of the University of California, Berkeley [7] and, most recently, University of Redlands. [8]

History

San Francisco Theological Seminary Sfts hillside photo.jpg
San Francisco Theological Seminary

San Francisco pastor William Anderson Scott opened two Presbyterian schools in his churches in the third quarter of the 19th century, the second of which was the San Francisco Theological Seminary. In 1872, SFTS began with four professors and four students meeting for instruction at the Presbyterian City College and Calvary Presbyterian Church, located at what now is Union Square, and St. John's Presbyterian Church. Six years later, the seminary moved to its own building next to the City College building on Haight Street. [9]

The seminary moved in 1891 to a 14-acre (57,000 m2) hilltop site in Marin County about 15 miles (24 km) north of the Golden Gate Bridge. A new charter issued in 1900 gave the seminary power to grant degrees, and jurisdiction over the seminary was transferred from the synod to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1913. [10]

In the post World War II era under its president, Jesse Hays Baird, SFTS enjoyed unprecedented expansion, with enrollment increasing to more than 300 and new buildings rising all over the San Anselmo campus. SFTS joined in 1962 with neighboring graduate schools and academic centers in founding the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. The GTU developed joint M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in cooperation with the graduate school at the University of California Berkeley. [11]

In 1990, SFTS opened its second campus in Pasadena, which was housed in the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Due to seminary budget cuts, the board of trustees voted to close the Pasadena campus in February 2011. [12] However, despite the announced closure, the seminary continued to consider alternative opportunities to expand their programs in Southern California.

In February 2019, SFTS announced its intention to become part of the University of Redlands, based in Southern California's Inland Empire region. [13] The merger was complete on July 1, 2019, and SFTS was embedded within a new Graduate School of Theology that carried SFTS programs forward and expanded opportunities for its students. [14]

In consequence of the merger, the PCUSA General Assembly's Committee on Theological Education (COTE) removed SFTS from its roster of Presbyterian Seminaries, and the Presbyterian Foundation withheld payments from a portion of SFTS endowment that it held in trust, on the grounds that the seminary no longer exists as an incorporated entity. [15] While SFTS maintained its commitment to Presbyterian 'theological education', the PC(USA) was unconvinced. “After six years, there is no requirement of any Presbyterians on the UR Board, and after five years the proceeds from any sale of former SFTS assets may be used as determined in the discretion of that board, who are fiduciaries for the University of Redlands and not for the former SFTS. In short, COTE is concerned that the distinguished legacy of the former SFTS could disappear after five years.”. [16] The co-moderators of the 224th General Assembly appointed a mediator, and after a year of negotiation, COTE, SFTS, and the University of Redlands agreed to a covenant "reaffirming SFTS as a Presbyterian theological seminary related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)". [17] COTE presented the covenant to the 225th General Assembly of the PCUSA in July 2022, and the Assembly, upon COTE's recommendation, approved the covenant without controversy, treating the covenant relationship as equivalent to an institutional relationship. [18]

Campus

The SFTS campus is now known as the University of Redlands, Marin Campus, which is also home to the UR School of Business & Society. [19]

Academics

San Francisco Theological Seminary degree programs include the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Arts (MA), and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.). The seminary also offers graduate-level diplomas and certificate programs. In conjunction with the Graduate Theological Union and the University of California Berkeley, students can also earn a Master of Arts or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Students also have access to professional certificate programs in the University of Redlands School of Continuing Studies.

Academic affiliations

Notable alumni

Notable faculty members

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presbyterian Church in America</span> Conservative Reformed Christian denomination in the United States and Canada

The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presbyterian in government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Redlands</span> Private university in Redlands, California, U.S.

The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout California largely provide programs for working adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Presbyterian Seminary</span> Seminary in Virginia, US

Union Presbyterian Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offering graduate theological education in multiple modalities: in-person, hybrid, and online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graduate Theological Union</span> Group of private American theological schools

The Graduate Theological Union (GTU) is a consortium of eight private independent American theological schools and eleven centers and affiliates. Seven of the theological schools are located in Berkeley, California. The GTU was founded in 1962 and their students can take courses at the University of California, Berkeley. Additionally, some of the GTU consortial schools are part of other California universities such as Santa Clara University and California Lutheran University. Most of the GTU consortial schools are located in the Berkeley area with the majority north of the campus in a neighborhood known as "Holy Hill" due to the cluster of GTU seminaries and centers located there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Theological Seminary</span> Presbyterian seminary in Georgia, U.S.

Columbia Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Decatur, Georgia. It is one of ten theological institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a private Protestant seminary in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the Disciples of Christ, ensuring the school provides the necessary requirements for candidates to seek ordination within these denominations. These three denominations account for approximately half of the student population of PSR. The school has also maintained close relationships with the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, as well as other denominations. Over the years PSR has provided training for clergy and leaders from a wide range of religious traditions including Buddhists, Jews, Pagans, Pentecostals, and Roman Catholics.

Westminster Seminary California is a Reformed and Presbyterian Christian seminary in Escondido, California. It was initially a branch campus of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia until 1982 when it became fully independent. It has thirteen full-time faculty members and enrolls approximately 155 full-time students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church Divinity School of the Pacific</span> Episcopal Church seminary in California, U.S.

Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) is an Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, California. It is one of the nine seminaries in the Episcopal Church and a member of the Graduate Theological Union. The only Episcopal seminary located in the Far West, CDSP has, since 1911, been designated the official seminary of the Episcopal Church's Eighth Province, the Province west of the Rocky Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covenant Theological Seminary</span> Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America

Covenant Theological Seminary, informally called Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, it trains people to work as leaders in church positions and elsewhere, especially as pastors, missionaries, and counselors. It does not require all students to be members of the PCA, but it is bound to promote the teachings of its denomination. Faculty must subscribe to the system of biblical doctrine outlined in the Westminster Standards.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminaries are educational institutions with an institutional or covenant relationship to the Presbyterian Church (USA), geared primarily towards the training of ministers. The seminaries are independent institutions but relate dynamically to the PC(USA) through the Committee on Theological Education, a committee of seminary presidents and ministers and elders from across the PC(USA). The Theological Education Fund (TEF) of the Presbyterian Foundation is the only denomination-wide funding system to support the schools.

The Center for Swedenborgian Studies is the seminary of the Swedenborgian Church of North America at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. It offers a Certificate in Swedenborgian Studies and a Certificate in Swedenborgian Ministry Studies. It also functions as a think-tank for Swedenborgian studies globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University</span>

The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University is a Jesuit seminary within Santa Clara University and one of the member colleges of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, California. Prior to its merger with Santa Clara University it was known as the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley (JSTB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Noel Freedman</span>

David Noel Freedman was an American biblical scholar, author, editor, archaeologist, and, after his conversion from Judaism, a Presbyterian minister. He was one of the first Americans to work on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He is the son of the writer David Freedman. He died of a heart ailment.

Starr King School for the Ministry is a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Oakland, California. The seminary was formed in 1904 to educate leaders for the growing number of progressive religious communities in the western part of the US. The school emphasizes the practical skills of religious leadership. Today, it educates Unitarian Universalist ministers, religious educators, and spiritual activists, as well as progressive religious leaders from a variety of traditions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, earth-centered traditions, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology</span> Catholic seminary in Berkeley, California

The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) is a Catholic graduate school in Berkeley, California. It is a member of the interfaith Graduate Theological Union (GTU) and an affiliate of the University of California Berkeley. DSPT is sponsored by the Dominican Order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora Lamson Hewlett Library</span> Central library of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California

The Flora Lamson Hewlett Library is the central library of the Graduate Theological Union. Located on the summit of the "Holy Hill" area of Berkeley, California, its collections comprise one of the largest collections of theological works in the United States, with over 500,000 volumes as of 2014. The library's collections are open to the public. Borrower privileges are accessible not only to students and faculty of the GTU's consortial seminaries and affiliated centers, but also to the faculty and students of the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and American Theological Library Association institutions participating in Reciprocal Borrowing. The Hewlett Library also maintains a branch on the campus of San Francisco Theological Seminary at San Anselmo. It also has storage facilities on the campus of the American Baptist Seminary of the West and at Santa Clara University.

SFTS may refer to:

Bruce Reyes-Chow is a teaching elder (minister) of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New College Berkeley</span> Christian college in Berkeley, California, U.S.

New College Berkeley is an Gospel-centered, ecumenical graduate school of Christian studies and spiritual formation. It is located near the campus of the University of California, Berkeley and is affiliated with the nearby Graduate Theological Union. The purpose of New College Berkeley is to provide resources to bring God's presence into the public world of work, politics, civic life and academia, as well as the private spaces of discipleship, family and friendship. All of the approximately 200 students each year are enrolled part-time in various courses, seminars and conferences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute</span> Eastern Orthodox theological institution In Berkeley, United States

The Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute (PAOI) is a member of the Graduate Theological Union, an ecumenical and interfaith consortium of nine independent seminaries and ten affiliated centers based in Berkeley, California. The institute is a unique, independent, not-for-profit teaching and research institution. The PAOI exists to educate, communicate, promote and sustain the traditions, values, teachings and culture of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It is the only independent and permanently endowed Orthodox educational center with a physical presence at a North American university.

References

  1. "San Francisco Theological Seminary | the Association of Theological Schools".
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: San Francisco Theological Seminary
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: San Francisco Theological Seminary
  4. "History". San Francisco Theological Seminary. University of Redlands. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  5. "Two become one, and stronger together". Bulldog Blog. University of Redlands. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  6. "History of the Graduate Theological Union". Graduate Theological Union. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  7. "Schools and Centers". Graduate Theological Union. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  8. "Pathways to Possibility". SFTS. SFTS at the University of Redlands. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  9. "History". San Francisco Theological Seminary. University of Redlands. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  10. "History". San Francisco Theological Seminary. University of Redlands. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  11. "History". San Francisco Theological Seminary. University of Redlands. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  12. "San Francisco seminary to close Pasadena campus". The Christian Century. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  13. Rodriguez, Adrian (27 February 2019). "San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo merges with Southern California-based University of Redlands". www.marinij.com. Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  14. "Two become one, and stronger together". Bulldog Blog. University of Redlands. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  15. "Debate over relationship between San Francisco Theological Seminary and the PC(USA) may rise at General Assembly". 9 June 2020.
  16. "PC(USA) Updates | University of Redlands". Archived from the original on 2021-09-21.
  17. "Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - San Francisco Theological Seminary reaffirmed as Presbyterian institution". 4 January 2022.
  18. "On a Covenant Between the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and San Francisco Theological Seminary—From the Committee on Theological Education". www.pc-biz.org. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  19. "Marin Campus | University of Redlands". Redlands. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  20. "Marin campus". University of Redlands. Retrieved 1 July 2019.