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THE MINISTRY OF FULLER
THE PURPOSE Fuller Theological Seminary, embracing the Schools of Theology, Psychology, and Intercultural Studies, is an evangelical, multidenominational, international and multiethnic community dedicated to the equipping of men and women for the manifold ministries of Christ and his Church. Under the authority of Scripture it seeks to fulfill its commitment to ministry through graduate education, professional development and spiritual formation. In all of its activities, including instruction, nurture, worship, service, research and publication, Fuller Theological Seminary strives for excellence in the service of Jesus Christ, under the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of the Father.
Institutional Student Learning Outcomes Fuller Theological Seminary continues to develop an academic posture of learning-centered education. We as a faculty, staff, and administration are committed to providing the highest level of educational effectiveness possible through a healthy "culture of assessment." This culture includes institution goals above and beyond accreditation standards, regular program review, and clear communication of criteria and standards to students, creating equal accountability between the student, faculty and the pedagogy. Student Learning Outcomes are articulated by each academic program and for each course. The Institutional Learning Outcomes are as follows:
The Mission Beyond The Mission Beyond the immediate purpose of the nurture and training of students for the ministries of Christ, the faculty and Board of Trustees of Fuller Theological Seminary see a further mission. In 1983, they adopted a statement entitled "The Mission Beyond The Mission," which sets forth the vision that will give further direction to the seminary’s planning and priorities. The statement is organized around five imperatives:
These imperatives form an important part of the seminary’s long-range planning process.
THEOLOGICAL STANCE
Evangelical Commitment The Fuller Theological Seminary community– trustees, faculty, staff and students–believe that Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Holy Scripture and proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit, is the only ground for a person’s reconciliation to God. The seminary assumes, then, a commitment to:
Doctrinal Perspective Doctrinally the institution stands for the fundamentals of the faith as taught in Holy Scripture and handed down by the Church. Consistent with this purpose, the faculty and trustees of the seminary acknowledge the creeds of the early church and the confessions of the Protestant communions to which they severally belong, and, among recent evangelical statements, the Lausanne Covenant (1974).
Statement Of Faith Under God, and subject to biblical authority, the faculty, administrators, and trustees of the seminary bear concerted witness to the following articles, to which they subscribe, and which they hold to be essential to their ministry. I. God has revealed himself to be the living and true God, perfect in love and righteous in all his ways; one in essence, existing eternally in the three persons of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. II. God, who discloses himself through his creation, has savingly spoken in the words and events of redemptive history. This history is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word, who is made known to us by the Holy Spirit in sacred Scripture. III. Scripture is an essential part and trustworthy record of this divine self-disclosure. All the books of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, are the written word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. They are to be interpreted according to their context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through them in living power. IV. God, by his Word and for his glory, freely created the world of nothing. He made man and woman in his own image, as the crown of creation, that they might have fellowship with him. Tempted by Satan, they rebelled against God. Being estranged from their Maker, yet responsible to him, they became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved, and, apart from grace, incapable of returning to God. V. The only Mediator between God and humankind is Christ Jesus our Lord, God’s eternal Son, who, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, fully shared and fulfilled our humanity in a life of perfect obedience. By his death in our stead, he revealed the divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, the third day he rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness. He ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, he intercedes for his people and rules as Lord over all. VI. The Holy Spirit, through the proclamation of the gospel, renews our hearts, persuading us to repent of our sins and confess Jesus as Lord. By the same Spirit we are led to trust in divine mercy, whereby we are forgiven all our sins, justified by faith alone through the merit of Christ our Savior and granted the free gift of eternal life. VII. God graciously adopts us into his family and enables us to call him Father. As we are led by the Spirit, we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping his commandments and endeavoring so to live in the world that all may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. VIII. God, by his Word and Spirit, creates the one holy catholic and apostolic church, calling sinners out of the whole human race into the fellowship of Christ’s body. By the same Word and Spirit, he guides and preserves for eternity that new, redeemed humanity, which, being formed in every culture, is spiritually one with the people of God in all ages. IX. The church is summoned by Christ to offer acceptable worship to God and to serve him by preaching the gospel and making disciples of all nations, by tending the flock through the ministry of the word and sacraments and through daily pastoral care, by striving for social justice and by relieving human distress and need. X. God’s redemptive purpose will be consummated by the return of Christ to raise the dead, to judge all people according to the deeds done in the body and to establish his glorious kingdom. The wicked shall be separated from God’s presence, but the righteous, in glorious bodies, shall live and reign with him forever. Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new.
INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENTS
Academic Freedom In the pursuit of truth before God, faculty members are free to express, in their writing, speaking, teaching, and activities, their individual positions. While free to develop, change, and accept any academic position, the unique task of the institution requires that the ultimate positions of faculty members not be at variance with the basic theological stance of the community as set forth in the Statement of Faith and other official statements derived from it and approved by vote of the faculty and board. Fuller recognizes that as its faculty members pursue their respective disciplines, scholarship will create a healthy and dynamic tension which Fuller must encourage. Therefore: Faculty members are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results within their fields of academic competence. Faculty members are entitled to freedom in their classrooms to address matters within the general subject area implied by the course title and description. Faculty members are free as individuals and as citizens to speak and write about matters, whether or not the matters are directly related to theology. While Fuller will not limit individual expression in any respect, faculty members should avoid the impression that they are speaking for the seminary. Faculty members have the freedom to entertain positions which stand in an uncertain relationship to our community’s Statement of Faith, but each member must realize that the faculty as a whole, and not its individual faculty members, has the task of interpreting the Statement of Faith. If the community finds that a given position is consonant with the Statement of Faith, the community has a responsibility to protect the academic freedom of the individuals involved against any attacks from the public or from some segment of the seminary constituency. If a faculty member believes that a peer has separated from the theological community at Fuller by publicly advocating a position clearly at variance with the Statement of Faith and Fuller’s unique academic task, the faculty member should first approach that colleague directly and privately for clarification. If this attempt is not successful, then the two faculty members should request the aid of their dean(s) within the community to attempt such clarification. If after faculty discussion a faculty member remains convinced that a position is correct, even though it is at variance with Fuller’s theological stance, that member has the right to attempt to change the Statement of Faith. The process of change must follow the procedures established for that purpose in the seminary’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. If attempts for such changes do not receive the community’s support, however, Fuller expects that a faculty member will act with integrity and leave the community rather than act in opposition to the community’s confessional stance. Any faculty colleague, however, does have the right to a full hearing and investigation by the Board of Trustees, according to the procedures stated in the seminary’s bylaws and Faculty Handbook, with the understanding that the outcome of such a process may still require a severance of the relationship for the sake and interest of both parties. Students are not required to subscribe to the Statement of Faith and are free to learn and to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in the Fuller community. In their public expressions students and student organizations should make clear that they speak only for themselves. Faculty members are responsible for safeguarding the academic freedom of their students to learn by encouraging free inquiry into controversial issues, presenting alternative viewpoints, refraining from undue influence of the process of learning, taking dissenting student opinion seriously, and offering a forum for discussion.
Inclusive Education Fuller Theological Seminary is committed to the admission and education of students without discrimination on the basis of gender. In welcoming women into all of its programs, the seminary thereby incurs an obligation to make all of its resources available to them as they pursue the professions and ministries–ordained or nonordained–to which the Lord has called them. The Fuller community is aware of the fact that the role of women is a matter of controversy in many denominations, churches, and parachurch movements. The seminary seeks to nurture its ties with the whole Body of Christ, including those Christian individuals and groups who presently hold alternative views on the role and ministries of women. While the seminary encourages discussion and study of this issue, under no conditions may the authority of the classroom be used to challenge the calling of any student on the basis of gender. The seminary expects all who teach in its programs to honor its commitment to this point.
Nondiscriminatory Language The Joint Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary has adopted the following statement recommending the use of nondiscriminatory language by all members of the seminary community. Fuller has adopted the statement to be consistent with the seminary’s clear commitment to the full equality of women and men and to the training of women as equal partners with men for all areas of Christian ministry. "As members of the Joint Faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary, we are committed to the use of nondiscriminatory language in all areas of the community’s life. We recognize that many women and men no longer find ‘man,’ ‘men,’ and ‘mankind’ acceptable as generic terms. We understand that such exclusive language, though once normative in our speaking and writing, now tends increasingly to alienate a substantial group of people. We wish to challenge patterns of language that may be doing harm even when harm is inflicted unconsciously and without intention. As Christians desiring to support human equality, we intend to avoid exclusive language which might express or encourage discrimination within the church or society. We pledge ourselves as faculty and encourage students, staff members, and administrators to use language which includes women and men in all our teaching, writing, witness, and worship."
Racial Justice and Intercultural Life Fuller is committed to the love that embraces cultural diversity and counters racial injustice. We recognize the equality of people of all races and nations, and we seek to learn from the diverse heritages, cultures, and histories of all who make up the community at Fuller. We commit ourselves in classrooms and elsewhere to initiatives to root out visible and invisible forms of racism in seminary, church, and society. Abolishing racism is the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, through the church, and in the world. We commit ourselves to be participants in this transforming work. Racism is a complex phenomenon that is not accurately understood if limited to individual prejudice: we all participate in racism because we are part of power structures, cultures, and habitual practices, insensitivities, and ignorance of others that intentionally and unintentionally perpetuate racist attitudes and behavior. Racism does great damage to the souls of both minorities and majorities, and to our faithfulness to Jesus Christ. It causes resentment and despair on the one hand; arrogance and insensitivity on the other. It causes the breakdown of community; results in alienation, disunity and segregation; and undermines witness to Jesus Christ. Overcoming racism can be conceptualized as a four-stage process: commitment to overcoming racism, confession of sorrow for participation in individual and structural racism, concrete initiatives, and celebration of new discipleship in Christ. It is not simply remorse; it is the joy of becoming participants in Christ who overcomes divisions (Ephesians 2). Overcoming racism is an essential part of God's mission for individuals who follow Jesus Christ and for Christian congregations. Our Christian faith requires all of us to commit ourselves to respect the equal dignity of all human beings and to seek racial justice. Our belief in God's creation of humankind in God's own image (Gen 1:27) and of our essential unity (Acts 17:24-26) does not allow any racial discrimination. The doctrines of general revelation and common grace should lead us to appreciate the elements of truth, goodness and beauty in other cultures as much as in our own, although they appear distorted through human sin in theirs as well as in our own. The great affirmation of salvation by God's grace alone and through faith alone negates any boasting or any sense of superiority of any racial group as well as that of any individual (Rom 3:21- 30; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Gal 3:28; Col 3:11). The love command of the Lord Jesus (Mk 12:30- 31) even for our enemies (Mt 5:44) or members of an enemy nation (Lk 10:25-37), and his particular stress on helping the weak and the oppressed, must constantly remind us that a test of our discipleship lies in our conscious efforts to come to the aid of the victims of racial discrimination. Many exhortations in the New Testament epistles concerning forces that divide us (Gal 3:26-28, Eph 2:14) are relevant to the need for congregations and other Christian organizations to specifically model the diversity and mutuality of the reign of God. We must uphold the eschatological vision of the church composed of the ransomed from "every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Rev 5:10) and celebrate its proleptic realization in our Fuller community today. For this we must "hunger and thirst for justice" (Mt 5:6), be willing to sacrifice our privileges for the racially disadvantaged, and work for reconciliation and peace. Thus our communal life of racial justice and harmony should be an authentication of the gospel that we preach to the world suffering from racial strife. The commitment of Christians and churches to avoid conformity with the world (Rom 12:1- 2) and to admonish and encourage each other (Col 3:15-17) implies gratitude for the gifts of God the Father in each other's cultures, mutual correction of the sin of racism in our cultures, and rejection of elements of any culture that work against the gospel. Fuller's urban, multicultural settings, and our diverse student body, provide a unique opportunity. We are surrounded by churches of nearly every national and ethnic heritage. There is no majority ethnic group among the students we serve. Together with these churches, students, and our own increasingly diverse faculty, we need to become a learning community, receptive to and embracing that diversity. We are called as an institution and as a faculty to provide academic and professional programs appropriate for the increasingly diverse world of the 21st century where our future ministries will unfold. Fuller has a seminary-wide commitment to the authority of the Bible for all of our daily living, for our whole life. We have a commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord over all the powers and authorities and over all our lives. We have the gift of gratitude for the presence of the Holy Spirit, who calls all to repentance and overcomes the dividedness of humankind into many languages by giving us the ability to engage in dialogue with one another (Acts 2). These are precious gifts from God. We treasure them, and are committed to using them that God's will may be done here. We pray we will not be found wanting. We all need a critical theology of racial justice. Many of us come from heritages formed in relatively homogeneous racial communities. Therefore we often interpret differences in terms of the narratives of our own experiences rather than the narratives of other communities with their own struggles, their own joys and ways of celebrating, their sources of defeat and despair, their experiences of oppression, their victories over obstacles, and their ways of forgiving. The depth of racism in our societies and its insidious effects on all of us is not easy to understand: all of us are sinners, and part of sin is hiding the truth even from ourselves. Our evangelical heritage has often focused on individual sins and overlooked the powers and authorities, the customs and ideologies that function in sinful, racist ways. This same heritage, however, gives us a powerful message of the gospel of forgiveness, confession, repentance, and new life in Christ. Many who come to Fuller have diverse family narratives that include pride of overcoming and accomplishment; and that may include repressed guilt or shame. Our own diverse ethnic heritages can sensitize us, or blind us, to the systemic, debilitating destruction of the soul that is the heritage of segregation, of discrimination in jobs and pay, and of policies that have taught the victims of racism to abandon hope. We confess that we seldom appreciate others who persevere against odds, persist in struggle, drive for education, and sacrifice so others can experience something better. We give thanks that Christian commitment, warmth, friendliness, a sense of community, and a forgiving spirit have empowered many to survive spiritually and to support cross-cultural community in spite of discrimination. The worldwide church is profoundly diverse. Fuller cherishes its intercultural life and its mission to the worldwide church. As we celebrate new expressions of intercultural life, we also know that we will be challenged by our own flaws, limits and sins. Let us commit ourselves to our mission to and with those around us. Let the gospel be unhindered by our theology, our ethics, and our practices. As a seminary community we will endeavor to:
As a faculty we will endeavor to:
As administrators/managers and staff members we will endeavor to:
INSTITUTIONAL GOALS
Fuller Theological Seminary’s unique contribution to the church is reflected in the union of its three faculties. In this union, psychology and intercultural studies join with theology to effect the biblical mandate of bringing persons throughout the world to maturity in Christ through every language and culture. As an educational arm of the church, Fuller’s three graduate schools seek to serve the body of Christ in its worldwide ministry, combining these emphases in the type of training they provide.
Academic Excellence The trustees and faculty of Fuller are committed to achieving and maintaining the highest academic standards in teaching, research and writing. In the quest for academic quality, we assume that there will exist:
Professional Competence Fuller Seminary is committed to an academically and professionally qualified faculty whose appointments and advancements are dependent upon potential and acknowledged competence in teaching, writing and professional practice. These standards assume:
Multidenominational Breadth The trustees and faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary are pledged to serve the entire church of Jesus Christ in its various expressions whether congregational, denominational or multidenom-inational. While maintaining a multideno-minational structure, Fuller encourages its students to work within existing church organizations. In reflecting this approach, Fuller Seminary assumes the following:
Vocational Diversity In order to meet the demands of the church today, the trustees and faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary take seriously the apostolic description of the church’s nature–one body, many members. For this reason, the programs of the three schools and the continuing education programs are designed to provide training for a wide range of Christian service. This attitude toward diversity assumes the following:
Personal Maturity The trustees and faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary believe that the church of Christ must minister to the whole person. Emotional healing in Christian perspective is the particular goal of the School of Psychology, but the aim is shared by the two other faculties as well. The ultimate objective is that every Fuller graduate be equipped to model as well as foster in others a personal maturity which is demonstrated by loving service to others and responsible Christian discipleship. In developing and nurturing spiritual and emotional maturity, we assume there will exist:
Social Concern The trustees and faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary have a deep-seated concern to demonstrate and to evoke a quality of discipleship which applies the biblical norms of love and justice in all human relationships. This regard for social justice assumes that the following will be evident:
Ethnic and Racial Diversity Fuller reflects the multiethnic and cultural richness of the body of Christ. Through its setting in Southern California and its international student constituency, Fuller Seminary is faced with the challenges and opportunities of multicultural ministry in a badly divided and broken world. This situation assumes for a theological seminary that:
Local and International Perspective The Fuller Seminary community is dedicated to the task of proclaiming the gospel both in its local setting in Pasadena and throughout the world. This commitment assumes that there exists:
Interdisciplinary Endeavor The faculty of Fuller is committed to an integration of ideas, research and programming in the areas of theology, missiology and psychology. The faculty assumes that there will be:
Responsible Stewardship The Fuller community is committed to a responsible stewardship of its intraorganizational processes, facilities and financial resources. This assumes that there will be:
The Distinctives of Each School In addition to sharing in and contributing to these characteristics, each school has its own distinctives which describe the specific nature of its ministry: School of Theology
School of Psychology
School of Intercultural Studies Equipping servant leaders who serve as international church leaders, midcareer professionals, and emerging intercultural workers, thus furthering their development in commitment and competence to relevant areas of service, research, and communication concerning the purpose of God, with special emphasis on:
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