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Fuller Theological Seminary is committed to meeting the needs of churches and of those who seek to serve them. In the School of Theology, a number of special institutes, programs and cooperative relationships have been developed which seek to make the resources of theological education available to those engaged in work and ministry, and to gather educational resources to focus on specific needs of churches and of those preparing for specialized ministries.
To accomplish this, these various special and cooperative programs:
- Employ alternate systems for the delivery of education, such as extension classes, convocations, seminars, symposiums and workshops;
- Join theology with other disciplines to address specific areas of ministry, such as cross-cultural ministries and marriage and family ministries;
- Utilize the professional expertise of parachurch ministries, such as Gospel Ministries for the Deaf;
- Make nondegree study available to those involved in ministry.
The histories, philosophies, aims and general curricula of these programs are described below. Specific information on degrees or concentrations offered through these programs may be found under the respective degree program sections.
Family Life Education
The erosion of marriage and family life is of great concern to the church and the community at large. Response to this national crisis has largely been through therapy for victims, while procedures for assisting healthy families have often been deferred. In order to reinforce and assist the church in its ministry to and for the family, Fuller Theological Seminary is offering training in family life education through the combined resources of the School of Theology and the marriage and family therapy division of the Graduate School of Psychology. The objectives of this concentration are:
- To provide Christian leaders to work in and through the church in response to the needs in marriage and family life;
- To equip those leaders with theological, psychological, sociological and educational knowledge regarding the educational ministries of the church;
- To provide those leaders with viable preventative strategies for the support of healthy families;
- To assist those leaders in the identification and referral process for unhealthy families.
A concentration in family life education is available in both the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Theology degree programs of the School of Theology.
Cross-Cultural Studies Program
The Cross-Cultural Studies Program of the School of World Mission exists to prepare men and women for ministry in cross-cultural situations. This program provides a foundation for involvement in mission through biblical, historical and theological studies as well as through the social and behavioral sciences. A curriculum in cross-cultural studies has been designed for the Master of Divinity degree program in the School of Theology, and a Master of Arts in Cross-Cultural Studies may be pursued in the School of World Mission. Combining the resources of the School of Theology and the School of World Mission, the cross-cultural studies program provides preparation for:
- Future missionaries;
- Men and women who plan to accept short-term missionary assignments and continue afterward in church ministry;
- Persons who do not plan to go overseas but are highly committed to the missionary task and want the mission component as a part of their preparation;
- People in a variety of professions who hope to share their faith cross-culturally;
- Those who anticipate ministries in the United States among ethnic groups different from their own.
Faculty, academic advisors and the director of the Cross-Cultural Studies Program will help tailor the program to individual goals for ministry and to the specific geographic area of service.
Theological Studies Programs for African-American and Hispanic Ministers
The Theological Studies Programs for African-American and Hispanic Ministers combine theological and pastoral studies designed to assist women and men in their ministry in the African-American and Hispanic communities. These programs are open to qualified persons who do not have a baccalaureate degree but have significant involvement in the church's ministry for ten or more years and are at least 31 years of age (35 years of age for the African-American Ministers Program).
Entrance into either program is coordinated by the program director and staff and an advisory committee. Upon recommendation by this committee, the applicant may be accepted as a special non-degree student. Admission to the African-American Ministers Program is only considered in the Fall and Spring Quarters. Deadlines for applications may be found in the second section of this catalog.
El Programa de Estudios Teológicos para ministros hispanos ha sido diseñado para fortalecer y animar en su preparación teológica a cristianos maduros ya comprometidos en alguna fase significante del ministerio. Es un programa de educación continua para personas cuyos dones y llamamiento han sido comprobados por la iglesia, pero que no han completado un programa universitario.
Los solicitantes a este programa tendrán una entrevista personal con miembros del Comité Asesor Hispano. Este comite consiste de líderes hispanos de esta región, invitados por el Presidente Richard Mouw para aprobar solicitudes de admisión. Bajo la recomendación de este comité, el solicitante será aceptado como estudiante especial. Cuando este haya completado 48 unidades de crédito (o sea 12 cursos), recibirá un certificado de estudios.
Los cursos en el plan de estudios utilizan miembros de la facultad residente, y también líderes eclesiásticos de áreas locales, nacionales, e internacionales de la obra hispana. Los cursos se ofrecen en español e inglés, con énfasis en los aspectos bilingües y biculturales. El programa de estudios se divide igualmente entre cursos de Bíblia y teología, y cursos orientados hacia las necesidades y hacia los recursos específicos del ministerio, de la iglesia y de las comunidades hispanas.
Center for Deaf Ministries
Gospel Ministries for the Deaf has established a Center for Deaf Ministries on the campus of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena for the purpose of assisting Deaf students and those planning to minister with the Deaf in their pursuit of theological education. With the assistance of the center, Fuller's School of Theology offers the Master of Arts in Theology by means of a cohort group model, wherein students enter together and take a specific set of courses together. This new program consists of designated master's-level core courses and a concentration of special courses in Deaf ministry. It is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study.
The outreach profile of Gospel Ministries for the Deaf includes three purposes:
- Evangelism: to use all means available to win the Deaf to faith in Jesus Christ;
- Christian growth: to strengthen groups of Deaf people meeting for worship, Bible study, and fellowship;
- Leadership training: to develop spiritual leaders, both Deaf and hearing, who are knowledgeable in the art of teaching the Deaf and reaching them for Jesus Christ through programs in cooperation with churches, existing institutions of higher education, mission schools for the Deaf, and other organizations serving the Deaf.
Fuller After Five
A comprehensive evening program is offered on the Pasadena campus. Master's-level courses in all core areas are scheduled after five p.m. on a two-year rotation plan. Occasionally, Saturday morning courses are also made available on campus.
In most cases, by attending as few as two evening courses per quarter, the Master of Arts in Christian Leadership degree can be earned in 3-4 years, the Master of Arts in Theology degree can be earned in 4-5 years, the Master of Divinity degree in 5-6 years, or a Certificate of Graduate Studies in two years. Degree programs can be accelerated by including summer courses and/or two week intensives.
Further information may be obtained from the School of Theology academic advising office.
Fuller Theological Seminary Extended Education seeks to serve local churches by providing opportunities for theological education for ministry within a local church context. Extended Education seeks to provide educational experiences in off-campus, non-traditional settings which will enable students to discover, develop and improve their gifts for service and ministry within the scope of the church's overall mission. Extended Education:
- Provides theological education for the development of lay persons for leadership in ministry in the local church and community.
- Offers prospective theological students experience in church ministry and Christian community while beginning their studies and testing their callings, and
- Extends resources to pastors for the development of local church educational programs and for personal and professional enrichment.
The process of theological education for ministry in extension is implemented by going to the student, being close to the location of ministry and being close to the life and task demands of the participants.
Fuller Theological Seminary has made these resources available in several extension areas in response to the church's need for an equipped and mobilized laity. Laypersons, future pastors and pastors learn together in this program.
Curriculum. Courses offered in extension on a quarterly basis are equivalent to those offered at the Pasadena campus. Full-time faculty and local adjunct professors provide instruction. Courses are taught on weeknights or weekends in local facilities, and library resources are arranged.
Degree Programs. A student may complete all requirements for the Master of Arts in Theology degree (general program format) in several extension centers, including Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, and Orange County in Southern California, and up to 24 courses may be taken toward the Master of Divinity degree program. The Master of Arts in Christian Leadership degree is offered through Fuller's Extended Education program as well, although not all courses required for each concentration may be readily available in each extension area. The School of Theology recently inaugurated a special program which enables selected students to complete the Master of Divinity degree in its entirety in Seattle. In all locations, courses completed in extension may be applied toward an M.A. or M.Div. degree upon admission to that program.
Further information regarding the Extended Education program may be found in the Continuing and Extended Education section of this catalog.
Seattle Association for Theological Education
In 1991, Fuller Seminary joined with Regent College of Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle Pacific University, and a number of churches in the Pacific Northwest to form the Seattle Association for Theological Education (SATE). SATE exists to enable churches and theological schools in the Seattle area to maximize each other's unique strengths by working together to develop innovative, shared approaches to theological education. One of the results of this partnership is a unique new program, provisionally approved by the Association of Theological Schools, that enables selected students to complete the entire Master of Divinity program in the Seattle area. This program utilizes several distinctive formational and educational approaches, such as involving pastors and laypeople in mentoring relationships and learning support groups with the M.Div. students, and has attracted a great deal of attention as having significant potential as a new model for churches and schools to work together to provide theological education.
David du Plessis Center for Christian Spirituality
Inaugurated in 1985, the Center has for its aim the study of Christian spirituality over the broad range of ecumenical diversity. Included in such investigation are the literature, practices, institutions and movements of spirituality. These may include, for example, the mystical tradition in Eastern Orthodoxy, the role of women in spirituality, charismatic renewal and ministry, and the origins of the Pentecostal movement.
The Center was named for the renowned "Mr. Pentecost," whose ministry over a half-century bridged three significant Christian movements--ecumenical, charismatic and Pentecostal. Its first major project consists of the establishment of an archival collection of Pentecostal and charismatic resources based on the library and personal papers of David J. du Plessis, which have been permanently donated to the Seminary. Related materials from others are actively sought, and an archive now exists within the Seminary library.
The Du Plessis Center will sponsor selected courses and conferences designed to deepen the understanding of Christian spirituality as expressed in the various denominational families. Limited support for visiting research will be available to scholars seeking access to the archive.
Global Research Institute
he Global Research Institute was established at Fuller Seminary to provide
a fellowship opportunity for scholars from the Two-Thirds World. The
institute offers a place in which library resources, a quiet center for
study, and interaction with Fuller faculty members and other scholarly
colleagues enable scholars to carry out research and write texts and
monographs for their own national churches and schools. From three to five
fellowships will be available each year. International scholars who apply
for the fellowships must have completed their doctoral studies and have been
engaged in subsequent ministries for at least five years in their home
churches. The institute's director, Dr. G. Walter Hansen, and faculty
members from the Schools of Theology and World Mission will make the
selections. These fellowships are provided for six to twelve months and
include the necessary funds for travel to and from the United States. The
fellowships also cover the expences of residence at Fuller, food and
incidentals, and administrative support, including library access. A
minimum of two books each year are expected to be published through the
efforts of the institute. In addition, materials prepared by scholars may
be presented in classes and seminars.
Study in Israel
Recognizing the significance of the first-hand study of the history and geography of the Holy Land, Fuller Seminary sponsors, from time to time, a summer program of travel and study in Israel. A typical program includes four weeks of lectures and field study, with an optional additional three weeks that include work in an archaeological dig and travel in Egypt and Jordan. Elective credit (four or eight units) may be arranged. Elective credit is also available for certain courses taken at the American Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem.
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