Master of Divinity Degree Program
Andover Newton Theological School is committed to educating leaders who can foster Christian formation, faith-based leadership and congregational renewal, drawing on the resources of theological education across time and contemporary cultures. The purpose of the Master of Divinity degree is to prepare women and men for ministry in local congregations, non-profit organizations, social enterprises, chaplaincies and other specialized settings.
A new beginning.
In September 2009, Andover Newton Theological School will begin its third century of preparing leaders for the world and the church with the introduction of the new Master of Divinity degree program.
The new curriculum for the Master of Divinity degree program has been built around four areas of ministerial competence:
Interpreting READ. LISTEN. UNDERSTAND.
Spiritual formation, scriptural reading and preparation in decoding theological thinking readies students for their future roles.
Communicating SPEAK. WRITE. CREATE.
Understanding the Bible as an early form of Christian communication sets the context for acquiring the tools faith-based leaders need today to communicate through preaching, liturgy, and many forms of creativity.
Leading ENVISION. POWER. LEAD.
Developing students’ abilities to understand religious organizations from historical and theoretical perspectives accelerates their ability to develop a visionary plan for the future. Theologically-grounded visions emanate from a repertoire of learned skills and practices.
Embodying GIVE. ENGAGE. IMPACT.
Effective faith-based leadership encompasses a wide array of behaviors and habits of the heart that represent social justice, intercultural understanding, Christian ethics, and pastoral care. Our students learn to orient their lives toward making a difference by trusting their faith in God and by giving themselves away.
Decades of success teaching both the word of God and the practice of pastoral care gave our faculty ample fuel for research and reflection on the call emanating from our rapidly changing world. After two years of examination, our four competencies emerged as essential arts for ministry in changing contexts. Our dynamic faculty will continue to teach the core elements of traditional theological disciplines but in new ways and with new measures. These new ways better prepare students for reflection and practice in a world where interfaith dialog is unavoidable and change
is a constant.
Our new Master of Divinity focus will allow students:
• To become as flexible as they are grounded
• To become as open to the new, as they are committed to tradition
• To become as confident engaging those who are different, as they
are in forming and expressing their own personal convictions
• To take action!
This new curriculum is built around strong academic and applied disciplines. Theses disciplines are necessities for students and graduates to serve both today’s church and world.
Tell Me More.
If you want to prepare for your unique ministry in a place that is diverse, challenging, and where your actions speak, this is the school for you. We look forward to hearing from you.
To find out more about our Master of Divinity Graduate Program, please feel free to give us a call: 617.964.1100 x272, drop us an email: admissions@ants.edu, or visit our website: www.ants.edu.
