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QUICK FACTS
Founded: 1891
Denomination:
SPU is a private university founded
in 1891 by the Free Methodist Church
of North America. Students and faculty
represent more than 50 different
Christian denominations.
Accreditation:
Seattle Pacific University is fully
accredited by the Washington State
Board of Education; the Northwest
Association of Schools and Colleges;
the American Assembly of Collegiate
Schools of Business; the National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education; the Commission on Collegiate
Nursing Education; the Washington
State Nursing Care Quality Assurance
Commission; Accreditation Board
for Engineering and Technology;
and the Commission on Accreditation/Approval
for Dietetics Education of the American
Dietetics Association.
Memberships:
SPU is a member of the Christian
College Consortium; the Council
for Christian Colleges and Universities;
the Association of American Colleges;
the American Association of Colleges
for Teacher Education; and the National
Association of Schools of Music.
Facilities:
43-acre Seattle main campus; 965-acre wilderness campus on Blakely
Island in the San Juan Islands; 330-acre Camp Casey on Whidbey Island.
Enrollment:
Total enrollment–3,728
Undergraduate students–2,859
Post-Bacc students–65
Graduate Students–804
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ABOUT US
The mission of the School of Theology at Seattle
Pacific University is to educate and prepare
all our students to engage the culture as thoughtful
people. We seek to foster their intellectual,
personal and spiritual growth, and help them
master those critical skills and multi-cultural
sensitivities needed to understand Christian
faith and translate it into practices that change
the world. We are committed to theological education
of three distinct kinds:
The School stands squarely in the Methodist heritage and our courses are shaped by our commitment to the method of theological inquiry delineated by John Wesley, the founder of that tradition. According to that method, there are four sources of Christian truth that believers must consult: the Bible (which is preeminent among the four), church tradition, human reason, and their own personal experience of the Risen Christ. These sources are understood to be correlative and mutually corrective, and the adventure of theological inquiry consists precisely in listening attentively to the distinct but compatible contributions of each. It is our expectation that students who practice this method will come to an informed, confident, and deeply "owned" Christian faith.
The School of Theology serves all SPU students through courses meeting University Foundations requirements. These requirements, described elsewhere on this website, introduce students to the biblical heritage and to the distinctive doctrines and practices of various strands within the historic Christian tradition.
Undergraduate Theological Education
The School of Theology offers two majors: Educational Ministry and Christian Theology. Please note that although they share a common core of courses (a fact that facilitates double-majoring), each also includes an array of specialized courses suitable to its distinctive focus. We also offer five minors: Christian Scriptures, Educational Ministry, Youth Ministry, Christian Theology; and Global and Urban Ministry. A minor in one of these areas will enrich the Christian perspective of a student's chosen major and strengthen the connection between one's faith and one's life in the workplace, home, church, and world. All majors and minors are described in detail elsewhere on this website. Finally, we offer an International Service Certificate for those interested in living and working in multicultural settings.
In addition to classroom work, students are actively involved in a variety
of internships and volunteer ministries
on campus, in local churches, and in various
parachurch organizations. The Theological
Student Union organizes a wide array of
co-curricular programs for the spiritual
growth and vocational guidance of our majors
and minors. The School of Theology is also in the process
of developing a study abroad program that will enable students to learn how Christians
in other parts of the “global village” live, pray, and serve.
Theological Education for SPU Faculty
and Staff
The goal of a Seattle Pacific University
is that every member of the faculty and
staff have a solid working knowledge of
the Bible and be able to think theologically
about his or her academic discipline or
professional field. Toward this end, the School of Theology
faculty are involved in various interdisciplinary
conversations and provide staffing and programming
for colleagues that desire reflection on Scripture,
the Christian tradition, personal experience,
and human reason that illumine their fields.
Continuing Theological Education for Church
Leaders
The School of Theology faculty are scholars of and
for the church. Various public lectures, programs of spiritual enrichment, and profession development forums are routinely offered on the SPU campus for clergy and lay Christian workers of all denominations. Annual lecture series include the Alfred S. Palmer Lecture in Wesleyan Studies and the Paul T. Walls Lecture in Wesleyan Theology. Quarterly Church Leaders Forums are offered along with occasional Science and Religion Lectures. In addition, the School of Theology faculty members are actively involved in adult education programs at local churches throughout the Puget Sound area. Upcoming events are described in detail elsewhere on this website.
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