Faith &

Intellect

Ministerial Studies at

Yale divinity school

Faith &
Intellect
Preparing Leaders for Church and World

Thank you for your interest in Ministerial

Studies at Yale Divinity School.
In these pages you will find a quick,
colorful guide to the school’s focused
approach to readying students for a
Christian calling.
Behind these words stand our
dedicated staff. We are committed
to helping each prospective student
fully understand what Yale Divinity
School offers.
The YDS Office of Admissions

Yale divinity school

Yale
Divinity
School “
is a remarkable place to prepare for a My time at YDS
life of Christian ministry. A graduate was like a walk
theological school within a world-class through the en-
research university, YDS is both a chanted forest...
rigorous academic institution and an Nothing was as
ecumenical community of faith, I expected, and
brought together in service to church nothing stayed
and world. the same. In this
First and foremost, Yale Divinity School is committed enchanted forest,
to training women and men for lay and ordained minis-
tries. That mission, coupled with the school’s ecumenical learning was
character and affiliation with a nonsectarian university, dynamic,
positions YDS uniquely in the landscape of theological challenging,
institutions.
soul-shaking,
For over 300 years, Yale has trained many of the most
effective ministers of the day, going back, for example, to
and blessed.”
18th century theologian and preacher Jonathan Edwards, Kaji Spellman ’06 M.Div.
to fiery anti-Vietnam War activist William Sloane Coffin, Jr., United Church of Christ
to well-known figures in the contemporary pulpit such Associate Pastor, Saint
as Nancy Taylor of Old South Church (UCC) in Boston, Peter’s Lutheran Church,
New York City
Bishop John Chane of the Episcopal Diocese of Washing-
ton, author Barbara Brown Taylor, Scott Black Johnston
of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in New
York, Bishop William Willimon of the North Alabama
Conference of the United Methodist Church, Peter Marty
of St. Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Davenport, IA,
and Dwight Andrews of First Congregational United
Church of Christ in Atlanta.

At Yale Divinity School, students have an opportunity to

study with some of the world’s finest scholars in theology,
sacred scripture, history of Christianity, and ethics, and
also with outstanding practitioners in homiletics, pastoral
care, Christian education and other ministerial arts. In
most cases, students are able to fulfill polity requirements
of their own denominations. Beyond campus life, New
Haven boasts many vibrant faith communities, and students
are encouraged to participate fully in these congregations
during their years at YDS.

Divinity students are also encouraged to make use of

the wider University’s rich academic resources by taking
courses in the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences,
or in other Yale professional schools including Law,
Forestry & Environmental Studies, Management, Public
Health, and Nursing. In keeping with the University-
wide focus on globalization, the Divinity School offers
exchange programs with universities in Great Britain,
Germany, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
The YDS ministry program supports a robust field edu-
cation component that allows students to develop skills
and understandings for professional ministry that cannot
be learned in the classroom alone. Field education experi-
ences are offered in a wide range of settings from urban,
suburban and rural parishes to hospital and school
chaplaincies and social service agencies where the focus
is on the homeless, women and children, environmental
issues, and interfaith dialogue. In addition to working
on site, students meet in small theological reflection
groups with a supervisor to discuss their ministry experi-
ences. Greater New Haven is a challenging and rewarding
location for the practice of ministry, with its rich tapestry
of ethnicities, faith traditions, socio-economic backgrounds,
and educational preparedness.

The ecumenical character of YDS—coupled with the

growing range of racial, cultural and social associations
on campus—nurtures students within their own tradi-
tions and at the same time enhances their understanding
of other traditions. Daily morning worship in Marquand
Chapel—a time when no classes are scheduled—provides
an ecumenical experience, while denominational wor-
ship services such as Episcopal Eucharist and Morning
Prayer, Lutheran Vespers, Roman Catholic Mass and a
variety of worship opportunities in the Reformed tradi-
tions provide the space for spiritual growth in one’s own
faith. Whether in an ecumenical or denominational set-
ting, numerous worship opportunities exist for students
“
Our task here at
Divinity School
is to be open, to
allow ourselves
to be challenged
and surprised,
to love God
fiercely, but not
blindly, and to
walk together on
sacred ground.”
Greta Getlein ’09 M.Div.
Episcopal Church
Curate, Christ Church,
New Haven, CT
“
YDS has done
a powerful job
of shaking up
my beliefs, of
opening my
heart, of chal-
lenging my
mind, of inspir-
to hone the preaching skills they have learned in YDS’s
ing me to step stimulating homiletics program or to carry out other
out onto a new liturgical functions.
stage to perform In addition to the formal worship services, diverse
the work of spiritual programs are available to students—for
example, individual spiritual direction, faith formation
ministry.” groups, Bible study, and lectio divina.
Katherine Stanford The growing range of racial, social, and cultural associa-
’08 M.Div.
tions on campus has also greatly enriched the learning
Presbyterian Church, USA
Youth Minister,
and spiritual experience. This diversity has spawned
Presbyterian Church such student groups as the Yale Black Seminarians,
of Mt. Kisco, NY The Coalition (Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Bisexual, and
Transgendered), the Yale Divinity Korean Association,
the Yale Divinity Latino/a Association, and the
Evangelical Fellowship.
 “
YDS has opened
many unexpected
opportunities for
service through-
out my life. I am
deeply grateful
for the privilege
to fulfill a dream
Although many students arrive at YDS with a defini-
tive vocational path, others come in search of clarity and
and prepare for
to explore the myriad possibilities of ordained and lay service in God’s
ministry. To assist in the vocational discernment process, world.”
all Master of Divinity degree candidates are mentored by
a faculty advisor and by an assistant dean for assessment Frederick H. Talbot ’57 M.Div.
and ministerial studies. African Methodist
Episcopal
YDS students prepare for ministry in a globalized world, Retired Bishop
where ongoing conversation with those beyond one’s
own faith communities is ever more important. YDS stu-
dents have the opportunity to encounter Christian tradi-
tions that may be new to them, as well as non-Christian
religions. This exposure to diverse intellectual and faith
perspectives is one of the greatest gifts of a Yale Divinity
School education.

Come join us on the journey! We welcome your inquiries

and invite you to visit our unique community.
 “
Worshiping in
Marquand was
enriching and
fulfilling at YDS.
I did not know
then how forma-
Denominations tive it would be.
It has forced me
ba p t i s t
Yale Divinity School’s Baptist students, in all their geographic and to be creative and
denominational diversity, thrive on the Sterling Divinity Quadrangle.
Many Baptist groups are represented at YDS, including American exposed me to
Baptist Churches USA, United Free Will Baptist Church, The
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and the Southern Baptist Convention.
other sensitivities
Academically, a course in Baptist polity and history is offered each fall
semester. The course, appropriate for all Baptist students, is designed
in planning
for ordination-bound Master of Divinity students in their third year liturgy.”
and is taught by a representative of the American Baptist Churches.
Several members of the faculty and administration who are Baptists
offer guidance for students in the processes of ordination and vocational Angela Batie ’07 M.Div.
discernment. The Baptist Student Fellowship is a social, educational, Roman Catholic
and support group for students. Churches in the greater New Haven Campus Minister,
area represent the diversity of Baptist denominations present among Saint Louis University
Yale Divinity School students. These churches provide opportunities for
worship, service, fellowship, and training.
hi s t o ric bl ack churches
At any given time, there is significant representation by Black students
at Yale Divinity School, some of whom come from the historic African
American churches such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church,
the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the National Baptist Con-
ventions, and United Free Will Baptist. The Black student presence,
along with a strong core group of African American faculty members,
contributes greatly to the diverse faith traditions at YDS and to the
mutual sharing of worship styles and theological insight that contribute
to the rich fabric of spiritual life on Sterling Divinity Quadrangle. The
Yale Black Seminarians, a standing “constituency group” recognized by
YDS’s Community Life Committee, has a particularly vital presence on
campus as it seeks to support sound theological education that includes
a relationship to the Black experience. Activities have included the
Martin Luther King Day Memorial Worship Service, the Angel Tree
Project at Christmas, and the Parks-King Lecture in the spring.
e p i s co pal
Berkeley Divinity School (www.yale.edu/berkeleydivinity) is a seminary
of the Episcopal Church affiliated with Yale Divinity School. It offers
Episcopal students the focus of a denominational seminary within the
breadth of a university divinity school. As members of the largest single
denominational group at YDS, Episcopalians enjoy a rich offering of
academic, spiritual and worship resources across the whole spectrum of
the Anglican tradition, with Episcopal faculty in each of the curricular
areas. In addition to the Yale M.Div. degree, students may pursue a
Diploma in Anglican Studies, which certifies their readiness upon grad-
uation to serve in the Episcopal Church or wider Anglican Communion.
The diploma requires specific foundational courses in Anglican history,
theology, spirituality and worship, as well as enrollment in the leader-
ship colloquium, daily attendance in chapel, and active participation in
the Annand Program for Spiritual Formation (including an annual class
retreat). Morning Prayer and Eucharist are celebrated daily in St. Luke’s
Chapel, located in the Berkeley Center one block from Sterling Divinity
Quadrangle. A weekly Community Eucharist forms the focus of the
school’s life. In addition, Berkeley sponsors the Educational Leadership
and Ministry Program, which prepares students of all denominations
for vocations in schools and colleges.
lutheran
The comprehensive and vibrant Lutheran Studies Program at Yale
Divinity School assures Lutheran Master of Divinity students a nurtur-
ing and highly relevant experience over the course of their stay in New
Haven. On the academic side, aside from specific courses covering Lu-
theran subjects, the school offers a series of colloquia on call, vocation,
ordination and the practice of ministry in the Lutheran tradition. Each
spring a visiting professor of Lutheran studies holds a colloquium on
practical dimensions of the ordained ministry. The visiting professor is
usually a professor at a Lutheran seminary or a retired bishop, some-
one familiar with ordination requirements in the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America. The formation program also includes regular
worship leadership. Lutherans lead Evening Prayer weekly and assist
with other services, especially regular Eucharistic services. To fulfill the
ELCA requirement of a year’s residence at a Lutheran seminary, YDS has
established a partnership with the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Semi-
naries permitting Yale students to take up to two terms at one of the
Cluster seminaries as part of their Yale program. The Lutheran Student
Organization coordinates service and social events. Both ELCA students
and those from the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod take part in
academic, worship and social events.
methodist
Yale Divinity School offers United Methodist students all of the aca-
demic resources required to achieve ordination, as well as the liturgical
and social support needed to blossom from student to pastor. A constel-
lation of courses in history, doctrine, evangelism and polity are available
on a regular basis, with the aim of satisfying the Book of Discipline
requirements for ordination. United Methodist students also take part
fully in the life of Marquand Chapel, the daily liturgical hub of Sterling
Divinity Quadrangle. Opportunities abound for preaching, fashioning
services and implementing new dimensions of worship firmly rooted in
the Methodist tradition. Outside the classroom and the walls of Mar-
quand Chapel, Methodist students and faculty meet regularly through
the school’s Methodist Society, which provides a forum for discussion,
support, fellowship and worship.
p r e s byterian, reformed
Students preparing for ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church
(USA) can complete all of their ordination requirements during the
course of M.Div. study at YDS and graduate fully prepared for ordi-
“
Yale Divinity
does more than
nation and for service within the church and beyond. Presbyterian lead you in
students can sit for all ordination exams at YDS. Those preparing
for ordination in the Reformed Church in America and the Christian good paths.
Reformed Church normally register for a course of summer study at a
Reformed Church seminary, which combined with a Yale M.Div. degree The place also
serves to complete the ordination requirements. In addition to providing
all of the necessary academic preparation, YDS offers a Reformed Stud-
fosters initiative.
ies certificate program that recognizes a course of study in the theologi- I learned at Yale
cal and historical traditions as well as the acquisition of skills for leading
worship and preaching. The Reformed Studies program offers the Divinity School
opportunity, beyond classroom work, for students to discuss and debate
issues facing Christians in the modern world. The program is entirely what leadership
voluntary, open to all YDS students, and not for credit. Members of the
Presbyterian and Reformed Fellowship also gather over regular lun- in the Church
cheon meetings, building strong connections with one another.
means.”
ro m a n catholic
Roman Catholic students at Yale Divinity School represent the second-
Peter Marty ’85 M.Div.
largest concentration of any single denomination on Sterling Divinity
Quadrangle. Although no formal programs for priestly formation cur- Evangelical Lutheran
rently exist at YDS, many Catholic students are enrolled in the Master of Church in America
Divinity program, preparing for lay ministry and leadership positions in Senior Pastor, St. Paul
the Catholic Church. Course offerings at YDS, ranging from “Catholic Lutheran Church,
Liturgy, Dogma and Devotion” to “Roman Catholic Ecclesiology,” give Davenport, IA
Catholic students a solid grounding in their church’s history and a sense
of its current challenges. YDS professors and visiting faculty who are
active Roman Catholics provide a rich intellectual resource as well. Out-
side the classroom, Catholic students and faculty gather weekly for Mass
on the YDS campus, followed by refreshments and socializing. Once
a month, the liturgy is followed by a dinner and a lecture offered by a
Catholic individual involved in academic, ecclesial, or ministerial work.
Opportunities for supervised ministry and formation experience are also
available through the St. Thomas More Catholic Chaplaincy.
united church of christ, disciples of christ
Preparation for ministry in the Congregational tradition goes back to
the very origins of Yale University. Today, Yale Divinity School dili-
gently upholds that proud legacy, providing comprehensive academic,
pastoral and social resources for students preparing for ordination in
the UCC or DOC. Students in these traditions can complete all of their
ordination requirements during the course of M.Div. study at YDS and
graduate fully prepared for ordination and for service within the church
and beyond. Alongside Presbyterian and Reformed students, UCC and
Disciples students can participate in the voluntary Reformed Studies
certificate program that validates student preparedness in the Reformed
theological and historical traditions, as well as skills in preaching and
printed on recycled paper

leading worship. Beyond the classroom experience, participants in the

Reformed Studies colloquia have opportunities to informally examine
together issues facing Christians in the 21st century. Members of the
United Church of Christ/Disciples of Christ Student Fellowship also
gather over regular luncheon meetings, dinner socials, and weekly wor-
ship, building strong connections with one another.
Yale divinity school

A Day in the Life

Like just about every other

day at Yale Divinity School,
Thursday, March 26, 2009 was
filled with engaging activities,
each representing in its own
way the convergence of faith
and intellect that lies at the
heart of ministerial formation
at the Divinity School. For any
YDS student pursuing a career
in Christian ministry, this day,
like countless others, was a
blessing.

The day starts at 7:30 am with

Episcopal Morning Prayer and
Eucharist at Berkeley Center.
At 10:30 am community wor-
ship begins, as it does every
weekday, in Marquand Chapel,
which is filled with worshipers
celebrating the life of martyred
Archbishop Oscar Romero.
Then, at noon, Cardinal Walter
Kasper, chair of the Vatican’s
Pontifical Council for Promot-
ing Christian Unity, engages in
a lively conversation with stu- campus and the upcoming differences between John
dents in the Common Room. visit by Fletcher Harper, ex- Wesley and George Whitefield
ecutive director of Greenfaith. shaped evangelicalism.
Fast forward to 12:30 pm. Elsewhere on Sterling Divinity
United Church of Christ and At 4:30 pm, novelist Marilynne
Quadrangle, two other sessions
Disciples of Christ students Robinson, author of the Pulitzer
are going on simultaneously:
gather for a lunchtime conver- Anne Howard, executive direc- Prize-winning novel Gilead, is
sation with the Rev. Robert giving a talk on Yale’s central
tor of the Beatitudes Society,
Welsh, the top Disciples of campus on the topic, “The
hosts a brown bag lunch to
Christ ecumenical official. Strange History of Altruism,”
talk about the challenges of
Meanwhile, ecologically mind- peace and justice work, and under auspices of the famed
ed students meet to talk about the Evangelical Fellowship is Terry Lecture series, which
sustainability on the YDS YDS helps organize every year.
meeting to hear how the
Yale divinity school

A Day in the Life

At 5:30 pm a Beatitudes Society

dinner begins just before the
Disciples of Christ/United
Church of Christ Student
Fellowship reconvenes for wor-
ship in Nouwen Chapel.

But there is much more.

Woven into this rich fabric of
fellowship and discourse are
the academic courses that fuel
the intellectual engagement
that spills out of classrooms
into every nook and cranny of
Sterling Divinity Quadrangle.

Willis Jenkins is teaching a

course in environmental ethics.
Moral philosopher Gene Outka
is discoursing on “Theories of
Love.” Tom Troeger is holding
forth on the “New Homi-
letic,” while Marvin McMickle
teaches “Preaching in the Black
Tradition.” Kristen Leslie of-
fers “Introduction to Pastoral
Care,” and future preachers
with a literary bent are in with
Peter Hawkins as he rhapso-
dizes on “Dante’s Journey to
God.” Susan Olson is holding a
classroom session for students
doing field work in churches
and non-profits involved in
social change. A course with
the intriguing title “The Wor-
ship Mall” is taught by Bryan
Spinks, and Christopher Beeley
discourses on “History and
Anglican Theology.” Adela
Collins is unpacking the of God: Freedom and Com-
hermeneutics of the historical munion as Basic Concepts of
Jesus, and Sallama Shaker is Theology.” No one has done
exploring “Religious Dimen- everything on this day. But the
sions of the Peace Process.” process of ministerial forma-
tion, in its various manifes-
For those with energy left,
tations, has been moving
7:30 pm is the time for a
forward, just as it does every
lecture and reception at the
day at Yale Divinity School.
university’s St. Thomas More
Catholic center, featuring an
address by Cardinal Kasper on
“The Timeliness of Speaking
Contact Us
Yale Divinity School
Admissions Office
409 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511-2167

Admissions Office Phone: (203) 432-5360

Financial Aid Office Phone: (203) 432-5026
Email: ydsadmsn@yale.edu
www.yale.edu/divinity
Yale Divinity School
Admissions Office
409 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511-2167

(203) 432-5360
www.yale.edu/divinity