Founded in 1807 in Massachusetts, Andover Newton Seminary has long been known as “the school of the church” in denominations whose polity is “congregational,” meaning faith communities that are covenanted together but self-governing. Having formed an affiliation with Yale in 2017, Andover Newton Seminary is the third of three partners on the YDS Quad, with permanent affiliation established in 2023. The seminary’s mission reads: “Deeply rooted in Christian faith and radically open to what God is doing now, Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School educates inspiring leaders for faith communities.”

In some ways a distinct entity focused on preparing leaders for pastoral ministry, and in other ways fully integrated with and open to the whole YDS community, Andover Newton has its own advisory council, programs, affiliated faculty, and offices on the Quad. It funds scholarships and faculty positions directly related to its mission to educate faith leaders. Open to any students who seek to learn about ministry, Andover Newton Seminary is named among the covenant-partner seminaries of United Church of Christ and American Baptist Churches USA. All Andover Newton students are fully enrolled as YDS students.

Based on its congregational heritage of a learned clergy, where pastors bring theological perspectives to specific community contexts, a key thematic focus for all of Andover Newton’s programs is integration: connecting classroom learning with experiential learning, fostering a keen sense of connectedness among those who take part in the Andover Newton and YDS community, and broadening students’ perspectives to include cross-cultural learning and attunement to matters of social justice.

Attentive to the leadership requirements of local faith communities, whose self-governance demands organizational management skills from their clergy, Andover Newton connects students with opportunities within Yale and in the wider community to become knowledgeable and effective nonprofit professionals.