Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School (YDS) July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2023

 

Adopted June 8, 2018; Refreshed and Reaffirmed June 7, 2021 (Find the downloadable PDF of the newly refreshed Strategic Plan in Andover Newton’s FY21 Annual Report)

 

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.

 

By 2023 Andover Newton Seminary will be recognized as the preeminent seminary for the education of faith leaders in the (small “c”) congregational traditions.  

 

Andover Newton Seminary will send out not just outstanding graduates but also essential knowledge about the changing nature and needs of ministerial leadership, especially in locally governed faith communities. 

 

Andover Newton will continue its auspicious history of innovation and adaptation in its own work and in the curriculum it offers students. 

 

The Andover Newton community will have an inspiring impact on the whole of YDS as a model of hospitality and community-building.  

 

Education. Andover Newton’s diploma program will offer Master of Divinity Students at YDS a pathway through the degree that provides rigorous education in the profession of ministry as it is understood in the congregational tradition (local, shared governance; community and cultural engagement). Courses include colloquia with Andover Newton affiliated faculty members, experiences like Clinical Pastoral Education and supervised ministry in congregations, and the unique learning experience of studies at Yale University’s world-renowned School of Management. 

 

Most notable in the refreshed strategic plan of 2021 is overt and articulated attention to social justice ministry education. Andover Newton has a two-plus-century history of educating clergy for Gospel-driven social change leadership. Where once that emphasis could go without saying, today’s political divisions, racial unrest, and disparities of wealth and health care place new pressure on ministers to lead communities toward the creation of a world that more adequately mirrors what God imagines for it.  

 

Institution. A serious, gifted, wise board of trustees guards Andover Newton Seminary’s mission. A close and mutually supportive partnership with YDS and Yale University ensures missional alignment and institutional stability and security. A staff that includes a Dean, Associate Dean for Institutional Advancement, Director of Community Formation and Spiritual Development, and Seminary Administrator enact Andover Newton’s mission. A fleet of affiliated faculty, including two named chairs with core responsibility for curriculum and instruction, transmit Andover Newton’s educational priorities through variety of disciplines. Fellows – thriving ministers serving in the wider world – provide reality-testing for the Andover Newton curriculum and mentorship for students. Student staff members and officers both lead among peers and learn leadership through action and reflection. A multilayered fundraising program ensures that Andover Newton can carry out its mission into the indefinite future while providing scholarship support that prevents students from taking on tuition debt. 

 

Relationships. Andover Newton Seminary at YDS is and always has been a school of the church. Therefore, connections with denominations and faith communities are essential to its identity and work. Both the church and professional education are changing quickly; therefore, close contact and regular dialogue are essential for providing relevant education for students. Andover Newton has additional relationships outside its campus with alumni/ae and others who take seriously its mission to educate faith community leaders. Through robust communications, Andover Newton shares its work and learnings with the wider community transparently, engagingly, and through a variety of outlets.

 

Reputation. Andover Newton Seminary wishes its bias toward faith communities – a critical-thinking but nonetheless deep love – to be well-known. It responds to those who are cynical about the church’s future with the response: it is because we care about the church’s future that we are determined to send the best-prepared and most competent leaders into that future.  Andover Newton graduates will be sought-after candidates for a variety of leadership positions, ranging from congregations to chaplaincy positions to executive directorships, as the seminary’s reputation for leadership development will cause search committees to expect from graduates not just theological training but abilities to lead real people, in real communities. 

 

Find the downloadable PDF of the newly refreshed Strategic Plan in Andover Newton’s FY21 Annual Report.