Mission
The mission of Perkins School of Theology is to equip persons for faithful leadership and Christian ministry in a changing church and society; to educate those seeking a deeper understanding of the Christian faith; and to strengthen the church, academy, and world through service, scholarship, and advocacy.
Context
Perkins, a community devoted to theological education and research in the service of the church of Jesus Christ, is Wesleyan by tradition, United Methodist by affiliation, inclusive of diverse Christian expressions, and welcoming of all. The oldest graduate professional school at Southern Methodist University, the School of Theology embraces its setting in the southwestern United States while seeking to make theological education accessible, through in-person, hybrid, and distance learning, to students from the region, the nation, and around the world.
Accreditation
Southern Methodist University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools commission on Colleges. Perkins School of Theology is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada,10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh PA 15275-1110, Telephone 412-788-6505, Fax 412-788-6510. The following degree programs are approved by the Commission on Accrediting: M.Div., M.A.M, M.S.M, M.T.S., Th.M., D.Min., and D.P.M.
The School of Theology has been an integral part of Southern Methodist University since the latter’s founding in 1911. It grew out of a movement led by Bishop Seth Ward of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, to establish a theological school west of the Mississippi. Dr. E.D. Mouzon, dean of the Theological Department of Southwestern University and later bishop, became its first dean in 1914. With the opening of the University in the following year, the school of theology began its work as the church’s official theological school for the region west of the Mississippi. When ownership of the University was vested in the South Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church at the Uniting Conference of 1939, the school of theology became the official theological school of that jurisdiction.
Dean Mouzon was followed by Deans Hoyt M. Dobbs (1917), Paul B. Kern (1920), James Kilgore (1926), Eugene B. Hawk (1933), Merrimon Cuninggim (1951), Joseph D. Quillian, Jr., (1960), James E. Kirby (1981), Robin W. Lovin (1994), William B. Lawrence (2002) and Craig C. Hill (2016).
Theological reflection and education for ministry are the purpose of the school. However, these imply a concern for the total development of people in the community. This concern is manifest not only in the classroom and library, but also in a wide range of activities and associations, which make up the life of the school.
Worship is a central element in the life of the school. During fall and spring terms, community worship is held on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Shorter prayer services are often held, according to a schedule that varies by the term. Community lunches are held Tuesday through Friday during the term. Common meals, celebrating holidays or highlighting special groups or themes, take place several times each year.
There are a number of student organizations and groups. Every regularly enrolled student is a member of the Perkins Student Association, which assumes responsibility for those aspects of student life and government that are not directly under the jurisdiction of the Perkins faculty. An elected PSA council governs the association. Student representatives also serve on the standing committees of the faculty. Committees of the PSA council deal with social justice, social life, ecumenical affairs, academic concerns and worship. Several active student groups are recognized and funded by the PSA council, including Black Seminarians Association, L@s Seminaristas, the Order of St. Luke, Affirming Religious Community and International Students of Perkins.
Seminary Singers is a choral group open to all Perkins students, under the leadership of the Master of Sacred Music program. The group sings in the weekly chapel services and on other occasions throughout the year.
Special programming and events for the Perkins community, as well as other groups and activities for Perkins students and their families, are organized under the leadership of the PSA council and the assistant dean of student life.
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