The Ecumenical Theological Seminary is a private

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. Founded in 1980 as the Ecumenical Theological Center, the seminary offers graduate degrees and certificates in religious studies. It is housed in a building built in 1889 to house the First Presbyterian Church; the seminary began leasing the building in 1992 and was donated the building, lands, and endowment in 2002.

History

The seminary traces it roots to the Institute for Advanced Pastoral Studies, an institution founded in 1957 to provide continuing education for Christian ministers. This institution merged with the Ecumenical Theological Center in 1980. In 1994, the center changed its name to the Ecumenical Theological Seminary and began offering an academic credential (the "Diploma in Christian Ministry" now the "Urban Ministry Diploma Program"). Three years later, the seminary began the process of gaining accreditation from the

Association of Theological Schools The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The as ...

. In 2002, after allowing the seminary to lease the former First Presbyterian Church for ten years, the Presbytery of Detroit gave the seminary the building, its grounds, and it endowment.

Academics

The Ecumenical Theological Seminary awards

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

s, and certificates in religious studies and ministry. The seminary is accredited by the

Campus

The seminary occupies and owns the building and lands that were originally the First Presbyterian Church. It was built in 1889 and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, is a designated

Michigan State Historic Site The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is one of 59 state historic preservation offices established according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 that plays a role in implementing federal historic preservation policy in the ...

(1979), and a contributing property to the Brush Park Historic District.

Architecture

George D. Mason and Zachariah Rice modeled the First Presbyterian Church after

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

's Trinity Church in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. p. 110. The church, in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, is made from rough-cut red sandstone, with the floorplan in the shape of a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

. Masonry arches support a red sandstone tower with a slate roof and turrets at each corner. The stained glass windows of the church are exceptional, with many of

Tiffany glass Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1933 at the Tiffany Studios in New York City, by Louis Comfort Tiffany and a team of other designers, including Clara Driscoll, Agnes F. Northrop, an ...

. When Woodward was widened in 1936, the elaborately-carved entrance porch was moved from the Woodward façade to the Edmund Place side. A State of Michigan historical marker was placed at the site on August 26, 1980.

Gallery

File:First Presbyterian Church Detroit MI 1899.jpg, First Presbyterian Church, c. 1899 File:RRomanesqueDetroit.jpg, The church in 2004. Notice the massive rearrangement of the Woodward façade

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Churches in Detroit Churches completed in 1889 19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States Michigan State Historic Sites in Wayne County, Michigan Historic district contributing properties in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Michigan Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Presbyterian churches in Michigan Educational institutions established in 1980 Romanesque Revival church buildings in Michigan Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Michigan Sandstone churches in the United States