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Perkins School of Theology is one of
Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...
's three original schools and is located in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J. and Lois Craddock Perkins of
Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...
. Degree programs include the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Sacred Music, Master of Theological Studies (MTS), Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Theology (Th.M.), Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), and Doctor of Pastoral Music as well as the Ph.D., in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. It is one of only five university-related theological institutions of the
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
, and one of the denomination's 13 seminaries, offering opportunities for interdisciplinary learning, and accredited by 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, United States. History The ATS was found ...
(ATS). There is a hybrid-extension program in Houston-Galveston.


Bridwell Library

The Bridwell Library is one of the leading theological research collections in the United States. It is named for its benefactor Joseph Sterling Bridwell, an oilman and rancher who was a neighbor of the Perkinses in Wichita Falls. The Bridwell Library houses a religious studies research collection of more than 385,000 volumes and collections of rare books, Bibles, and manuscripts.


Specialized study

Students in the M.Div., M.A.M., and M.T.S. degree programs may choose from the following areas of concentration: African American Church Studies, Anglican Studies, Church/Nonprofit Management (with SMU's Cox School of Business), Hispanic Studies, Pastoral Care, Social Innovation and Nonprofit Engagement (with SMU's Meadows School of the Arts), Urban Ministry, Women's and Gender Studies. Other programs of interest include spiritual formation and Global Theological Education.


Notable alumni/ae

*
Kathleen Baskin-Ball Kathleen Baskin-Ball (September 16, 1958 – December 2, 2008) was an American minister. She was an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. She was ordained as deacon and probationary member of the North Texas Conference in 1983 and as elder ...
*
Kirbyjon Caldwell Kirbyjon H. Caldwell is the former senior pastor of Windsor Village United Methodist Church, a 14,000-member megachurch at Windsor Village in Houston, Texas. He was a spiritual advisor to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. On March 1 ...
* Minerva G. Carcaño * Adam Hamilton (pastor) * John Wesley Hardt *
Zan Wesley Holmes Jr Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. is Pastor Emeritus of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, where he served as Senior Pastor for 28 years. Life Rev. Dr. Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. graduated cum laude from Huston–Tillotson University in A ...
* Janice Riggle Huie * Hiram "Doc" Jones * Charles R. Moore (minister) *
Bryan Stone Bryan P. Stone (born 1959) is an American theologian who became the Leighton K. Farrell Endowed Dean of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in June 2025. He was formerly the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the E. Sta ...
* Cecil Williams


Notable faculty

* Steve Long, Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics * Bruce D. Marshall, Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine * Alyce M. McKenzie, Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship * Rebekah Miles, Susanna Wesley Centennial Professor of Practical Theology and Ethics


Emeritus and deceased faculty members

* William J. Abraham, Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies * Joseph L. Allen, Yale University, Professor Emeritus of Ethics * William S. Babcock, Yale University, Professor Emeritus of Church History * Jouette M. Bassler, Yale University, Professor Emerita of New Testament * Victor Paul Furnish, Yale University, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of New Testament * John Wesley Hardt, Southern Methodist University, Bishop in Residence Emeritus * Kenneth W. Hart, University of Cincinnati, Professor Emeritus of Sacred Music * John C. Holbert, Southern Methodist University, Professor Emeritus of Homiletics * Leroy T. Howe, Yale University, Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology * James E. Kirby, Drew University, Professor Emeritus of Church History * H. Neill McFarland, Columbia University, Professor Emeritus of History of Religion * Richard D. Nelson, Union Theological Seminary, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament Interpretation * Schubert M. Ogden, University of Chicago, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theology * Klaus Penzel, Union Theological Seminary, Professor Emeritus of Church History * Edward W. Poitras, Drew University, Professor Emeritus of World Christianity * W. J. A. Power, University of Toronto, W. J. A. Power Professor Emeritus of Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament Interpretation * Marjorie Procter-Smith, University of Notre Dame, Le Van Professor Emerita of Preaching and Worship * Charles M. Wood, Yale University, Lehman Professor Emeritus of Christian Doctrine * Albert C. Outler, Yale University, Professor of Theology Emeritus


Present and former Bishops-in-Residence

* D. Max Whitfield, director of th
Center for Religious Leadership
*
William Kenneth Pope William Kenneth Pope was a bishop of The Methodist Church, elected in 1960. He was elected by the South Central Jurisdictional Conference of the Church and assigned the Arkansas Episcopal Area, encompassing the North Arkansas and Little Rock Confe ...
* John Wesley Hardt * David J. Lawson * William B. Oden *
William McFerrin Stowe William McFerrin Stowe (1913 – November 24, 1988) was a U.S. Bishop of the Methodist and United Methodist Churches, elected in 1964. Biography Early life William McFerrin Stowe was born in 1913. He graduated from Hendrix College in 1938, wh ...


References


External links

*
Perkins Theological Quadrangle Construction: A Case History
, a film about the site's construction, as uploaded by the G. William Jones Film & Video Collection. {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins School Of Theology United Methodist seminaries Theology, Perkins School of Seminaries and theological colleges in Texas Universities and colleges established in 1911 1911 establishments in Texas Perkins School of Theology