Portland Seminary at

George Fox University George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

is a multi-denominational, university-based school that offers a variety of master's degree and postgraduate degree programs in

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and ministry, located in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. The

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada 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 ...

granted the seminary full accreditation in 1974. It remains a fully accredited member to present. The

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Department of Education since 1952 as an institutional accreditor for colleges and universities. ...

also certifies the seminary's programs.

Mission statement

Portland Seminary is Christ-centered, broadly-evangelical, and committed to equipping women and men holistically for local and global service.

Purpose statement

Portland Seminary exists to develop leaders and scholars to have a transformative and prophetic influence for Jesus Christ in the church and the world. We pursue this purpose by integrating spiritual formation, history, theology, and biblical and pastoral studies, in a multicultural and ecologically sensitive environment.

History

Founded in 1947 as the Western School of Evangelical Religion, the original campus was on the grounds of the Evangelical Church conference in Jennings Lodge, Oregon. In 1951 the school became Western Evangelical Seminary and in 1993 moved to a new campus near

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

and highways 99W and

217 Year 217 ( CCXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Praesens and Extricatus (or, less frequently, year 970 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 217 for ...

. In 1996, Western Evangelical Seminary merged with George Fox College to form

and changed its name to George Fox Evangelical Seminary in 2000. On January 9, 2017, the seminary changed its name to Portland Seminary. The first students came from these founding denominations: the Evangelical Church of North America, Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, the Free Methodists, the Nazarenes, and the

Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) The Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), also called the Church of God Ministries, is an international holiness Christian denomination with roots in Wesleyan-Arminianism and also in the restorationist traditions. The organization grew out of the ...

. Today, more than 35 denominations are represented in the student body.

Academics

Portland Seminary offers online programs that include annual hybrid intensives: In addition to the Master of Divinity, the foundational degree for pastoral ministry, Portland Seminary also offers an MA in Ministry (with a specialization), an MA in Theological Studies, and an MA in Spiritual Formation. The MA in Theological Studies, with emphases in Bible, Christian History and Theology, or Christian Earthkeeping, continues to serve those called to teaching or eventual doctoral study. The Doctor of Ministry degree, for experienced pastors who hold the M.Div. or its equivalent, is a cohort-style online program with three tracks: Semiotics, Church, and Culture; Leadership and Spiritual Formation; and Leadership and Global Perspectives.

Accreditation

The MDiv, MA in Ministry, MA in Spiritual Formation, MA in Theological Studies, DMi. and DLd degrees are approved by the Commission on Accrediting of the

. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities also certifies the seminary's programs. This dual accreditation is maintained now through George Fox University and assures students of the highest academic and professional standards. Degrees *

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a doctorate in religious ministry. It often includes an original research component, and may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in ministry. It is categorized as an advanced doctoral de ...

Programs: **Leadership and Spiritual Formation with MaryKate Morse and Ken Van Vliet **Semiotics, Church and Culture with Leonard Sweet * Doctor of Leadership Programs: **Leadership and Global Perspectives with Jason Swan Clark *

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

Master of Arts in Theological Studies The Master of Arts (MA) in a religious discipline is a graduate degree, offered in seminary or other graduate school, which gives students a basic understanding in theological disciplines. It is often pursued by individuals interested in academi ...

*Master of Arts in Leadership and Culture *Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation Certificates *Certification for Spiritual Directors

Awards and grants

Portland Seminary offers several financial assistance programs for its degree-seeking students. These include: the Brose Scholarship; the Julius Clifton Bruner Scholarship Fund for graduate theological education, established by Iris J. Bruner in memory of her late husband; the Clapp Scholarship for M.Div. students; the Delamarter Scholarship, awarded to a Free Methodist student interested in Evangelism; the Farmer Family Scholarship; and the Ministry to Underserved Populations Scholarship, awarded to students who work in Oregon or South West Washington, serving unique underserved people groups. Among its other scholarships, the Seminary also offers the Hawks Ministerial Scholarship, the Ketterling-Schlenker Scholarship, the Clara and Harlan Macy Memorial Scholarship, the Chuan Cheng Morrisey Missions Memorial Scholarship Fund for students preparing for cross-cultural ministry, and the Richard Parker Scholarship, established by Jeannette Parker in memory of her husband. Among its student prizes, Portland Seminary awards annual prizes for Excellence in Writing and Excellence in Preaching in honor of the American theologian and writer

Frederick Buechner Carl Frederick Buechner ( ; July 11, 1926 – August 15, 2022) was an American author, Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies ...

References

External links

George Fox University
official site

official site. {{authority control Seminaries and theological colleges in Oregon Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges Education in Portland, Oregon Universities and colleges established in 1947 George Fox University 1947 establishments in Oregon