ANNELIESE

SUMMER 2008

Welcome to Ecumenical Theological Seminary! We are a seminary located in the heart of Detroit offering theological education at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. ETS is deliberately ecumenical. This means that all are welcome here! Faculty, staff and students at ETS come from the variety of Christian traditions that are found in the geographical area of southeastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario. Our work at ETS is to prepare a variety of believers for ministry in God's church and world. Our faculty members represent, in addition to varied Christian traditions, a wide diversity of ministerial experiences.

Much of the "preparation for ministry" takes place in the classroom. It is here that the rich life experience, training, education and wisdom of the instructors form the foundation of the learning experience. Students of varied cultural backgrounds, ages, religious traditions and occupations bring their own unique experiences, and enter into dialogue with their professors and with one another. With the tools acquired through reading, research and engaged conversation, ETS students seek to broaden their understandings and deepen the knowledge from which they will draw in the day-to-day work of the ministry.

But knowledge isn't the only resource needed for the work of ministry. Effective communication and relational skills are absolutely essential. These skills are developed and sharpened in courses that challenge students to integrate their knowledge and experience with the practice of ministry.

There are some special challenges that face those who engage in this ministry as we move into the 21st century. Especially at an institution like ETS, some of the "long standing" assumptions about seminary education are tested in new ways.

• The image of a scholar spending hours in the library (or even on the internet) doesn't always fit today's theological faculty. Time for research has to be squeezed in between teaching, administrative and pastoral responsibilities (at ETS as in many other institutions, effective seminary faculty are often actively engaged in ministries other than teaching). The "disadvantage" of never having enough time is balanced, however, by the real "advantage" of having one's feet firmly planted in a day-by-day experience of ministry that allows real life to be part of the classroom.
• Students who come to a seminary such as ETS often do so with a "full plate" already: jobs, family, church and a myriad of other responsibilities that claim their time. They continually struggle with the tension between class preparation and the other "needs" to which they must attend. But this "time crunch" can have a positive impact by forcing students to get a dose of the real experience of a life in ministry, and help them to focus on the need for balance in their lives before they ever are ordained.
• ETS students, no matter whether they are in the UMD, MA, MDiv or DMin program, represent a rich cultural diversity. Diversity is good and enriching, but it is also a challenge because it stretches each partner in the dialogue to let go of former assumptions and allow oneself to be stretched.
• ETS is located in the very heart of Detroit, and in the midst of a global world, facts that need to influence the way we do theological education. For the better part of the last century, the city of Detroit has been plagued by racial and ethnic divisions. The world struggles with economic inequities. We at ETS recognize that we must be a part of challenging these realities.

We invite you to join us at ETS. You will be challenged, supported and affirmed in your "journey into ministry!"