Profiles of Service & Justice

SEMINARIESthat CHANGE the W RLD

McCormick Theological Seminary

COMMUNITY • ADVOCACY • ENGAGEMENT • SERVICE •SOCIAL JUSTICE

At McCormick, theological education is meant to be transformational. It is meant to change attitudes and actions, values and priorities, and approaches to foster the kind of leadership that makes a difference.

Located in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, McCormick Theological Seminary offers a diverse and vibrant community that prepares students for ministries that deeply impact communities and affect public change.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FELLOWSIn 2014, McCormick launched the Community Engagement Fellows Program, a cohort of students engaged in public ministry and theological study. With the support of Mentor Rev. Julian J. DeShazier, these students develop partnerships with community organizations, piloting new programs and building service-oriented partnerships in Chicago. The Community Engagement Fellows Program at McCormick provides opportunities to integrate “real world learning” and engage critical issues like immigration, criminal justice reform, racial reconciliation, food insecurity and healthcare with traditional theological education.

SERVICE-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS McCormick Theological Seminary offers several full scholarships for students who show a unique promise for ministry, some specifically for those from historically underrepresented populations, including:

• Rev. Dr. Minsoo Pai Memorial Scholarship for Korean American students

• Dr. Calvin H. Schmitt Scholarship for Hispanic and Latina students

• Tishabell A. Hewing Scholarship for students serving disadvantaged communities

• E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Scholarship for LGBTQ students

Along with Rev. Bruce Reyes Chow, McCormick Seminary created the “Do Justice” fund in 2015 to help equip faith leaders to meet the social, economic, and political challenges of our time. The Do Justice Fund gives students the opportunity to participate in trainings, workshops, conferences, and campaigns that will grow their skills and passions as agents of change in the Church and the world.

Many McCormick students receive fellowships to prepare them for ministry and service in urban contexts. The Charles G. and Juanita R. Chakerian Fellowship is awarded to students enrolled in one of the dual-competency/dual-degree programs.

INTEGRATED, INNOVATIVE COURSESReading from Cultural Spaces: the Difference Culture makes in Biblical Interpretation: This course surveys recent hermeneutical approaches that identify the importance of race and ethnicity for reading the Bible, exploring the texts through African American, Latin@, Asian American, and post-colonial lenses.

Prisons: New Realities, New Missions: This course explores theologically-informed prison ministry models, re-entry ministry models, and examines current and historical theological resources for campaigns to end mass incarceration.

Worship and the Arts: Students explore the liturgical and theological connections between worship and the

McCormick Theological Seminary encourages, embraces, celebrates, and prepares women and men from all denominations and backgrounds for Christian ministry and service, advancing a

model of education that is cross-cultural, urban, Reformed, and ecumenical.

arts from the perspective of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The class examines multiple means of witnessing to the Christian faith in a variety of public spaces.

Sexual and Domestic Violence: This course reflects on sexual and domestic violence as it relates to patriarchal systems of oppression against women and children. Using Scripture, doctrine, and Church tradition, students will develop strategies for prevention, intervention, and pastoral care for their ministry contexts.

ENGAGEMENT ON CAMPUSMcCormick has several student advocacy groups that organize events and campaigns to educate and advocate. The Pan-African Student Organization, Association de Estudiantes Latin@s de McCormick, Acts 10:15, Korean/Korean-American Students’ Association, Global Community, Seminarians for Justice, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and Women in Ministry groups offer resources to students and coordinate their energies in the seminary for specific issues. Recent actions and initiatives have included:

• Weekly Moral Mondays demonstrations

• Participation in the (In)Justice for All Film Festival

• Speak Week: a week of LGBTQ issue awareness and advocacy

• Annual Clergy & Lay Leadership Summit focused on HIV/AIDS advocacy and ministry

FIELD EDUCATION PLACEMENTSMcCormick encourages service-focused students to cultivate their skills in unique field placements and internships. The churches with which students intern are well known both locally and nationally for their focus on social justice and community outreach. Some of these churches include: Trinity United Church of Christ, Apostolic Church of God, University Church, Lake View Presbyterian Church, Fourth Presbyterian Church, and Covenant United Church of Christ. Other students

intern at faith-based nonprofit organizations, including the ARK of St. Sabina, Faith in Place, The Night Ministry, and Interfaith Worker Justice.

Additionally, dual-degree students complete their field education in nonprofits focused on community organizing, substance abuse treatment, refugee resettlement, homelessness intervention, violence prevention, and more.

DEGREE PROGRAMS INTEGRATING FAITH & SERVICEIn partnership with the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration (SSA), and Loyola’s University School of Social Work, McCormick offers a dual-degree program whereby Masters of Divinity students may earn a Masters of Social Work at the same time they are completing their theological education. Several McCormick alumni/ae have earned these dual degrees and are now engaged in counseling, non-profit administration, advocacy, and international mission service.

McCormick’s “Building Beloved Community” concentration for the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) is designed for those who seek to understand culture and human difference in ways that nurture and promote a vision of the common good through justice, compassion, and active engagement.

The Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. Scholars: African-Centered Religious Thought and Ministry D.Min. examines the intersections of prophetic ministry and the study of Religions of Black Atlantic Diaspora, Prophetic Preaching, Black Sacred Music, Black Theology, and Pastoral Care. Students will travel to West Africa and South Africa to explore the trans-Atlantic routes of slavery and to understand the various “routes” and the trajectories that the black religious experience has taken in the “New World.”

Profiles of Service and Justice is a publication of The Center for Faith and Service, which manages Seminaries that Change the World. For more information, visit www.faith3.org.

about

Each year, The Center for Faith and Service identifies a number of seminary and divinity schools that have demonstrated outstanding innovation in theological education. These seminaries and divinity schools offer degree programs for a generation of idealists, activists, volunteers and servant-leaders who are committed to community service and social justice. By equipping their graduates for jobs as leaders in their churches and communities, these schools are truly helping to change the world.

Schools selected to be part of Seminaries that Change the World invest in students through service-based scholarships. They are committed to reimagining theological education by integrating issues of service and justice into their curricula, and they provide students with critical opportunities for community-based learning through field placement internships or other extra-curricular opportunities. They are committed to educating diverse student bodies and equipping graduates to create systemic social change.

The Center for Faith and Service is based out of McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.

the Center for Faith and Service

DAVID BARNHART (MDiv ’05) came to McCormick in order to better understand his calling to “story ministry,” which he continues to be involved in today. David began his career working in ther-apeutic care, organizing drama and art therapy initiatives. Later, he used his theological education and his background in broadcast communications to become a documentary filmmaker. David has made several films documenting various social justice initiatives, such as disaster relief, immigration reform, and gun reform. “Jesus told stories,” Barnhart says. “He used stories to connect people, to heal, and to challenge oppressive structures.”

MICHELLE DAY, JD (MDiv ‘04) began her career as a lawyer representing multinational corpora-tions. After completing her education at McCormick, Michelle focused on restorative justice and violence prevention initiatives in the city of Chicago. She now serves as the Restorative Justice Program Coordinator for the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Department of the Circuit Court of Cook County, organizing workshops and trainings around the city to develop and promote alter-native sentencing practices. Michelle also helped found the Nehemiah/Trinity Rising initiative at Trinity United Church of Christ, which provides restorative justice consultation and circle-keeping services to Chicago schools.

REV. EMILY MCGINLEY (MDiv ‘09) serves as a site pastor for Urban Village Church, a non-denom-inational, multi-site worshiping community in Chicago that emphasizes faith through service. Emily has a background in graphic design, and after graduating from McCormick helped to expand the Urban Village community by planting a site in the Hyde Park/Woodlawn neighborhoods. She helps coordinate innovative worship practices and ministries which have defined Urban Village as an exciting community for young adults.

For more information about McCormick Theological Seminary, or to apply, contact:www.mccormick.edu • admit@mccormick.edu • 5460 S. University Avenue Chicago, IL

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