Traditions
Since its founding in the early 19th century, Andover Newton has continued to educate called and gifted people for ministries in a changing world and to instill in students a sense of the timelessness of Christ's message.
The churches and social contexts in which graduates serve have changed vastly and continually. In today's classrooms, the diversity among faculty and students reflects an appreciation of the gifts that all people bring to the Church. Yet, in many ways, Andover Newton's students still are drawn by spiritual yearnings to learn more fully what its founders called "the true business of living."
The oldest graduate school of theology in the United States, Andover Newton traces its roots to the early 1800s and the desire for a well-educated clergy among both Congregationalists and Baptists. That desire was expressed with the founding of Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., in 1778 for "the promotion of true Piety and Virtue." A group of provident New England Congregationalists brought about the founding of a separate department of divinity at Andover in 1807. The following year the theological school, known as Andover Theological Seminary, opened its doors.
The Andover experiment brought students together for three years of study in residence with a scholarly faculty, an innovation that soon became a model for professional education around the country.
Andover educated some Baptist clergy, but not enough to meet the needs of the New England Baptist community that had grown tremendously in the late 18th century. The Newton Theological Institution grew out of a meeting at the First Baptist Church of Boston in May 1825. Agreeing that the time had come for a Baptist seminary, the group of Baptist clergy and lay people raised the necessary funds, decided on a hilltop site in Newton Centre, and secured the services of the Rev. Irah Chase, an Andover alumnus, as the institution's first professor.
In November 1825, the Newton Theological Institution began instruction. As the institution developed, it adopted Andover's curricular pattern and shared the same theological tradition of loyalty to the evangelical Gospel and zeal for its dissemination.
Reflecting that zeal, the modern mission movement began in this country through a group of Andover students known as the Brethren. Both Andover and Newton quickly assumed leadership in the modern mission movement, drawing the two schools into a close association of people and ideas.
Graduates such as Luther Rice, Hiram Bingham and Nathan Brown pioneered in Christian missions around the world. Adoniram Judson, an 1810 Andover alumnus, is best known for his work in Burma, where he translated the Bible into Burmese and produced the first Burmese- English dictionary.
Andover continued offering instruction on its campus in the southern Merrimack River Valley until 1907, when its trustees agreed on a need to move the School to an urban setting to broaden the curriculum and to establish closer ties with the academic world. In 1908 Andover moved its faculty and library to Cambridge and began to develop plans for a formal affiliation with Harvard Divinity School. But Andover's attempt to merge with Harvard left it mired in a legal struggle over adherence to its founding principles.
In 1931 Andover moved to the Newton campus, accepting Newton's invitation to enter into what both schools saw as a mutually beneficial affiliation. One of the first acts of the boards of the newly affiliated schools was the appointment of Austin Philip Guiles as the first full-time professor in psychology and clinical studies at a theological school. The move established Andover Newton as a pioneer in providing clinical training for seminarians. The development of a Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.)* degree in pastoral counseling further enhanced the School's leadership in the field.
In the middle decades of the 20th century, the student body became gradually more diverse. African-American students began attending Andover Newton in more significant numbers and many graduated to become important leaders throughout the country. Women, who had first attended classes in the 1890s, enrolled in growing numbers.
In the early 1960s, the School began to pay more attention to the urban scene. Andover Newton students and faculty worked at the Blue Hill Christian Center in Roxbury in efforts to minister in the city and to relate the School more significantly to the African-American community of Boston.
By 1965, with a burgeoning student body, Andover and Newton had grown together so closely that a formal merger came about quite naturally. The united Andover Newton greatly expanded the academic and library resources available to students three years later by participating in the chartering of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of nine theological schools in the Boston area.
In the last 40 years, Andover Newton has remained on the cutting edge of developments in theological education. The School pioneered the "teaching parish" approach to field education, which soon established an international reputation. In the early 1970s, Andover Newton became one of the first schools in the country to offer Doctor of Ministry degrees and developed a joint Ph.D. program with Boston College, an ecumenical effort with a Jesuit university.
In the 1990s, an emerging relationship with Hebrew College invited exciting possibilities for Jewish-Christian dialogue. Growing emphases on theology and the arts and on faith, health and spirituality are among the innovative ventures leading us in the 21st century.
We are now poised to celebrate our bicentennial year, beginning a third century of radical discipleship. Andover Newton is passionate about preparing leaders for transforming ministries. As President Carter notes, “The old formulas don’t work because the world has changed.” We live in a time that is far more pluralistic than ever before, and as we enter our third millennium of theological education we are commtted to preparing students for the complexities of congregational leadership and other ministries in the 21st century and beyond.
Andover Newton Students
The connections and friendships forged between students during the years they spend at Andover Newton often last a lifetime and sustain them in whatever ministries they pursue.
Ecumenical, cultural and professional diversity is part of what makes Andover Newton such a rich and stimulating community. Students range in age from their 20's to their 60's. While more than half represent the United Church of Christ, American Baptist, or Unitarian Universalist Churches, members of thirty other denominations create a lively environment for theological inquiry.
The majority of students hail from New England, but Andover Newton attracts men and women from as far away as Alaska, California, and New Mexico. International students also bring diverse theological and cultural heritages from countries such as India, Nigeria, Scotland, Chile, Ghana, Korea, Japan, Latvia, China, Canada, South Africa and Myanmar.
Some students come to Andover Newton soon after completing their undergraduate degrees. These students have a clear sense of their call to ministry and/or academic interests, which they pursue by enrolling in Andover Newton's M.A. or M.Div. programs. Other students have pursued different careers before responding to a call to lay or ordained ministry. Nurses, lawyers, teachers, social workers, homemakers, and business executives come here to share a common quest for deeper meaning in their life's work while juggling family life, full- or part-time employment, and the challenge of returning to the classroom after long absences.
Whatever his or her individual situation - recent college graduate or full-time worker making a second or third career change - an Andover Newton student will find a community responsive to the needs of today's varied adult learners.
*The Master in Sacred Theology Program will admit no new students after the fall of 2009. Candidates with a previous Master of Divinity seeking a one-year research degree should consider applying to the Master of Arts (Theological Research) Program with advanced standing. Please contact the Admissions Office for more information.
