The Committee on Theological Education of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (COTE); the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA); the Board of Directors of San Francisco Theological Seminary; and the University of Redlands have reached an agreement reaffirming SFTS as a Presbyterian theological seminary within the denomination. The agreement comes after deep and careful conversation and is endorsed by both COTE and SFTS.
The Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Committee on Theological Education (COTE) have released statements on last year’s merger between San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS) and the University of Redlands (UR). Both say the merger, which occurred on July 1, 2019, has raised questions about how the institutions relate to the vision, goals, and mission of the PC(USA).
Nicholas Yoda, pastor of Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, credits his home church and seminary for preparing him for ministry as a “spiritual docent in a house full of wonder and a valley full of pain.”
With an expanded focus – and a new name reflecting its broader mission – the Assembly committee customarily charged with considering matters related to theological issues and institutions will now also encompass church growth and Christian education.
“The new name speaks to the needs of the church today, and how a focus on theological institutions is also a commitment to theological issues and church growth,” says the Rev. Lee Hinson-Hasty, senior director of funds development for the Theological Education Fund (TEF) at the Presbyterian Foundation. “If you care about congregations growing spiritually and numerically, then I would imagine you would want to support future ministers at our Presbyterian seminaries who will play key roles in that growth for generations.”
La reunión de otoño del Comité de Educación Teológica (COET) -celebrada aquí del 21 al 23 de septiembre por Seminario Teológico McCormick y su presidente y miembro de COET, el Rvdo. Dr. FrankYamada- trabajó con una agenda cargada, destacada por un diálogo con el Moderador de la IP (EEUUA) Heath Rada. Rada, un anciano gobernante que, como presidente de la anteriormente denominada Escuela Presbiteriana de Educación Cristiana, ahora parte del Seminario Presbiteriano Unión, en Richmond, Va., sirvió en una ocasión en el COET, fue genuino en su afirmación de su misión.
One short week following the fall meeting of the Committee on Theological Education (COTE), the Rev. Paul Timothy Roberts Sr., president of Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary (JCSTS) in Atlanta, was still in a reflective place.
The fall meeting of the Committee on Theological Education (COTE)—hosted here Sept. 21–23 by McCormick Theological Seminary and its president and COTE member, the Rev. Dr. Frank Yamada—undertook a full agenda, highlighted by a dialogue with PC(USA) Moderator Heath Rada.
The Committee on Theological Education (COTE)—which was hosted by Princeton Theological Seminary and its president Craig Barnes February 24–26—opened its February meeting by recognizing the departure of several committee and staff members, while also welcoming a new Presbyterian Mission Agency staff member in support of its mission.
The Rev. Michelle J. Bartel, Ph.D., a theology professor and teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has been named the new coordinator for theological education for the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
The Committee on Theological Education (COTE) is recognizing two transformational leaders for their contributions to theological education in and for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).