Chicago Theological Seminary
1407 E 60th St
Chicago, IL 60637
773-896-2400
ctschicago.edu
Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is a progressive, inclusive institution committed to creating religious "Leaders for the Next."
Vision Statement
CTS shall be an international force in the development of religious leadership to transform society toward greater justice and mercy.
Mission Statement
CTS, a seminary of the United Church of Christ, serves Christ and the churches and the wider faith community by preparing women and men in the understandings and skills needed for religious leadership and ministry to individuals, churches, and society
A Statement of Commitments
In fulfillment of our Vision and Mission Statements and being led by the mission and ministry of Jesus and the Spirit of God, CTS is a community of faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni/ae, and supporters joined in learning from each other and in commitment to preparing persons who will be leaders of ecclesial and social transformation in anticipation of the divine reign of justice and mercy. To this end, we undertake the following specific commitments:
- We are committed to a curricular structure in all degree programs that encourages academic excellence and free inquiry, that focuses on the issues of transformative leadership, and that fosters cooperation between communities of faith and other community-based organizations to promote the power of life against the forces of death.
- We are committed to confronting the spiritual impoverishment of our time characterized by meaninglessness, lovelessness, and hopelessness with the message of the divine call, love, and promise.
- We are committed to enabling communities of faith to effectively engage in public ministry, articulating the cry of the dispossessed, the transcendent claim of true justice and helping to heal the wounds and divisions that disfigure the social body.
- We are committed, in conscious response to the Holocaust and in recognition of the toll taken by religious divisions in our world, to fostering better understanding and collaboration among religious traditions, paying particular attention to cooperation among Christianity, Judaism, and Islam toward the end of realizing the aims of the prophetic tradition.s
- We are committed, in a society riven by racism, to equipping leaders who honor cultural and racial diversity while resolutely combating the forces of division and domination.
- We are committed, in a world in which sexism remains a powerful force, to fostering leadership for gender justice, including developing a more mature masculine spirituality and engaging feminist and womanist spiritualties.
- We are committed, while church and society are threatened by new forces of division under the banner of homophobia, to developing leadership for a more inclusive church and society.
- We are committed, in recognition that the divisions of society are global as well as local and national concerns, to fostering the international collaboration of institutions that have a similar commitment to the transformation of church and society and to the equipping of individuals for this ministry in diverse settings around the world.
- We are committed, in a world stratified by social and economic class, to liberation from want, homelessness, hunger, and disease as companions with the poor, challenging structures and decisions that cause poverty, while fostering the year of God’s favor for all.
In all of these ways, we are committed to embracing not only the rhetoric but the reality of diversity, to celebrating the costs and joys of discipleship, and to boldly accepting the challenges entailed by this Statement of Commitment.
Heyward-Boswell Society
The Heyward-Boswell Society serves as the outreach and support group for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community and their supporters at CTS. The society strives to bring its prophetic gifts of witness and education to bear in proclaiming God's work in all lives, regardless of sexual orientation.
Convener: Tamera Keller-Love
tkeller@ctschicago.edu
