Mission Statement and Core Values
Mission Statement
The purpose of Covenant Theological Seminary is to train servants of the triune God to walk with God,
to interpret and communicate God's Word, and to lead God's people.
Core Values
The following core values amplify, clarify and protect the Seminary's understanding of its purpose:
- Christ-Centered Ministry: We believe that a seminary education is successful only if -- at its end -- the student knows Jesus Christ more intimately than at its beginning.
- Biblical Authority: We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and thus it is our only infallible rule of faith and practice. We believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit and, thus, we affirm the inerrancy of the original manuscripts whose objective truth it is our responsibility to interpret in accord with the principles of Scripture and to proclaim in accord with the imperatives of the Gospel.
- Grace Foundation: We believe that the foundation for all that we do must be the gospel of grace -- our absolute confidence in God's acceptance provided through his redemptive work as the supreme motivation and enablement for love and holiness.
- Relational Emphasis: We believe that the relationship between students and professors must take a meaningful place alongside teaching content, so that we may affect the entire character of the student for ministry. Therefore, we seek to develop a faculty of pastor-scholars and a staff which both individually and as a community effectively model what it means to walk with God, interpret and communicate God's Word, and lead God's people.
- Pastoral Training: We believe that our primary task is to train students for pastoral ministry (including church planting, campus ministry, chaplaincy, and missionary service). To accomplish this task, we have gathered a faculty of pastor-scholars who are both experienced in ministry and advanced in scholarship. These professors enable us to serve students in other programs and the broader Christian community, while continuing to enhance pastoral training. To strengthen pastoral training and all of our educational programs, we continually seek to assess and improve student learning and development.
- Church Leadership: We believe that, as the national seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), it is our responsibility to provide intellectual training and ministry models that are true to the Westminster Standards and the historic distinctives of Presbyterian orthodoxy, while equipping the next generation of Christian servants for effective church leadership in a changing world. At the same time, because we recognize that a seminary alone can never fully equip students for these tasks, we seek to work in partnership with local churches to accomplish our purpose.
- Kingdom Perspective: We believe that God's purpose is the gathering of his people from every nation and the renewal of all things. He calls his church to active involvement with the world's peoples and cultures, carrying out the mission of bringing the Gospel to those who do not believe and expressing Christ's lordship in every area of life. In order to train students to make disciples of the nations, our faculty, staff, and students must increasingly reflect the ethnic and cultural richness of God's worldwide church.
Educational Programs
The Seminary seeks to fulfill its purpose through the following educational programs.
- Covenant Seminary seeks to fulfill its purpose primarily by preparing students for pastoral ministry in accordance with the standards of the PCA. As the national seminary of the PCA, Covenant seeks particularly to prepare students for the pastoral ministry of that denomination. At the same time, Covenant actively seeks to serve students preparing for ministry in a variety of other denominational and non-denominational contexts. The Master of Divinity (MDiv) program is the first professional degree preparing students primarily for pastoral ministry. The Master of Theology (ThM) and Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degrees provide additional academic and practical training for students already holding the M.Div. degree.
- Covenant Seminary seeks to fulfill its purpose by preparing students for other non-vocational and vocational roles in churches and other Christian ministries. The Master of Arts In Educational Ministries (MAEM) is a professional degree designed to train students for non-ordained ministry positions in such areas as children's, women's, youth, collegiate, and other educational ministries. The Master of Arts (Theological Studies) (MATS) and the Graduate Certificate (GC) provide biblical and theological training that equips lay people to bring an informed Christian perspective to a variety of secular occupations and non-ordained ministries. The Master of Arts (Exegetical Theology) (MAET) is an academic and research degree which prepares students pursuing academic leadership for advanced study at the doctoral level. The Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) prepares students to work as counselors especially in church-related settings, and for state licensure and work in other agencies.
- Covenant Seminary seeks to fulfill its purpose by providing a variety of lifelong learning opportunities for individuals and churches, including adult continuing education classes, seminars, publications and media resources, as well as by providing theological leadership for the PCA and the Christian community through such means as faculty publications, service on denominational and professional committees, and speaking opportunities.
Competencies
In fulfilling this purpose, Covenant seeks to develop the following competencies in its graduates. We believe that each of these competencies is intimately and necessarily related to the others. Effective ministry requires spiritually sensitive application and integration of all of these competencies.
... to walk with God ...
- Grace: Understands and is personally committed to the gospel of grace as understood in our standards.
- Lifestyle: Exhibits spiritual maturity and Christ-like character growing out of the love of Christ.
- Servanthood: Demonstrates a heart to serve God and others in one's family, church, and world.
... to interpret and communicate God's Word ...
- Knowledge: Understands and clearly explains key biblical and theological facts and concepts in historical perspective.
- Theological skills: Demonstrates ability to interpret and thoughtfully apply the Bible (in the original languages where appropriate) to issues of doctrine, life, and ministry.
- Conviction: Holds and articulates a coherent Christian theology and worldview informed by our doctrinal standards, and interacts critically and respectfully with other approaches.
- Communication: Communicates effectively both orally and in writing.
... and to lead God's people.
- Relational skills: Relates to others with evident respect, sensitivity, and concern to serve, even when there are differences of culture, belief, or values.
- Leadership: Leads others in walking with God in accordance with gifts and callings (e.g., preaching, teaching, counseling, evangelizing, mercy ministry) -- modeling Christ's courage, love and humility.
- Christ's Lordship: Seeks to bring Christ's lordship to bear in all areas of life and culture -- individual and corporate, private and public.
- Vision: Seeks to advance the cause of Christ among diverse peoples and cultures within North America and throughout the world.
