Vancouver School of Theology
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 1971 |
| President | Rev. Dr. Wendy Fletcher |
| Principal | Rev. Dr. Wendy Fletcher |
| Students | approx. 200 |
| Address | www.vst.edu , , , |
| Campus | University of British Columbia |
| Colours | Burgundy & white |
| Affiliations | ATS |
49°16′15.79″N 123°15′2.44″W / 49.2710528°N 123.2506778°W Vancouver School of Theology, located on the campus of the University of British Columbia, is a multi-denominational graduate school known for its theological innovations while being rooted in Christian traditions. Accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, and affiliated with UBC, VST is profoundly committed to compassionate interaction, spiritual exploration, and intellectual rigour, and its long-standing partnerships with First Nations. VST is a small, close-knit, inclusive and diverse community; our students come from all parts of the world, and our graduates are employed internationally providing outstanding leadership and scholarship.
Faculty
The Rev. Dr. Wendy Fletcher, Principal and Dean, Professor of Church History
Dr. Sallie McFague, Distinguished Theologian in Residence
Rabbi Dr. Robert Daum, Director of Iona Pacific and Associate Professor of Rabbinic Literature and Jewish Thought
The Rev. Dr. Sharon V. Betcher, Associate Professor of Theology
The Rev. Dr. Glen Davis, Director of Presbyterian Denominational Formation
The Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls, Dean of Students, Professor of Hebrew Bible
The Rev. Dr. Stephen Farris, Professor of Homiletics and Dean of St. Andrew’s Hall
The Rev. Janet Gear, Associate Professor of Public and Pastoral Leadership and Director of United Church of Canada Denominational Formation
The Rev. Dr. Richard Leggett, Professor of Liturgical Studies
Mrs. Gillian McLeod, Director of Library and Information Technology
Dr. Harry O. Maier, Professor of New Testament Studies
The Rev. Dr. Paula Sampson, Director of Native Ministries and Assistant Professor of Ethics and First Nation Studies
The Rev. Dr. Richard Topping, St. Andrew's Hall Professor of Studies in the Reformed Tradition
History
Vancouver School of Theology was established in 1971, as an amalgamation of the Anglican Theological College (ATC) and Union College of British Columbia (UCBC), affiliated with the United Church of Canada. The two colleges had existed side-by-side for a number of years prior to the amalgamation.
ATC, established in the early twentieth century, moved into the Chancellor Building at UBC in 1927.
Westminster Hall (formerly Presbyterian) was the first formal theological college in Vancouver, and classes started in 1908, first at McGill University Vancouver (1907-1915) Campus, then in their own building at 1600 Barclay Street from the fall of 1908 until 1927, when the first part of UCBC (west wing of the Iona Building at UBC) was ready for use. Ryerson College formerly Methodist, and named after educator Egerton Ryerson, was meeting in Westminster Hall since classes began in 1923. It was an extension of the Columbian College started in New Westminster in 1892. There is little available data on the Congregational College of British Columbia, as according to the United Church of Canada's First General Council's Minutes, in 1925, the College was incorporated, but never held any classes.
The tower section of the Iona Building was completed during the 1930s.
From initial discussions with Anglican and the then separate Methodist and Presbyterian groups in 1922, there has been open discussion on joint studies, and was a reason Ryerson Hall never constructed a separate building. Throughout the 1960s, the two colleges cooperated in offering courses and access to materials, and discussions started regarding the creation of a new theological school to serve the area. The current-day Vancouver School of Theology was formed in 1971.The creation of VST occurred in a climate in which full communion between the Anglican Church of Canada and United Church was under serious consideration, although this union did not take place.
Saint Andrew's Hall, a residence established by the Presbyterian Church in Canada during the 1950s, officially became affiliated with the VST. The school has also been recognized by the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Methodist Church, both of the United States, as a good training institution for their clergy.[1]
Iona Pacific Inter-Religious Centre
• Social Action • Research • Contemplative Practice
Mission
Iona Pacific is the inter-religious and multi-cultural context for Vancouver School of Theology’s core work of preparing leaders for tomorrow’s world. The new Centre will research and implement new ways of facing critical local and global challenges to the well-being of the next generation of our shared communities. It will draw upon the world’s wisdom traditions in order to foster a common sense of purpose, respect for differences, and socially engaged learning with academic and lay leaders, elders and youth, from North America and beyond.
Focus
Iona Pacific will address how religious traditions can illuminate and enhance productive responses to complex social problems of this era, such as trans-generational urban and rural poverty, climate change and environmental degradation, alienation and despair among youth. Iona Pacific will seek partnerships with First Nations and other ethno-religious, cultural, and secular communities, leaders, scholars, and institutions keen to pursue inter-religious social action and research. Iona Pacific will seek to model dialogical, constructive, and innovative research, learning and social engagement.
Programs
• innovative research projects
• research-driven, social action partnerships
• visiting scholar programs
• inter-communal forums
• workshops, seminars, courses (including degree courses)
• curricular resources
• print and new media publications for the academy and beyond
Director, Rabbi Dr. Robert Daum
Rabbi Dr. Robert Daum is the Director of Iona Pacific: Inter-Religious Centre for Social Action, Research and Contemplative Practice. He is also the Associate Professor of Rabbinic Literature and Jewish Thought. Dr. Daum holds a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, an MA in Hebrew Literature from Hebrew Union College, and a BA magna cum laude from Tufts University. Most recently the Diamond Chair in Jewish Law and Ethics in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies and has been a Faculty Associate in the UBC Centre of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Daum has taught at both Vancouver School of Theology and Sonoma State University, and has also served as a Rabbi in congregations in the United States.
Native Ministries
The Native Ministries M.Div. by Extension Program is the only degree program in North America for persons engaged in ministry in First Nations communities that is accredited by The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. At the present time, the program includes students from the Anglican, Presbyterian and United churches in Canada and from several denominations in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.
Partnership with First Nations Peoples and the Churches
This innovative degree program was developed in partnership with First Nations people. The primary location and context for learning is the community in which the student lives and serves. This context is crucial for the student’s effective engagement with the social, cultural, political and religious values of First Nations communities. Denominational authorities are also indispensable partners. They nominate candidates and provide the necessary infrastructure for the delivery of the degree program. This infrastructure includes the identification of tutors, the allocation of suitable meeting places for course and seminar sessions and the arrangement of a suitable ministry location for the student. Certain tutor and student costs are also borne by the sponsoring denomination. The guidelines and standards for this infrastructure are established by the School.
Throughout their enrollment in this degree program, students normally continue to exercise some congregational ministry. In this fashion, students need not leave their cultural context, and their communities are not deprived of individuals who are already providing congregational leadership.
Native Ministries Consortium
The members of the Native Ministries Consortium are:
• Anglican First Nations Council of Caledonia
• Native MinistriesCouncil, BC Conference (United Church of Canada)
• Episcopal Church in Navajoland
• Episcopal Diocese of Alaska
• Cook School for Christian Leadership (Tempe, AZ)
• Henry Budd College for Ministry (The Pas, MB)
• Indigenous Theological Training Institute (ECUSA)
• Vancouver School of Theology
The purpose of the Consortium is to develop, under Native direction, community-based training programs for Native ministries, both lay and ordained. The Consortium appoints members to the School’s Native Ministries Program Committee, which has primary responsibility for the M.Div. by Extension program.
Degrees Awarded
The Vancouver School of Theology currently offers the following degrees and certifications[2]:
- Diploma in Christian Studies
- Diploma in Denominational Studies
- Master of Divinity
- Master of Divinity by Extension through the Native Ministry Program
- Master of Arts in Theological Studies
- Master of Theology
- Doctor of Philosophy in conjunction with the University of Wales, Lampeter
Gallery
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Chancellor Place and the Iona Building of the Vancouver School of Theology. -
The Iona Building of the VST. -
Vancouver School of Theology, with the North Shore Mountains as a backdrop.
History
- William S. Taylor 'Step by Step by Step: An Anecdotal History of the Growth of Union College, 1948-1971 Vancouver School of Theology and University Hill United Church' (Vancouver: 1993)
- Ralph C. Pybus, 'The Story of Union College' (Vancouver: Board of Governors, Union College of British Columbia, 1971 Pamphlet)
See also
- University of British Columbia
- University Endowment Lands
- List of evangelical seminaries and theological colleges