Bangor Theological Seminary
Encyclopedia
Located in Bangor, Maine
, and Portland, Maine
, Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary
, founded in 1814, in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ
. It is the only accredited graduate school
of religion
in Northern New England.
The seminary has campuses in Bangor and Portland, Maine
. Its primary mission is preparation for Christian ministry
. Graduate programs include the Master of Divinity
, Master of Arts
and Doctor of Ministry
degrees. The school is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
, New England Association of Schools and Colleges
, and Maine Board of Education. Bangor Theological Seminary is an official Open and affirming
seminary.
Bangor Theological Seminary was originally of a much more conservative tradition/philosophy than it is today. Led by a group of Congregational ministers and lay leaders who wanted to create a center of theological study in northern New England, the Society for Theological Education met on July 27, 1811, in Portland to establish a school. Jonathan Fisher
, a founding trustee, described the urgency and importance of the school's mission:
Granted a charter on February 25, 1814, by the Great and General Court of Massachusetts
, the seminary briefly found a home in Hampden, before moving to its present Bangor location in 1819. The seminary began to assume its present shape under the leadership of the Reverend Enoch Pond. A noted scholar and writer, Pond joined the faculty in 1833, became BTS president in 1856, and remained in that capacity until his death in 1882.
Today, Bangor Theological Seminary has academic programs leading to the Master of Divinity degree, the Master of Arts degree, and the Doctor of Ministry degree. The seminary is ecumenical in nature, with over a dozen religious traditions represented among students and faculty. One of seven United Church of Christ seminaries in the United States, it is the only accredited theological institution in northern New England.
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, and Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
, founded in 1814, in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
. It is the only accredited graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
in Northern New England.
The seminary has campuses in Bangor and Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. Its primary mission is preparation for Christian ministry
Christian ministry
In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith. 2003's Encyclopedia of Christianity defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", indicating that it is "conferred on each Christian in baptism." It is performed by all Christians...
. Graduate programs include the Master of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
, Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
and Doctor of Ministry
Doctor of Ministry
The Doctor of Ministry degree is, according to The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada , a doctoral level degree oriented toward ministerial leadership often in an area of applied theology, such as missions, evangelism, church leadership, pastoral psychology or the...
degrees. The school is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions...
, New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
, and Maine Board of Education. Bangor Theological Seminary is an official Open and affirming
Open and affirming
Open and Affirming is an official designation of congregations and other settings within the United Church of Christ denomination affirming the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons in that setting's life and ministry.The Open and Affirming program is administered...
seminary.
History
Jonathan Fisher
Parson Jonathan Fisher was the first Congregational minister from 1794 to 1837 in the small village of Blue Hill, Maine in the United States. Although his primary duties as a country parson engaged much of his time, Fisher was also a farmer, scientist, mathematician, surveyor, and writer of prose...
, a founding trustee, described the urgency and importance of the school's mission:
- "I am strongly adverse to an unlearned ministry, but if in this district we wait to be supplied from other institutions, I am fully persuaded that the ground would be preoccupied by Sectarians, many of whom will not only be unlearned, but very unlearned."
Granted a charter on February 25, 1814, by the Great and General Court of Massachusetts
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, the seminary briefly found a home in Hampden, before moving to its present Bangor location in 1819. The seminary began to assume its present shape under the leadership of the Reverend Enoch Pond. A noted scholar and writer, Pond joined the faculty in 1833, became BTS president in 1856, and remained in that capacity until his death in 1882.
Today, Bangor Theological Seminary has academic programs leading to the Master of Divinity degree, the Master of Arts degree, and the Doctor of Ministry degree. The seminary is ecumenical in nature, with over a dozen religious traditions represented among students and faculty. One of seven United Church of Christ seminaries in the United States, it is the only accredited theological institution in northern New England.
Notable alumni
- Elias BondElias BondThe Bond District is a collection of historic buildings located in the district of North Kohala on the island of Hawaii.The district has three sections: the homestead of missionaries Ellen and Reverend Elias Bond , Kalahikiola Church, and the Kohala Seminary.-Ellen and Elias Bond:Elias Bond was...
(1813–1896), Missionary to Hawaii - Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, Governor, Civil War general
- David H. CyrDavid H. Cyr-Career:Cyr joined the United States Air Force as a Protestant chaplain in 1979. His assignments included Executive Office to the Chief of Chaplains from 1993 to 1995, Chaplain of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1998 to 2001, Command Chaplain of the United States Air Forces in Europe from 2001 to...
, Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force - Daniel DoleDaniel DoleDaniel Dole was a Protestant missionary educator from the United States to the Hawaiian Islands.-Life:Daniel Dole as born September 9, 1808 in Skowhegan, Maine...
(1808–1878), Missionary to Hawaii, and founder of Punahou SchoolPunahou SchoolPunahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii... - Edward Eaton, President of Beloit CollegeBeloit CollegeBeloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and has an enrollment of roughly 1,300 undergraduate students. Beloit is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin, and has the oldest building of any college...
- Samuel C. FessendenSamuel C. FessendenSamuel Clement Fessenden was a United States Congressman from Maine, son of abolitionist Samuel Fessenden, and brother of Treasury Secretary William Pitt Fessenden and Congressman T. A. D. Fessenden. He was an uncle of Union Army generals, Francis Fessenden and James D...
, U.S. Congressman - Cyrus HamlinCyrus HamlinCyrus Hamlin was an American Congregational missionary and educator, the father of A. D. F. Hamlin....
, Founder of Robert CollegeRobert CollegeRobert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
(Istanbul) - Daniel Collamore HeathDaniel Collamore HeathDaniel Collamore Heath was the founder of D. C. Heath and Company, part of Houghton Mifflin.Daniel C. Heath was born in Franklin County, Maine in 1843. He studied at Nichols Latin School and Bates College before graduating from Amherst College in 1868...
, Publisher - Charles Henry HowardCharles Henry HowardCharles Henry Howard was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and a newspaper editor and publisher. He was the younger brother of Union general Oliver O. Howard.-Early life:...
, Civil War general and editor - John Davis ParisJohn Davis ParisJohn Davis Paris was an American Christian missionary to the island of Hawaii. Coming to the island by accident, he supervised construction of several historic churches, some of which survive today.-Life:...
(1809–1892), Missionary to Hawaii - Arthur B. PattenArthur B. PattenArthur Bardwell Patten was a distinguished United States Congregational Church clergyman who served congregations in New England and the Pacific coast. He was the author of books, hymn texts and poems...
, Minister and hymn-writer - Edward Pond Parker, Minister, and confidante of Mark Twain
- Minot Judson SavageMinot Judson SavageMinot Judson Savage was an American Unitarian minister and author.Savage was born in Norridgewock, Maine in 1841. He graduated from the Bangor Theological Seminary in 1864, and for nine years was in the Congregational ministry, being a home missionary at San Mateo and Grass Valley, California,...
, Minister, author, and spiritualist - Elkanah Walker, Missionary and early settler in Oregon
- David Atwood WassonDavid Atwood WassonDavid Atwood Wasson was an American minister and Transcendentalist author, an essayist and poet. He was early influenced by Thomas Carlyle, an influence he would shed; he is usually regarded as a disciple of Ralph Waldo Emerson.-Life:...
, Minister and transcendentalist
Notable faculty
- Jehudi AshmunJehudi AshmunJehudi Ashmun was a religious leader and social reformer who became involved in the American Colonization Society...
, later a founder of LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open... - William H. Barbour, later Pastor of Yale CollegeYale CollegeYale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, 1877–87 - Frank W. Clelland, later President of Gammon Theological Seminary
- Samuel Harris, later President of Bowdoin CollegeBowdoin CollegeBowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
, 1867-7 - John Russell Herrick, later President of Pacific UniversityPacific UniversityPacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
and the University of South DakotaUniversity of South DakotaThe University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current... - Levi Leonard Paine
- Enoch Pond
- Burton H. Throckmorton Jr.Burton H. Throckmorton Jr.Burton H. Throckmorton Jr. was an American New Testament scholar.He was Hayes Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Bangor Theological Seminary from 1954 to 1989, and a minister in the Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ.-Works:* Gospel Parallels 1949, 5th edition...
, Pastor and Professor