Toronto School of Theology
Encyclopedia
The Toronto School of Theology (TST) is an ecumenical centre for graduate theological education and the largest of its kind in Canada. Affiliated with the University of Toronto
, the TST comprises seven member colleges in the Roman Catholic, Anglican
, and Reformed
traditions, as well as four affiliated institutions attached to smaller denominations. It is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.
on March 1, 2001 The Greek word ÓYNEPÃOYNTEÓ, which is the School motto, is taken from 2 Corinthians 6.1: “We work together with Him” translates to “Co-worker”.
There are also five affiliated institutions.
Combining all the member schools of the TST, 500 courses are offered each year to over 1400 students.
Each program is awarded conjointly by the school the student is registered with and the University of Toronto, except for the Master of Arts in Theology and the Doctor of Philosophy, which are awarded by University of St. Michael's College
.
, Canada's largest library and the fourth largest academic library system in North America.
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, the TST comprises seven member colleges in the Roman Catholic, Anglican
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
, and Reformed
Reformed churches
The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations characterized by Calvinist doctrines. They are descended from the Swiss Reformation inaugurated by Huldrych Zwingli but developed more coherently by Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and especially John Calvin...
traditions, as well as four affiliated institutions attached to smaller denominations. It is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.
History
The school was originally constituted as the Toronto Graduate School of Theological Studies in 1944, in order to promote collaboration around advance degree programs among the theology schools affiliated with the University of Toronto. In 1970 this was further formalised with the establishment of the Toronto School of Theology. Finally, in 1979 a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of Toronto made it possible for the member schools to grant conjoint basic and advanced degrees in theology. The Toronto School of Theology's Arms and Flag were registered with the Canadian Heraldic AuthorityCanadian Heraldic Authority
The Canadian Heraldic Authority is part of the Canadian honours system under the Queen of Canada, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General. The Authority is responsible for the creation and granting of new coats of arms , flags and badges for Canadian citizens, permanent residents and...
on March 1, 2001 The Greek word ÓYNEPÃOYNTEÓ, which is the School motto, is taken from 2 Corinthians 6.1: “We work together with Him” translates to “Co-worker”.
Demographics
Students at TST range from 20 to 81 years of age and come from 62 countries including Canada and the USA.Members and affiliates
Member colleges- Emmanuel College, Victoria University in the University of TorontoVictoria University in the University of TorontoVictoria University is a constituent college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1836 and named for Queen Victoria. It is commonly called Victoria College, informally Vic, after the original academic component that now forms its undergraduate division...
, (United Church of CanadaUnited Church of CanadaThe United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
) - Wycliffe CollegeWycliffe CollegeWycliffe College is an Anglican Church of Canada seminary federated with the University of Toronto. It is evangelical and Low church in orientation. On the other hand, the University of Toronto's other Anglican college, the University of Trinity College is Anglo-Catholic in outlook. While being an...
, (Low AnglicanLow churchLow church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
) - St. Augustine's SeminarySt. Augustine's SeminarySt. Augustine's Seminary is the archdiocesan seminary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, in Canada. It also welcomes candidates from elsewhere.It is a member of the Toronto School of Theology. It is located by the shore of Lake Ontario in Toronto....
, (Roman Catholic archdiocesan) - Regis College, (Roman Catholic--JesuitSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
) - Knox College, (Presbyterian Church in CanadaPresbyterian Church in CanadaThe Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
) - St. Michael's College Faculty of TheologyUniversity of St. Michael's CollegeThe University of St. Michael's College is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1852 by the Congregation of St. Basil of Annonay, France. While mainly an undergraduate college for liberal arts and sciences, St. Michael's retains its Roman Catholic affiliation through its postgraduate...
, (Roman Catholic--Basilian) - Trinity College Faculty of DivinityUniversity of Trinity CollegeThe University of Trinity College, informally referred to as Trin, is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Trinity was intended by Strachan as a college of strong Anglican alignment, after the University of Toronto severed its ties with the Church of...
, (High Anglican)
There are also five affiliated institutions.
- Institute for Christian StudiesInstitute for Christian StudiesThe Institute for Christian Studies Toronto, Ontario is one of several unrelated institutions bearing that name.ICS Toronto is an independent graduate school of inter-disciplinary philosophy. At ICS, Junior Members and Senior members take part in shared learning through participatory seminars,...
(Christian Reformed Church in North AmericaChristian Reformed Church in North AmericaThe Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
) - Conrad Grebel University CollegeConrad Grebel University CollegeConrad Grebel University College is affiliated with the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The college is owned by Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and named for early Anabaptist leader Conrad Grebel...
(Mennonite Church CanadaMennonite Church CanadaMennonite Church Canada is the conference of Mennonites in Canada, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba.The first Mennonites in Canada arrived from Pennsylvania in 1786. The majority of the Mennonites that migrated to Canada over the next 150 years came directly from Europe...
) - McMaster Divinity CollegeMcMaster Divinity CollegeMcMaster Divinity College, also known as MacDiv, is a Christian seminary in Hamilton, Ontario. It is affiliated with the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, although in practice it is interdenominational, and could be said to more closely align with the broader Evangelical tradition...
(Baptist Convention of Ontario and QuebecBaptist Convention of Ontario and QuebecCanadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec is the oldest union of Baptist churches in central Canada.In 1880 a "Baptist Union of Canada" was formed. Since the churches were located chiefly in the central provinces, the name was changed in 1888 to "Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec"...
) - Waterloo Lutheran SeminaryWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryWaterloo Lutheran Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada affiliated with the nondenominational Wilfrid Laurier University, located in Waterloo, Ontario.-History:...
(Evangelical Lutheran Church in CanadaEvangelical Lutheran Church in CanadaThe Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada's largest Lutheran denomination, with 152,788 baptized members in 624 congregations, with the second largest, the Lutheran Church–Canada, having 72,116 baptized members...
) - Huron University CollegeHuron University CollegeHuron University College, referred to locally as Huron College is one of the affiliated colleges of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario....
(Anglican Church of CanadaAnglican Church of CanadaThe Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
)
Combining all the member schools of the TST, 500 courses are offered each year to over 1400 students.
Academics
The following programs are offered by one or more of the members of TST:- Master of DivinityMaster of DivinityIn the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
- Master of ReligionMaster of ReligionThe Master of Religion is a three year graduate theological degree granted conjointly by Wycliffe College in Toronto, Canada and the University of Toronto....
- Master of Theological StudiesMaster of Theological StudiesA Master of Theological Studies is a general academic degree that gives students an introduction to advanced theological studies. The M.T.S usually requires two years of program study to complete. The Latin equivalent for M.T.S...
- Master of Religious EducationMaster of Religious EducationThe Master of Religious Education is a terminal academic degree in preparation for professional teaching ministry, usually offered by Christian institutions. The curriculum includes two years of theological study and sometimes a thesis....
- Master of Pastoral Studies
- Master of Arts in Ministry and Spirituality
- Master of Sacred MusicMaster of Sacred MusicThe Master of Sacred Music degree is a two to five year post-baccalaureate degree that combines academic and musical studies. The closure of graduate programs in organ performance across America has made the MSM increasingly the de facto degree for advanced studies in church music; MSM graduates...
- Master of Arts in Theology
- Master of TheologyMaster of TheologyA Master of Theology is an advanced theological research degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries.-North America:In North America, the Master of Theology is considered by the Association of Theological Schools to be the minimum educational credential for teaching...
- Doctor of MinistryDoctor of MinistryThe 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...
- Doctor of PhilosophyDoctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
- Doctor of TheologyDoctor of TheologyDoctor of Theology is a terminal academic degree in theology. It is a research degree that is considered by the U.S. National Science Foundation to be the equivalent of a Doctor of Philosophy....
Each program is awarded conjointly by the school the student is registered with and the University of Toronto, except for the Master of Arts in Theology and the Doctor of Philosophy, which are awarded by University of St. Michael's College
University of St. Michael's College
The University of St. Michael's College is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1852 by the Congregation of St. Basil of Annonay, France. While mainly an undergraduate college for liberal arts and sciences, St. Michael's retains its Roman Catholic affiliation through its postgraduate...
.
Toronto School of Theology libraries
Students have access to the libraries of every member school, including Knox's Caven Library, St. Michael's Kelly Library, Trinity and Wycliffe's John W. Graham Library, and the libraries of Emmanuel College, Regis College, and St. Augustine's Seminary. Students, moreover, have access to the library system of the University of Toronto, including Robarts LibraryRobarts Library
The John P. Robarts Research Library, commonly referred to as Robarts Library, is the main humanities and social sciences library of the University of Toronto Libraries and the largest individual library in the university...
, Canada's largest library and the fourth largest academic library system in North America.
Journals
Toronto Journal of Theology is published semi-annually. It promotes progressive publication of current opinion on the full range of scholarship represented by diverse Christian traditions through the analysis of issues in Biblical Studies, History of Christianity, Systematic and Pastoral Theology, and Christian Ethics and engagement of cross-cultural perspectives in discussing theological issues.See also
- Association of Theological Schools in the United States and CanadaAssociation of Theological Schools in the United States and CanadaThe 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...
- Graduate programs in religionGraduate programs in religionIn the United States, graduate departments of religion tend to provide programs for the advanced study of both theology and religious studies. Generally Ph.D. programs exist at universities, but there are some notable seminary exceptions...
- University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
- Higher education in OntarioHigher education in OntarioHigher education in Ontario includes postsecondary education and skills training regulated by the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities and provided by universities, colleges of applied arts and technology, and private career colleges. The current minister is Glen Murray who assumed the...