PURPOSE
Emmanuel School of Religion is a graduate-level Christian seminary committed to the lordship of Jesus Christ, to the authority of Scripture, and to the vision of the unity of world Christianity as arising from the work of such thinkers as Thomas and Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone.
The primary purpose of Emmanuel is to prepare men and women for effective ministry in these areas:
- worship, preaching and pastoral care
- Christian education
- evangelism and church growth
- cross-cultural missions
- institutional and military chaplaincy
- teaching in schools and colleges
- Christian exercise of other vocations
To accomplish this purpose, Emmanuel School of Religion offers two residential degree programs for those who have attained a baccalaureate degree. The Master of Divinity degree is intended for those seeking comprehensive preparation for any of the pastoral ministries of the church. The Master of Arts in Religion degree is designed primarily for those interested in advanced Christian study who have chosen careers other than congregational leadership. It may, however, be undertaken by those who have had ministerial experience and whose time of study is limited, such as missionaries on furlough.
The Doctor of Ministry degree is offered for persons who hold the Master of Divinity (or equivalent), who are already experienced in pastoral ministry, and who desire to renew and deepen their theological understanding and to increase their competence in the practice of ministry. This is a nonresidential degree intended to be pursued while the student is engaged in full-time ministerial work.
The second purpose of Emmanuel is to serve the church as an intellectual center.
This purpose encompasses the following activities:
- enriching the Church through the scholarly research and writing of the faculty
- sponsoring lectureships and conferences that will be informative and helpful to ministers and church leaders
- providing through its library high quality resources for the educational life of the Church
- making available to the Church the expertise and experience of the faculty through various special programs
The mission of Emmanuel School of Religion is best understood in light of the name of the School and the design of its educational programs. “Emmanuel” states the confidence in the revelation of God in Christ that must permeate all studies. It points to the expectant reception of faculty and students of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the pursuit of theological learning.
Emmanuel is a school “of Religion” because it teaches the Bible and also those subjects that contribute effectively to an understanding of God and humankind. It includes, in addition to biblical studies, those of a historical, philosophical, and ministerial nature, with a view to assisting the students in attaining a comprehensive, accurate, and sympathetic understanding of their work as servants of Christ. The term “Religion” indicates this broad scope of the curriculum.
The word “School” emphasizes the humble discipleship designed to produce a leadership and servant ministry of quality, particularly for Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. This term accents the principles of scholarship, along with the skills and character of a ministry of reconciliation within and through the Church.
Students at Emmanuel are instructed by a faculty of competent scholars. The disciplines of the spiritual life are nurtured in a variety of ways within the seminary community. By these means the School endeavors to educate a ministry of high scholarly and spiritual attainments.
Emmanuel finds its identity in the revelation of God in history, specifically in the person of Jesus Christ. It is dedicated to discerning and following the will of Christ, and employs in that task the New Testament as its norm and the history of the Church as its guide. Thus it sees the restoration of humanity to God in congregational and worldwide fellowship as the deepest expression of a heritage that has emphasized the restoration of New Testament Christianity as the means of attaining Christian unity. In this way it serves the mission of the Church everywhere and especially the needs of Christian Churches and Churches of Christ.
It is the expressed educational purpose of Emmanuel to accomplish seven major goals in the life of every student. These goals are:
- To develop a mature love for God, commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and awareness of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church.
- To understand the Christian faith as it has been revealed in Scripture, experienced throughout the history of the Church, and explored in twenty centuries of Christian thought.
- To appreciate the Stone-Campbell heritage, with its concern for the restoration of the universal Church to the spiritual standards of the New Testament.
- To recognize the dignity and worth of all men and women as persons created in the image of God.
- To contextualize the Christian faith in relation to contemporary culture.
- To test and refine one’s theology of ministry.
- To acquire skills in the various practices of ministry and mission.
SPIRITUAL LIFE
The purpose of Emmanuel School of Religion is to be understood in light of the nature of the Church as a fellowship of mutual ministry and of mission to the world. Therefore, we desire to exemplify our total commitment to Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, Lord, and Savior. Such a confession involves not only servitude to Christ but also freedom among one another under Him. We regard this confession as the root of individual maturity in Christ and collective maturity in the Spirit as the family of God. In the fullest depth and breadth of this commitment we envision a spirituality that is genuinely Christian and ecumenical.
Accordingly, the various learned disciplines of the academic program can be properly understood and fully engaged only in relationship to the whole spiritual life. Therefore, participation in the Emmanuel community presupposes, as a minimum, honest personal interest in learning both the intellectual content and the moral and spiritual practice of Christian faith. Academic achievement and spiritual growth are closely linked in the ideal of Emmanuel.
To aid the development of spiritual life, Emmanuel offers various formal programs, as well as more spontaneous events that grow out of the atmosphere of freedom and spiritual commitment within the School. Worship services are held each class day. Several times each month during the chapel period the community divides into small groups for prayerful sharing of personal concerns. Members of the faculty, administration, and staff meet each Tuesday morning for prayer. Various other prayer groups, open to the whole Emmanuel community, develop voluntarily each semester. Individual devotional life is strongly encouraged, as is involvement in and service to local churches. More informal occasions of mutual edification occur daily. Student spouses and children are encouraged to become involved in the life of the seminary community.
HISTORY
Following a long period of informal discussion, a conference of interested individuals from across North America met in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1956 to review the prospects and facilities existing among the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ for the education of an effective ministry. The conference appointed a committee to gather data, call further exploratory conferences, plan a program, and secure a charter and open a school. This committee engaged in active study and discussion until 1961.
Their studies indicated that a large number of college students were seeking further preparation for ministry in an institution firmly committed to the teaching of the Gospel and to the study of the Restoration heritage in order to exhibit in our time the imperative relevance of New Testament Christianity. Many of these students desired to equip themselves for ministry in an environment of spiritual growth and academic rigor. The committee understood that these objectives could best be achieved through assembling a committed, educated faculty to oversee a demanding, biblically based curriculum.
A number of Christian colleges, not themselves able to add graduate work to their present offerings, were interested in the development of such an institution. Existing facilities also were inadequate for the preparation of the maximal number of ministers necessary to meet the requirements of the churches.
During the time that the committee was engaged in this study, others were advocating a similar move at Milligan College. This group caught its enthusiasm from Dr. Dean E. Walker, who had made known his hopes for such an institution when he assumed the office of President of the college in January 1950.
In the light of these studies and conclusions, the committee applied for a charter and received incorporation as Emmanuel School of Religion in the State of Tennessee in 1961. Members of the committee became members of the Board of Trustees. In 1965, an agreement was concluded with Milligan College for the use of classrooms, the library, language laboratory, gymnasium, and offices.
The plan to locate near Milligan College was determined, in part, by the consideration that students would have opportunity to supplement undergraduate studies by additional work in a regionally accredited college, thereby equipping themselves more fully for the current demands of the ministry. The commitment of Milligan College to the proposition that a knowledge of the Bible is essential to the full understanding of social, humane, and scientific learning established a sympathetic bond between the two institutions.
Emmanuel School of Religion is an independent legal entity by virtue of its charter granted by the State of Tennessee. The only relationship it bears to other institutions within the universal church and within the brotherhood of Christian Churches is a fraternal one.
Emmanuel School of Religion opened for classes on September 15, 1965, with an initial enrollment of 35 students. For the school year 1999–2000, a total of 182 students registered.
In June 1981, Emmanuel became an accredited member of The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada by virtue of having received accreditation and approval of the Master of Divinity degree program. The Master of Arts in Religion degree was approved in 1982. In December 1986, Emmanuel received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Religion degrees. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted doctoral-granting status in 1994, followed by the same action by The Association of Theological Schools, which granted accreditation of the Doctor of Ministry degree in 1997.
LOCATION
Emmanuel School of Religion is a part of the rapidly growing Tri-Cities region of Northeast Tennessee, a metropolitan area with a population of about a half million people comprising
the cities of Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol and several smaller communities. Located just to the southeast of Johnson City, the School occupies a partially wooded campus overlooking a beautiful valley in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Situated immediately across from Milligan College, Emmanuel is easily reached by car from exit 31 on Interstate 181, slightly more than two miles away along Milligan Highway. The Tri-Cities Regional Airport, just north of Johnson City, provides airline service to the region.
THE CAMPUS
The hub of the Emmanuel campus is the B.D. Phillips Memorial Building, provided through the generosity of the B.D. Phillips Charitable Trust of Butler, Pennsylvania. This structure, the exterior of which is pink Georgia marble and which contains over 50,000 square feet of space, is an unusual blend of architectural beauty and utility.
The B.D. Phillips Memorial Building provides for every graduate school need except student residences. One wing houses the chapel and a large multipurpose room designed for lectures, dramatic productions, radio and television services, and social functions. The opposite wing is occupied totally by the library. Between these two wings, the three-story main section contains administrative and faculty offices, classrooms, bookstore, student and faculty lounges, and additional library space.
LIBRARY LEARNING RESOURCES
The Library has aggressively expanded its holdings and now numbers more than 112,000 volumes and receives more than 700 periodicals regularly. Non-print media such as audio tapes, Christian education resources, and computer-based biblical and Patristic studies tools, indexing and abstracting services, and other reference tools are among the resources available to the community of scholars at Emmanuel. Access to the School’s library, media center, and archives collections is gained through the computerized public access catalog network. Online access is available via the Emmanuel web site at www.esr.edu.
Within the wider community, the P.H. Welshimer Memorial Library at Milligan College offers access to about 120,000 volumes and 647 periodicals. The libraries of nearby East Tennessee State University house more than 1.5 million volumes and 3,400 current periodicals. Students serving churches may also request access to the libraries of a number of colleges and universities in proximity to their churches.
The Library is a member of SOLINET (Southeastern Library Network), a bibliographic computer and telecommunications system that promotes resource sharing among more than 18,000 libraries world wide. Through this online system, Emmanuel has ready access to millions of volumes held by these other libraries. The Library also participates in the Tri-Cities Health Sciences Libraries Consortium. Memberships include: the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, the Tennessee Theological Library Association, and the American Theological Library Association.
The main collection has within it the libraries of a number of retired or deceased scholars such as Dean E. Walker, Toyozo W. Nakarai, Joseph H. Dampier, Beauford Bryant, Burton B. Thurston, James Van Buren, Fred P. Thompson, Delno W. Brown, and Paul Schubert. These libraries have enriched the main collection.
Certain special collections are noteworthy. The Beauford H. Bryant New Testament Seminar Library contains more than 6,000 volumes that are primarily concerned with the New Testament and its background. The Restoration Movement Archives Collection was established as a research facility for the examination of past and present aspects of the Campbell-Stone tradition. This Discipliana collection consists of a wide range of books, periodicals, pamphlets, and memorabilia.
The Media Center is a resource of audiovisual equipment and materials for use by faculty and students. Curriculum materials are also available for research projects in Christian education. It is also a computer center where students may meet their computer needs while on campus.
ACCREDITATION
A.T.S. — Emmanuel School of Religion is accredited by The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the professional accrediting agency for graduate theological schools. [ATS, 10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275]
S.A.C.S. — Emmanuel School of Religion is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the regional accrediting agency for the southern United States, to award M.A.R., M.Div., and D.Min. degrees. [SACS, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097].
INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
AMERC — Emmanuel holds membership, along with forty-six other seminaries, in the Appalachian Ministries Educational Resource Center located in Berea, Kentucky. AMERC makes grants to help fund projects designed to provide instruction and experience in the Appalachian region, its people and history, its culture and religious traditions, and its needs and issues for ministry.
A.S.O.R. — Emmanuel is a member of the Corporation of the American Schools of Oriental Research, which maintains research centers in Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, and Iraq. This Corporation consists of some 150 institutions of higher learning in the United States and Canada. Its purpose is to promote the study and teaching of the history, culture, languages, literature, and geography of the ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean societies. The faculty and students of Emmanuel may utilize the many publications, facilities, and excavation and study opportunities offered by A.S.O.R.
A.T.F.E. — The School is a member of the Association for Theological Field Education, which meets biennially to consider matters of common concern to workers in theological field education in the United States and Canada.
RELATIONSHIP WITH MILLIGAN COLLEGE
Emmanuel School of Religion enjoys a cordial relationship with Milligan College, located just a few hundred yards away. Emmanuel students have full privileges at Milligan’s Welshimer Library, are welcome as guests in its student union building, in convocations and at special lectureships, and in some cases are able to secure accommodation in Milligan College apartments or dormitories. Payment of the Emmanuel activity fee each term also permits students to use the recreation facilities of the Lacy Fieldhouse and the services of the Milligan health clinic, and to be admitted to various cultural events in Seeger Chapel.
Milligan College faculty contribute to the academic life of Emmanuel from time to time as guest lecturers, as retreat and chapel speakers, as members of thesis committees, or as teachers of special courses in the Emmanuel curriculum, especially during the January Intersession or the Summer Session.
STUDENT LIFE
Student Association
The Student Association is composed of all students enrolled in Emmanuel School of Religion. This organization provides opportunities for students to become better acquainted with each other, to discuss topics of common interest, to undertake service projects together, and to plan community social events.
The Association also facilitates communication between the student body and the administration and faculty, and it oversees the selection of student representatives to the following faculty/administrative committees: Admissions, Chapel, Curriculum, Fellowship, Lectureship, and Fall Retreat. It is solely in charge of the midwinter Spiritual Retreat.
Regular meetings are held each semester. Officers are elected in the spring for a term of one year.
Chapel and Small Group Sessions
Daily worship services are conducted Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. Most of these are held in the Mildred Welshimer Phillips Memorial Chapel. Faculty, administrators, staff, and students participate in the leadership of these services, which vary in format. Guest preachers are invited frequently from off campus. Several times each month during the usual chapel time, students and faculty meet instead in small groups for prayer and spiritual reflection. Attendance at chapel services and small group meetings is expected of all students.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Membership in the Alumni Association is open to all graduates and former students. The Association holds a business meeting annually in conjunction with the North American Christian Convention, and elects officers for one-year terms. The purposes of the Association are to maintain a continuing relationship between alumni/ae and the School, to facilitate mutual encouragement and helpfulness among the membership, and to underwrite the costs of specific projects to benefit the school.
THETA PHI
The Emmanuel Chapter of the International Society of Theta Phi, an honor society for theological students, scholars in the field of religion, and outstanding religious leaders, was inaugurated in the spring of 1972. Students excelling in scholarship, character, and professional competence are elected as members each year. Non-students may be elected on the basis of distinguished achievement in scholarship or service in the church.
The Society sponsors a banquet each spring at which new members are inducted and an invitational address is given on some aspect of theological learning. These addresses are published and circulated.
ANNUAL LECTURESHIPS
Kershner Memorial Lectures
Beginning in 1976, these lectures were funded largely by an anonymous donor in honor of Frederick D. Kershner (1875–1953), a noted educator, theologian, and author among the Christian Churches. A scholar of distinction in one of the classical theological disciplines is invited to give four lectures over a period of two to four days. Through the years lecturers have included John Bright, Wilhelm Pauck, Fred B. Craddock, James Michael Lee, E. Earle Ellis, and Ernst Käsemann. Lecturers since 1990 include:
| 1990 | David L. Balch, Ph.D., Associate Professor of New Testament, Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University |
| 1991 | Elizabeth Achtemeier, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Bible and Homiletics, Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia |
| 1992 | Thomas C. Oden, Ph.D., Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology, Drew University |
| 1993 | Robert L. Wilken, Ph.D., Professor of the History of Christianity, University of Virginia |
| 1994 | Robert D. Dale, Assistant Executive Director, Virginia Baptist General Board, and Director, Center for Creative Church Leadership Development |
| 1995 | Geoffrey Wainwright, Ph.D., Professor of Systematic Theology, Divinity School, Duke University |
| 1996 | Luke Timothy Johnson, Ph.D., Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, Candler School of Theology |
| 1998 | James Luther Mays, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Old Testament, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia |
| 1999 | Grant Wacker, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the History of Religion in America, Duke Divinity School, Duke University |
Westwood Lectureships
The Westwood Foundation was created to sponsor a Consortium that would bring together the resources of church-related colleges, seminaries, and institutes in the advancement of Christian teaching and inquiry within the context of the UCLA community. When a New Testament professor was recognized, accepted, and funded by UCLA, the work of the Foundation was fulfilled. In 1996, the trustees then transferred their assets to Emmanuel School of Religion to endow and assure the continuance of the Westwood Lectureships. Two lectureships have been established: The Robert O. Fife Lectures in Christian Reformation and The Myron Taylor Lectures in Preaching and Pastoral Ministry.
The inaugural lectureship was presented in 1997 when Dr. Robert O. Fife, Adjunct Professor of Church History at Emmanuel School of Religion and a founding director of the Westwood Foundation, presented the first Robert O. Fife Lectures in Christian Reformation.
The inaugural Myron Taylor Lectures in Preaching and Pastoral Ministry were presented in 1998 by Dr. Myron Taylor, Minister, Westwood Hills Christian Church, Los Angeles, California.
Mission of the Church Lectures
Since 1978, the Fig Tree Fellowship has sponsored an annual lectureship devoted to the Christian world mission, especially cross-cultural evangelism. Many noted and stimulating speakers have been featured, including David Moberg, William E. Pannell, Heber F. Peacock, and Kosuke Kayama. Lecturers since 1990 include:
| 1990 | Dana L. Robert, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of International Mission, Boston University School of Theology |
| 1991 | Saphir P. Athyal, Ph.D., former Principal, Union Biblical Seminary, Bibvewadi, Pune, India, and Visiting Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary and Azusa Pacific University |
| 1992 | David Newell, Associate Producer (and “Mr. McFeely”), Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and Director of Public Relations, Family Communications |
| 1992 | J. Andrew Kirk, Ph.D., Dean, Mission Department, The Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, England |
| 1993 | Wilbert R. Shenk, Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary, Professor of Mission History and Contemporary Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary |
| 1994 | H. D. Beeby, Ph.D., Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham, England |
| 1995 | John Polkinghorne, Ph.D., Sc.D., Queen’s College, Cambridge, England |
| 1997 | Andrew Walls, Ph.D., Curator of the Archives at the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| 1997 | Charles Taber, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of World Mission, Emmanuel School of Religion. Respondents: Angelyn Dries, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Wilbert Shenk, Ph.D., Professor of Mission History and Contemporary Culture, School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California |
| 1999 | Paul Negrut, Ph.D., President, Emmanuel Baptist Institute and Seminary, and Pastor, Second Baptist Church, Oradea, Romania |
Occasional Lectures
Special lectures are offered occasionally, by special arrangement. For example, in 1999, the Forest Reed Lecture, sponsored by the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, was presented at Emmanuel by Debra Hull, Ph.D., Dean and Professor of Psychology at Wheeling Jesuit University, Wheeling, West Virginia, who spoke on “Christian Church Women at the Turn of the Century.”