ACADEMIC CATALOG
INTRODUCTIONHISTORY AND VISIONSalt Lake Theological Seminary is located in Salt Lake City, the heart of the Intermountain West and headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The seminary was founded to train Christian leaders who understand the challenges of evangelism, church planting, and pastoral ministry in the unique cross-cultural setting of Utah. As the only multi-denominational seminary offering graduate degrees within the region bounded by Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco and Calgary, Salt Lake Theological Seminary is in a unique position to serve the need for theological education throughout the entire Intermountain West. The school was founded in 1984 as the Utah Institute for Biblical Studies, a lay institute organized in response to requests from several local church leaders. Prior to this time, members of the Christian community who felt called to pursue a theological education had to move out of state to do so. Upon graduation, most did not return to ministry in Utah. The school was created to reverse that trend. From its earliest days, the school has been multi-denominational, drawing students, faculty, and supporters from many different church backgrounds. In 1998, the Board of Trustees voted to add a graduate program of study, and the school became Salt Lake Theological Seminary, one of the newest seminaries in the Western United States. Currently, the school provides a broad range of educational and training opportunities. At the graduate level, professional training is offered through two graduate degrees: the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts with concentration in Theological Studies, Intercultural Studies, or Ministry Studies. At the non-graduate level, a Certificate in Christian Studies or in Christian Ministry prepares men and women for ministry in their local churches and para-church ministries. GOVERNANCE AND FUNDINGSalt Lake Theological Seminary is led by a Board of Trustees and an administrative staff of dedicated Christians representing experienced ministry, business, and academic leadership. The seminary’s third president, Dr. Jeffrey Silliman is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), with a Doctor of Ministry degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. Formerly Dr. Silliman worked for over 30 years as a pastor in two different churches within the Presbytery of Utah. Recently he served as Executive Presbyter for the Presbytery of Riverside in California. He also has provided significant leadership to his denomination in the formation of their current policies and practices with regard to relations with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its people. The seminary receives its funding from foundations, local churches and organizations, student tuition and fees, and individuals, both local and out-of-state, who have a heart to support its educational and missional work. CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRYOver the years, Salt Lake Theological Seminary has found that equipping students for ministry in Utah is much like missions training. Traditional Christians comprise only a small percentage of the population in Utah. The vision of the seminary is to meet this evangelistic challenge by educating, nurturing, and equipping men and women for ministry within Utah’s unique cross-cultural religious context. As a policy, the seminary supports dialogue with members of the Mormon Church, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), seeking to discuss our differences with respect. The cross-cultural nature of ministering within the LDS context is an essential part of Salt Lake Theological Seminary’s programs. Because of our location and experience, the seminary has become a recognized authority on this highly specialized cross-cultural ministry. Salt Lake Theological Seminary has gained wide respect for being able to affirm the positive values of LDS culture while faithfully teaching the critical differences between Mormonism and traditional Christianity. In 2001, funding by a generous grant enabled the seminary to create a training program to take this knowledge to a wider audience. The Bridges program equips biblical Christians better to understand LDS people, to build real connections with them, and to share with them testimonies to the Good News of Jesus Christ in gentleness and respect. In 2007, further funding by friends of the seminary launched Grounded, an exciting, fast paced youth training program that explores ways Christian teens can have honest friendships with Latter-day Saints, while maintaining the integrity of their own beliefs and effectively sharing their faith in Jesus Christ. The seminary’s ability to implement culturally relevant evangelism means that many people can be reached for Christ and successfully engaged in the life and work of the local church and in foreign mission fields. Several of our former students have served and currently serve missions organizations in Eastern Europe, Africa, Japan, India, China, Central Asia, Latin America, the Pacific Islands and the Middle East. Salt Lake Theological Seminary is the ideal training ground to equip men and women to meet the challenges of sharing their faith in the midst of the increasing cultural diversity of our world. EQUIPPING THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITYSalt Lake Theological Seminary is called to build bridges of God’s grace to the Christian community in the Intermountain West. Most local churches in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming are small and have limited access to financial resources. Empty pulpits can go without an ordained pastor for extended periods, in part because out-of-state clergy are reluctant to move their families into what is recognized as a challenging mission field. However, with focused Christian education and culturally relevant ministry skills, Christian leaders can engage seekers with the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ and bring them safely into healthy local congregations that manifest new life in Christ. In addition, pastors, Christian educators, and youth leaders who are well equipped for ministry and well connected with a local support system are less likely to burn out or to leave for opportunities in other states. Churches with strong Christian education and youth programs will in turn develop more knowledgeable, more committed and more mission-minded members of all ages. DISCIPLESHIP OF THE HEART AND MINDSalt Lake Theological Seminary equips students to meet the challenges of ministry through discipleship of the heart and mind. The rigorous and comprehensive academic programs offered are designed to challenge both. As committed Christians, the seminary faculty and staff promote the highest levels of academic excellence and seek to model the qualities and character needed for effective Christian leadership. Faculty members in particular get to know students personally through individual mentoring. This enables the faculty to stretch students academically and push them to new levels of understanding and application. The seminary’s commitment to spiritual formation complements its commitment to academic excellence. The strong sense of community among students, faculty, and staff provides the atmosphere essential to formation of a Christian heart. Each class offers a small group experience in which students and faculty members may share in each other’s spiritual journeys and encourage one another along the way. The faculty is fully committed to the spiritual formation of the students. The seminary also provides education and ministry skills outside of the classroom to meet the needs of the Christian community in the region. For many years, the seminary has organized an annual Christian Leaders’ Conference to nurture and support leaders of local congregations and the wider Christian community. On occasion, the seminary co-sponsors and promotes other conferences. The seminary also serves the Christian community through its Ambassadors Program, which allows faculty members and senior students to provide local churches with pulpit supply, adult Sunday school classes, short-term topical studies, and retreats. LIFE IN UTAHUtah is located in the Western United States and is bordered by the states of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho. The United States 2000 Census listed Utah’s population at roughly 2.25 million people. The state has an area of 84,900 square miles. In the last decade, Utah has been the fourth fastest-growing state in the United States. It has the 13th-highest percentage of college graduates in the nation and is projected to have the nation’s fastest-growing college enrollment until the year 2007. Considered one of the nation’s high-tech hot spots, Utah has a computer-literate population that has helped household income rates to soar nationally from 29th to 8th this past decade. Utah’s natural beauty is one of the main attractions to visitors. The state boasts five national parks, rivers, lakes (including the Great Salt Lake, which is the largest inland sea in the world), forests, the desert of the Great Basin, red rock canyons, and majestic mountain ranges. Utah’s stimulating four-season climate provides ample opportunity to enjoy all of the variety nature has to offer. With plenty of sunshine (237 days per year, on average), opportunities for outdoor recreation abound in all seasons and include skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, river running, biking, hiking, golfing, fishing and more The cultural scene is just as vibrant, as Utahans are well known for their support of the performing and visual arts. Salt Lake City is home to the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, Ballet West, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Pioneer Theater. Park City hosts the Sundance Film Festival each year, and some of the finest art galleries in the West are located on Park City’s Main Street. Salt Lake City is the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The majority of Utah’s population belongs to the LDS Church. Published sources estimate only about 10% of the population belongs to an historic Christian denomination (Source: American Religious Data Archive, 1990-2000). |
