Mid-America Reformed Seminary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mid-America Reformed Seminary |
|
| Established | 1981 |
| School type | Private |
| President | Cornel Venema |
| Location | Dyer, IN, USA |
| Enrollment | 30 |
| Faculty | 5 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Website | http://www.midamerica.edu |
Mid-America Reformed Seminary is a graduate level theological institution located in Dyer, Indiana, offering a biblical and theological education in the classic Reformed (Calvinistic) tradition. The seminary offers a three year Master of Divinity degree program for students seeking ordination. A two year Master of Theological Studies degree is offered for students who desire a theological education without seeking the ordained ministry.
The school is accredited by TRACS.
Contents |
[edit] Relationship to the Church
The school is not governed by any particular denomination, thereby allowing it to serve a variety of churches with ministerial training. Throughout its history M.A.R.S. has prepared students for ordained ministry in the following confessionally Reformed and Presbyterian churches:
- Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA)
- Orthodox Christian Reformed Churches (OCRC)
- Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC)
- Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
- Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS)
- United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA)
Mid-America's commitment to theological education is based on confessional allegiance rather than denominational affiliation. With most faculty and board members being formerly associated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America, and now affiliated with the recently-created United Reformed Churches, all members of the faculty and of the Board of Trustees are committed to the Holy Scriptures as the infallible and inerrant Word of God, and in conformity with the Word are committed to the ecumenical creeds of Christendom (the Apostles' Creed, Athanasian Creed, and Nicene Creed) and the Reformed Confessions (the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Canons of Dort, and the Westminster Confession of Faith) as faithfully setting forth the system of truth taught in Scripture.
[edit] History of Mid-America Reformed Seminary
The seminary was founded on April 21, 1981 when a group of Christian Reformed ministers and laymen met at the Hilton Hotel at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. At this meeting it was decided to establish a seminary society and board of trustees, to purchase the Harmony Youth Home in Orange City, Iowa to serve as the seminary's campus, and to name the seminary Mid-America Reformed Seminary.1 The seminary was intended as an alternative to Calvin Theological Seminary, the denominational seminary of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, which the founders of Mid-America believed was straying from its confessional Reformed identity.
In 1995 the seminary moved its campus to Dyer, Indiana, where it currently resides.
On April 8, 2006, Mid-America held a celebration of its 25th anniversary in the West Commons at Dordt College, and plans on holding other 25th anniversary celebrations throughout the United States and Canada in 2006.2
[edit] Seminary Publications
- Mid-America Journal of Theology - published annually with scholarly articles and book reviews
- The Messenger - a bimonthly newsletter
- Called to Preach - a booklet by Dr. John Sittema written to those considering the gospel ministry
[edit] Notes
Note 1: Mid-America E-Notes 24 April 2006.
Note 2: Ibid.
