Catalog 2012-2014 - Anderson University School of Theology

Institutional Goals and Relationships
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Anderson University was established in 1917 as Anderson Bible Training School. The institution’s history
and development, which led to its university status, established the school’s importance in Christian
higher education in America. The School of Theology is part of that development. In 1950, a graduate division
was established for the advanced professional preparation of ministerial students. This division is known as
Anderson University School of Theology and is the graduate seminary of the Church of God (Anderson, Ind.).
Anderson University School of Theology affirms its relationship with both its parent university and
the reform movement known within the Christian community as the Church of God (Anderson, Ind.). As
the graduate seminary of the Church of God, Anderson University School of Theology is committed to the
biblical essentials of Christian holiness and Church unity, which have been hallmarks of the movement’s
message for more than a century. Honoring the entire Christian heritage, Anderson University School of
Theology aspires to be biblical in orientation, missional in emphasis, and relational in spirit.
Anderson University School of Theology achieved full accreditation by the Association of Theological
Schools in 1965. It has continued to maintain that status and has been granted accreditation to grant the
professional doctoral degree by the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association (www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org;
phone: (312) 263-0456. Membership is also held in several other organizations
devoted to quality education.
Statement of Educational Effectiveness
The Anderson University School of Theology measures its educational effectiveness
through our assessment of outcomes of learning. For detail on the seminary’s assessment, see
the link at www.anderson.edu/sot/about/accreditation.html.
Accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United
States and Canada, and the following degree programs are approved: MDiv, MA in Christian Ministry, MA
in Intercultural Service, MTS, DMin.
Approved for a Comprehensive Distance Education Program
For more information on the Association of Theological Schools, call (412) 788-6505, visit their website
at www.ats.edu, fax (412) 788-6510, or mail the address below.
The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
10 Summit Park Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15275
In the beginning: Robert H. Reardon’s vision for the School of Theology
As assistant to Anderson University President John A. Morrison in the late
1940s, Robert H. Reardon was a strong advocate for the establishment of a
Church of God seminary in Anderson, Ind. In 1950, the vision became reality
with the founding of the new Anderson School of Theology. Reardon was a
charter member of the graduate faculty, and along with others, he contributed
many books from his personal collection to start the seminary library.
— Robert Reardon was president of Anderson University from 1958 to 1983.
8 Anderson University School of Theology Catalog, 2014-2015