By Jean Nash Wells

From its beginnings as the Bible Teachers’ College in Montclair, NJ in 1900, to its incarnation as the New York Theological Seminary in Harlem ( Morningside Heights), the Bible has occupied the central position in the school’s theological curriculum. With the name change to New York Theological Seminary came a new venture with a commitment to biblical understanding and theological training for urban ministry at the heart of its mission.

The Seminary offers three accredited degrees: Master of Professional Studies, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry. A non-accredited Certificate in Christian Ministry is also offered. Classes are held on evenings and weekends in order to accommodate student’s lifestyles/work/church schedules. One can find courses taught in English, French, Korean and Spanish.

With offices in the Interchurch Center, classrooms in The Riverside Church and Union Theological Seminary and The Burke Library for its library resources, NYTS sits at the intersection of church, city and academy, well-positioned for its second century of service.

Led by the Spirit and committed to the power of the Word to transform the world, the seminary seeks to work with churches and other faith communities in bringing the city to light.

With all of this in mind, we sat down with Rev. Dr. Dale Irwin the newly installed president of New York Theological Seminary to seek his thoughts and ideas.

“In the 60s and 70s urban ministry usually meant ministry to the poor, tenements, what we used to call inner-city ministry,” President Irwin said. “What we’ve seen in the last decade is a much more complex understanding of inner city mission. One of the things we’ve seen here for instance is that the African American community sits as part of a much wider African Diaspora all of which re-gathers here. So we have African immigrants, we have Afro-Caribbeans; we have African Americans who come from the South, and African Americans who are from New York. So,” he continued, “part of the idea of our global emphasis is bringing those together and seeing how they learn from one another.

We’re not talking about urban ministry just being tenemented. We’re talking about Wall Street, we’re talking about finance, we’re talking about housing development. We’re talking about all the things the church has always done. But we’re talking about all of this in the context of urban leadership training. That’s the direction we’re going.”

Irwin says that the student body at NYTS is one of the most diverse anywhere in the world with people of African descent making up about 65 percent. He understands that the African American church nurtured the tradition of people learning in the church. “Most preachers are still nurtured in the church,” he said, “We emphasize that and work with churches.”

As an example, the Seminary offers courses in churches in New York and New Jersey, such as Mount Olive and New Hope in Hackensack, NJ, United Methodist of Springfield Gardens, Medgar Evers College (in French only) and Faith Deliverance Pentecostal Church of God in Christ in Brooklyn.

Irwin breaks NYTS students into four types: The first are pastors, many of them, long term pastors, who have not had a formal theological education, who want to move to the next level for themselves and their churches. Second are people making a career change—lawyers, financial advisors, and college professors—people who have reached the age of 50 or 55 and are hungry for something different. They are usually leaders in churches but are on their way to a full time ministry. The third group are people who are retired, have run churches – usually women who have run everything in a church and just want to obtain a theological degree.

Fourth are those who have never sought a theological education­—people like Edison O. Jackson, president of Medgar Evers College. President Jackson is not retiring, he’s not changing careers, but he wants to think of Medgar Evers College as his ministry and integrate running a public university with spirituality and ministry. In this category, which is new for NYTS, are people from all works of life who want to think of what they do as a ministry.

“Theological education has always been geared to training people to run a church,” Irwin explained, “but it’s not raised the question, ‘What does theology look like when it’s done in a law office?’ So for us it’s not a new phenomenon. But it’s new in the way of thinking about it and teaching people ministry.”

Irwin believes that this is the fastest growing segment in churches. “We have rapidly developing congregations [where] their lay people are doctors and lawyers and they are looking for more.”

JNW: When did this change begin to take place and what is your overall impression of spirituality in the African American community?

DTI: I think it’s a post 1970 development. I think it is part of what sociologists are calling “the new black church experience.” TD Jakes is kind of emblematic of it. While he does spirituality, he does financial planning seminars. It is emphasis on mega church personal development, but financial abundance. Certainly Jesse Jackson’s Wall Street Project has been a national symbol of this – economic empowerment as a follow-up to the Civil Rights

Movement. Part of this is an emerging middle class that has means. The spirituality that is developing, doesn’t lose sight of the tradition, but it adds to it and makes it much more complex. It’s multifaith. It’s global. You call Rev. Johnny Ray Youngblood’s Church and you get a Japanese greeting. It’s spirituality anchored in the history and tradition, but encouraging people to think more globally.

JNW: How do you see the role of clergy who are social activists?

DTI: If ministry stays only within the walls of the church, then ministry isn’t doing its job. I don’t endorse any particular person and what he does or any stand he may take, but they are part of a group of people who understand that ministry belongs out in the public. Alongside urban leadership, we need to think of ministry as public theology. Part of what ministers are challenged to do is to be caretakers of the soul of the city not just the soul of their congregations.

New York Seminary is the only seminary that does not own a peace of property or consider a peace of property its home. The accrediting body considers New York City our campus.

JNW: What are the tuition fees at NYTS?

DTI: Historically we have the lowest tuition of all the graduate theological schools in the area. We’re $325 a credit for a masters level program. Our certificate program is offered at $250 a course. That’s $2,000 for the certificate.

JNW: What is your impression of the mega-church phenomenon?

DTI: The people who are part of the mega church movement nationally, quietly say mega churches have peaked. The move is toward smaller churches and house churches. The ones that are going to survive are the ones that have done small church development inside. Allen Cathedral, Donnie Hilliard in New Jersey — one church that worships in three places. You do have a Buster Soaries — people I have mentioned who are doing it right.

JNW: How do you see the emerging global society affecting the black church, the black community?

DTI: There are three things about the African American society. It’s the first intentional multicultural formation of a community. Africans came from different tribes. Nevertheless what they forged was an intercultural multicultural reality and they adopted it from the Europeans when they needed it. They also adopted from Native Americans and forged a cohesive culture that has multiple roots. It is the culture, which has sustained the clearest emphasis on freedom, liberation, justice and democracy. I think it was Cornel West who said, “If you have any hope for democracy in America, it’s in the African American community. The third thing is that the only creative thing that America has offered the world has an African stamp on it.

Though Irwin says he hasn’t made any real changes since assuming the office of president, others say that the optimism and enthusiasm about his ascendancy to the office are palpable. Rev. Paul Bradley from the office of Development and Institutional Advancement accuses Irwin of being too modest. “The energy level since Dale became president is through the roof. Everybody is motivated and excited and there is a sense of purpose and moving forward that has been reflected in increased enrollment and giving.” Amen.

Caption:

Rev. Vernon Dougherty, NYTS Office of Alumni and Church Relations with newly installed President Rev. Dr. Dale T. Irwin