Looking for an affordable M.Div Program by the UU church

Hoping someone here has some experience in this field.

I'm looking for a Unitarian Universalist (UU) approved religious studies or masters in divinity grad (M.Div) program that can be done online or via distance learning that is $17k or less, anything like that out there?

Thanks!

 

I'll do a Google search for you and will report back to you my findings. Is there anything else you need before I enter a Google search for you?

 

Thank you me again, i welcome your help. I am asking for the feedback of people with experience but if you do Google it do share your findings.

thanks in advance ..

 

cLiCk hErE tO sEe sOmE hItS tHaT yOu'LL haVe tO sIfT tHrOuGh.

gOoD lUcK

 

Like I said, i'm not interested in your Google search my friend.

I am looking for those who have experience in this field to chime in.


For now, here's my contribution.. regarding UU ministry costs

an outdated doc http://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/documents/oeschmartha/economicrealities.pdf

a more recent doc http://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/economic_realities.pdf.pdf


clearly these costs are higher than my target cost... that is why i am asking here if there are UU MDiv programs that cost under $17k.


Thanks in advance to all those who wish to help out

 

Actually, that's not what you asked for in your first post.

Maybe these people will be willing to help

https://uuchurch.net/forum-discussion-group/

 

I'm having trouble reconciling this...

With this...

 

There are only two UU affiliated seminaries. Neither offer DL M.Divs. Starr King offers a DL certificate, I believe, however.

Here is a list of non-UU seminaries that the UUA felt worthy of including on a list of non-UUA seminaries, however. They note that you don't need to attend a UUA seminary. So go through and see if they have any. I'll be a bit surprised if they do, however. Anecdotally, I only ever met one UUA minister and she earned her M.Div. at Harvard Divinity. So I don't think this is a denomination that is desperate for clergy applicants to where you can just show up with ANY M.Div. and expect much. But hey, I don't know anything about the UU credentialing process.

Theological Schools | UUA.org

 

I was interested to see that Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary isn't on the list; they're one of the largest Theology schools in the country as far as full-time students.

Of interest to us, they offer about a dozen courses online each semester, although a 100% DL M.Div. isn't possible. They do have hybrid M.A. degrees in Christian Ministries and Christian Leadership, as well as online graduate certificates in Christian Studies and Urban Ministries.

Gordon-Conwell Distance Learning

 

Not surprising at all that they wouldn't appear on a Unitarian Universalist list. Gordon-Conwell is conservative Protestant. Long considered one of the "cadillac" schools in evangelicalism, and long involved in distance education though they have no totally DL degrees. By nature, the folks at Gordon-Conwell would consider Unitarians to be, theologically, a cult. Although no total DL options, they were one of the original participants in ACCESS (the Asociation of Christian Continuing Education Schools and Seminaries, one of the foundational organizations in Christian DL).

 

Well, there you go.

The church that John Adams & John Quincy Adams attended (and where they and their wives are entombed in the basement) is in my hometown (Quincy, MA), and is now Unitarian Universalist. They created quite a stir several years ago by flying the rainbow flag on the church; I imagine that the dead Presidents in the basement were doing about 1200 RPM's :biggrin:

 

Yep that's so sad. ...the same people that said God was not ok to talk to others about..lol

Anything that has anything to do with Starr King scares me. Its ok to be accepting of others in an effort to help them, its another issue to approve of what they do. I feel that as a church you have to draw the line somewhere.

 

All depends on what you view the role of a church to be.

If you feel that a church is supposed to spit out condemnations and wag fingers in the face of society telling them that their behavior is deplorable then things like rainbow flags don't make sense.

If you feel that a church isn't supposed to be in the judgment business and is, instead, supposed to just encourage people to be the best versions of themselves they possibly can be and do good for others, then the rainbow flags make perfect sense.

The latter is easier to do consistently. The former is trickier. It's not so easy to condemn all sins equally. So churches end up picking a top three list of sins to be vocal about. Be against abortion, same sex marriage and, say, premarital sex, but have no issue with your fellow congregants who make their livings doing things that are also biblically prohibited.

But that's a story for another day.

If you want UUA there are only two schools to consider and neither has an online MDiv.

 

I think the rainbow flag is just trying too danged hard, that's all, and there's arguably an aura of wagging finger judgmentalism to it as well.

The average rainbow flag church has no shortage of members who are quite smug and prim about pointing bony fingers at capitalists, people who favor laissez-faire economics, people who think abortion is morally wrong, people who vote republican, people who do things that don't fit within their paradigm of what's right and wrong. It's not about the want of judgmentalism, everyone judges.

 

I think we know which side that John Adams and John Quincy Adams were with, which was my point. :wink1:

 

UU Ministry Education

You can attend any seminary which offers an M.Div. and is accredited by ATS. See Home | The Association of Theological Schools for a list of seminaries. Get your hands on a UU Directory you can see where current ministers earned their degrees. Andover Newton Andover Newton Theological School and Pacific School of Religion www.psr.edu probably have as many or more UU students than Starr King www.sksm.edu and Meadville-Lombard Meadville Lombard Theological School | Chicago, IL combined. You will need to complete a few courses specific to UU History and Polity, but can pick those up by distance learning or short courses. You may find more conservative seminaries may not be receptive to your theological leanings.

$17,000 is wholly unrealistic. You're probably looking at a minimum of $60,000 in tuition alone. Education also includes Clinical Pastoral Education (3 months) which you will have to pay for.

In any event look over: Becoming a Unitarian Universalist Minister | UUA.org before doing anything. There are people who go to seminary and just show up at UUA headquarters in Boston expecting to get a job. There are important steps you need to take before you attend seminary. Also, it's worthwhile knowing there are probably 300 hundred or so people preparing for ministry at any one time and with a total of less than 1,200 ministerial positions Association-wide. Often there are 10 to 15 people competing for any one opening.

Full disclosure I am a graduate of Pacific School of Religion and consider the years I spend there and at the Graduate Theological Union | Graduate Theological Union some of the best of my life.

- lifelonglearner