Distinctives

For nearly two centuries Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School has been preparing visionary leaders who are pastoral, prophetic, and learned.  Our academically rigorous program integrates a deep commitment to biblical faith with a passion for social justice and ecumenical diversity.  If you are ready to embark on an educational and spiritual journey that will change your life, take a few moments to learn more about us.

"Don't ask what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."   --Howard Thurman 

1. Preparation for well-rounded ministry

"...what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"    --Micah 6:8

Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School prepares women and men for ministry in a world undergoing unprecedented change.  We do so by providing theological education that integrates critical scholarship with practical experience.  The curriculum includes training in biblical studies, church history, Christian ethics, theology and homiletics, as well as multicultural studies.  This well-rounded education encourages our graduates to look beyond what has been done before and to explore new visions of leadership for the future.

We offer a number of degree programs, including Master of Arts, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry degrees.  We also have an extensive lifelong learning program, which aims to engage clergy and lay persons who desire to deepen and enrich their faith and life in the world.

2. Diversity of Students and Faculty

"...all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ."                                                                --1 Corinthians 12:12

We do not live, work, or minister in cultural, ethnic, gender or denominational isolation.  It is no accident that Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School attracts and welcomes a very broad spectrum of individuals.  We believe it's good for them, and we know it's good for us.  As different expressions of faith, ethnic backgrounds, and personal histories are engaged, the ability of our graduates to connect with their congregations and communities is enhanced.

3. Globally Conscious

"  All [people] are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality."                                                                          --Martin Luther King, Jr.

The world is becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent.  This changing global reality challenges the 21st century Church and its leaders to address social, economic, and political concerns in new ways.  Our students are encouraged to examine these complicated issues from varying perspectives and to formulate solutions that are informed by their biblical faith and committed to prophetic witness.

We do more than educate excellent ministers.  We prepare progressive leaders who are globally conscious, passionate about their beliefs, and ready to become agents of change in the world around them.

4. Academic Excellence

"Every generation tries to put its doctrine on a high shelf where the children cannot reach it."                                       --Walter Rauschenbusch

We take great pride in our academic standards.  Our faculty consists of men and women with advanced degrees from such schools as Harvard University, Yale Divinity School, Northwestern University, the University of Glasgow, and Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York.  Most have published extensively, helping to define and set direction in their fields of study.

Our belief is that scholarship should maintain respect for the understandings of the past while encouraging a freedom of theological inquiry for the future.  Innovative programs that embody this viewpoint include curricula in Black Church Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and Interfaith Studies.

5. Heritage - 190 Year History

Our heritage merges the strengths and traditions of four different schools over a 190-year period.  The first, in 1817, was the Hamilton Theological and Literary Institute in rural Hamilton, New York.  The institute would become Colgate Theological Seminary when 13 men with $13 founded Colgate University.  An offshoot of Colgate Theological Seminary was planted in Rochester in 1850, when a number of faculty and students came from Colgate to Rochester to help begin a new university and seminary.  Consequently, the Rochester Theological Seminary was founded concurrently with the University of Rochester.

In 1928, the Colgate and Rochester seminaries merged to become Colgate Rochester Divinity School.  As part of the merger, the present campus was built on one of the highest hills in the southeastern corner of Rochester, New York.

In 1961, the Baptist Missionary Training School joined the campus on the hill, bringing its strong legacy of training women for ministry.

In 1970, Crozer Theological Seminary affiliated with Colgate Rochester Divinity School to form Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, bringing to the community Crozer's commitment to social justice and theological education oriented to the work of ministry.