Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Garrett–Evangelical is the result of the interweaving of three institutions: Founded in 1851 and beginning operations in 1853, the school is the result of a generous gift by benefactor [ 2 ] Eliza Clark Garrett . [ 3 ] Garrett Biblical Institute was the first Methodist seminary in the Midwest. It was established by the same group who founded Northwestern University, and both institutions have shared a campus in Evanston since their founding days. Its founders hoped that the school would shape mind and spirit for an educated clergy, a controversial topic as many local congregations looked with suspicion upon institutions of higher learning. Both Garrett and Northwestern University were early expressions of Methodists’ deep commitment to higher learning and making that learning increasingly accessible for leaders of the church and civil society. The Chicago Training School, established in 1885, was a force for women in ministry and for developing social and educational service agencies throughout Chicago. Its primary mission was to train female leaders to advocate for the poorest residents of the city, many had either recently emigrated from Europe, or were from the formerly enslaved communities from southern states who made their way north as part of the Great Migration . The school also played a significant role in training missionaries for service throughout the world. The Chicago Training School merged with Garrett Biblical Institute in 1934, forming Garrett Theological Seminary. Evangelical Theological Seminary, located in Naperville and founded as a seminary of the Evangelical Church (later the Evangelical United Brethren) in 1873, and was originally founded to serve the needs of the growing German-speaking immigrant communities. Garrett–Evangelical was formed in 1974 when the Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston merged with the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Naperville, Illinois (both UMC schools).

The merged school occupied the Garrett campus in Evanston. [ 2 ] Garrett–Evangelical is on the campus of Northwestern University and continues associations with the university. Both institutions were founded by the same Methodist clergy and laity in the mid-nineteenth century. Garrett has been an institution that specializes in preparing pastoral leaders for congregational leadership, and has also been a pioneer in preparing women for ministry and public leadership. [ 4 ]

Northwestern University Garrett–Evangelical and Northwestern University have a relationship that is 170 years old. Founders established both institutions to provide a learned clergy for an educated church, and learned citizenry for the rapidly growing and expanding "North West," as the Chicagoland area was then known. Over the decades, the institutions have shared resources, including courses, buildings, faculties, libraries, parking, technology, and in its earliest days a joint Board of Trustees.

The Chicago area boasts the greatest concentration of seminaries per capita of anywhere in the U.S. The Chicago area schools are organized into a cluster called The Association of Chicago Theological Schools. Garrett–Evangelical is one of the 11 member schools. The ACTS website states: [ 5 ] Together, the schools within ACTS offer a rich network of resources for theological education, making the association one of the outstanding centers of theological education in the world. Available to the approximately 3,000 students currently enrolled at its member schools is a faculty of more than 350, more than 1,000 courses offered annually, and library collections of 1.7 million volumes and nearly 5,000 currently received periodical subscriptions.