Seminarians in the City

City Mission Society (CMS) announces our newest initiative, Seminarians in the City. This new training program in ministry has been designed consistent with our mission to engage the faith community in promoting social justice in the city of Boston and beyond. In partnership with the Boston Theological Institute, local seminaries, and partnering congregations and community agencies, Seminarians in the City will equip local seminarians to respond to the call of the Gospel in the city and beyond through active engagement in urban ministry, critical evaluation of contemporary urban issues, and the intentional pursuit of the integration of faith and social justice. Seminarians in the City is accredited for 6 credit hours through Andover Newton Theological School.

For further details, please read the SITC documents located at the bottom of this page.

A short description of the program can be found in the

Andover Newton 2009-2011 Course Catalog:

BCIM 605Y

Seminarians in the City

Professor Gill-Austern and Mr. Baxter

This course requires a 15 hour-a-week commitment over the full academic year and will give 6 credits: 3 for Border Crossing requirement and 3 for elective credit. It will involve making a commitment of one‘s time and heart to engagement in the city of Boston with a placement in a city social service agency or church and interacting with the people of that neighborhood. This Border Crossing Immersion will be working with 4 or 5 students in the BTI to cultivate Christian leaders ready to take on the social and spiritual challenges of ministering in the city. The course will be sponsored and led by the City Mission Society of Boston. Prerequisite: 15 credits of seminary study. Limit: 2.

Fall/Spring 2009-2010

The Need
In accordance with our mission as a faith-based, social justice organization, CMS recognizes the deep need for effective and relevant urban ministry and justice-conscious suburban ministry that is not being met. Urban churches find themselves disconnected from their community, unable to keep up with the changing urban environment and its unique issues and demands. As a result of the urban church’s inability to relate to its immediate community, we have seen a decline in denominational life. Similarly, we notice a lack of commitment to the social calling of the Gospel amongst our suburban churches who find themselves unaware of and detached from issues plaguing their urban neighbors. Pastors of urban and suburban congregations alike are wrestling with the challenge of how to both engage the social issues around them and fulfill their mission of promoting the Gospel message. For the most part, seminary training does not prepare them to do so effectively. We believe that this is due in part to a lack of urban ministry training in most Master of Divinity programs in the area. With our strategic community and faith-based network, and our 190-year history of social justice work in the city of Boston, we at City Mission Society find ourselves uniquely positioned to respond to such a need.

The Program
City Mission Society’s Seminarians in the City will equip our future church leaders by creating a space for seminary students to actively reflect on the issues of faith and social justice as they pertain to urban ministry, while also meeting their educational demands and supporting their ordination process. Seminarians in the City will provide seminarians a unique opportunity to address faith, justice, and theological issues in an urban environment by way of a community partnership, mentorship, and a structured educational program.

Community Partnership: Each seminarian will partner with a community-based organization or an urban congregation with which they will engage in hands-on ministry or social justice projects
Urban Ministry Mentorship: Seminarians will also be paired with an urban ministry mentor, drawn from clergy, active lay people, the CMS board, and other agencies in CMS’s network, to help guide the student through their experience of integrating faith and justice in an urban context.

Educational Forum: Seminarians will take part in structured educational programming with weekly meetings, readings, and community projects, focused on reflecting theologically. Weekly written reflections and a final paper or project will allow seminarians to integrate the entire experience.

Faith Formation: During the school year, CMS will facilitate program-wide quarterly meetings where seminarians and their mentors will come together for presentations, worship, and sharing. These meetings will provide seminarians the opportunity to preach, create unique worship experiences, and engage with local people carrying out urban ministries.

The Participants
Ideal candidates for the Urban Ministry Program will be second and third-year seminary students (those having completed at least 30 credits in the standard course structure), who are either engaged in their ordination process or involved with their judicatory in a significant way. Candidates should have an interest in working in cross-cultural settings, value experiential learning, and be passionate about the integration of faith and social justice in either the urban or suburban context. We will be working with the Boston Theological Institute and the participating seminaries in the area to develop this program in such a way to meet the needs of the seminaries, the students, and the partnering ministries.

Interested in participating in our program? Please fill out an application below and email it to
(Note: This email address is an image and will need to be manually entered in an outgoing email.)

mail completed documents to:

City Mission Society

Attn: Seminarians in the City

14 Beacon Street, #203

Boston, MA 02108

Seminarians in the City Agencies

Further resources:

Seminarians in the City 2009-2010 Syllabus

Seminarians in the City Informational Brochure- Word document and pdf formats

Student Application- Word document and pdf formats

Site/Agency Application- Word document and pdf formats

[top of page]