ABOUT STM
Mission Statement | Value Statements | Ecumenical Partnership | What Sets STM Apart?

The School of Theology and Ministry (STM) shapes leaders and transforms lives. It fosters learning that roots students in their own Christian faith tradition. It engages them in vibrant dialogue with other faith traditions, helps them to appreciate the diversity of God’s manifold creation, and prepares them for pastoral and spiritual leadership.

STM is a creative model of ecumenical cooperation, working in a unique partnership with a Jesuit university and the churches of the Pacific Northwest. It cherishes the Jesuit mission of faith that does justice, respects the dignity and gifts of every person, and attends to the life-fulfilling dimensions of every culture. 

STM has a national reputation for its excellence in helping students to integrate academic scholarship, ministerial formation, and solid spiritual grounding. Within adult learning communities, faculty, staff, and students strive to be catholic, ecumenical, and multicultural.

STM has been accredited by the Association for Theological Schools (ATS) since 1993.
For more information about STM and Seattle University accreditation please click here.

Mission Statement

With God's help
and in creative partnership
with participating churches
in the Pacific Northwest,
the School of Theology and Ministry
educates and forms women and men
as leaders in Christian ministry
to serve, challenge, and heal
churches, communities, and all creation.

Value Statements

Rootedness in Christ and openness to the Spirit
The integration of academic excellence, spiritual formation. and ministerial skills
The Jesuit and Ignatian respect for the whole person in solidarity with the real world
Faith that does justice
Spirituality nourished by community and expressed through service
Ministry formation responsive to a multicultural church and society
Recognition of and respect for the uniquenesses of participating faith communities
Mutually enhancing and transformative relationships among students, faculty, staff,
and the larger community
Vibrant and meaningful worship that connects liturgy and life
Interfaith awareness, dialogue, and interaction
Reverence for all God’s creation

Ecumenical Partnership

STM's two institutes (ICTS and IETS) shape its formal relationships with regional faith communities.

The Institute for Catholic Theological Studies (ICTS) serves the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and other dioceses, as well as religious communities, to prepare Catholic laity for pastoral leadership in the Catholic Church or for spiritual leadership in other settings.

STM's Catholic graduates serve as Pastoral Life Directors, parish administrators, pastoral associates for faith formation, sacramental preparation, or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Some are leaders of faith communities, serving in lieu of an ordained resident pastor. Still other graduates serve as chaplains in hospices, hospitals, and prisons. STM graduates may be found serving as directors of food banks, shelters for homeless women, or they may serve as retreat coordinators and spiritual directors.

The Institute for Ecumenical Theological Studies (IETS) serves ten denominations and two religious umbrella groups in the Northwest and prepares women and men for lay and ordained ministry in their specific traditions. STM ecumenical graduates achieve the appropriate competencies for leadership in their own denomination. The STM curriculum either meets or is integrated with the requirements for ordination or lay leadership in participating denominations.

Graduates pastor churches, direct Christian education programs, manage shelters and housing for the homeless, provide spiritual counseling, and serve as chaplains in various ministries.

ICTS Affiliates are:
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle (Western Washington)
Oregon Province, Society of Jesus
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Washington
Region XII Leadership Conference of Women Religious

IETS Affiliates are:
American Baptist Churches of the Northwest
Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches
Oregon/Washington District Church of the Brethren
Northwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Episcopal Church in Western Washington, Diocese of Olympia
Northwest Washington Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Southwestern Washington Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Greater Pacific Northwest Mission Center
Synod of Alaska-Northwest, Presbyterian Church ( USA)
Pacific Northwest District, Unitarian Universalist Association
Pacific Northwest Conference, United Church of Christ
Pacific Northwest Conference, United Methodist Church
The Church Council of Greater Seattle
Washington Association of Churches

What Sets STM Apart?

Holistic and Integrated
We base our entire program on the integration of three components:

• Academic scholarship
• Spiritual development
• Ministerial skills

Ecumenical
We are truly an ecumenical program - our faculty and curriculum is ecumenical by intention. We have formal relationships with 10 Protestant denominations and the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle.

• At least 17 religious traditions represented
• Student body is roughly half Roman Catholic and half Protestant
• Students gather by denomination regularly
• Liturgical consultants are appointed by each denomination
• Formation and development consultants are appointed by each denomination
• In addition to the Master of Divinity curriculum, particular courses are offered to meet denominational ordination requirements
• Twice weekly ecumenical morning prayer
• Weekly evening prayer led by students and denominational leaders
• Daily Roman Catholic Mass

Faith That Does Justice
We are committed to social justice. In the Jesuit tradition of a faith that does justice we offer:

• Justice issues infused into all areas of the curriculum
• Contextual learning in community-based organizations and churches

Cultural Pluralism
We are committed to addressing the needs of an increasingly multicultural church.

• A commitment to respect persons and their differences, to foster the values of personal dignity, civility and mutual respect, and to model and defend these values
• International multicultural immersion experiences for students
• Prejudice reduction weekends are mandatory for all students
• Internships
• Special program for training of multi-cultural leaders

We mentor candidates for ordination and lay leadership who are integrated individuals capable of healthy ministry within many cultural settings.

Formation
All students participate in community meetings, reflection days and evenings, retreats, spiritual direction, and evaluation processes.