Wesley Seminary

Indiana Wesleyan University is an evangelical Christian comprehensive university of The Wesleyan Church. The University was founded in 1920 as Marion College and is committed to liberal arts and professional education. IWU offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees, 38 graduate degrees and 5 doctorate degrees and students represent more than 80 Christian denominations and 10 foreign countries.

Nearly 3,000 students are enrolled in traditional programs on the University’s 350-acre residential campus in Marion. Most buildings on the Marion campus have been built in the past 25 years, so students live and learn in a visually striking environment with well-appointed residence halls and academic facilities, all on a campus that is only an hour away from both Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.

Another 9,000 adult learners attend classes at regional IWU Education Centers in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, as well as through our online degree programs, including associate, bachelor's and doctoral degree offerings. The innovative adult education program was established in 1985.

Indiana Wesleyan University stands ready - with the resources and the passion - to equip future generations of learners with skills they will need to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing world.

Accreditation

Indiana Wesleyan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC)* and is a member of the North Central Association. In December 2008, the HLC extended IWU's accreditation to include the Master of Divinity degree. The Master of Arts in Ministry degree has been accredited since the program's inception.

Wesley Seminary is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of The Association of Theological Schools and is approved to offer the following degrees: Master of Arts in Ministry, Master of Practical Theology, Master of Divinity, and the Doctor of Ministry.

About

For many years the leaders of both Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) and The Wesleyan Church prayed about launching a seminary that would maintain high academic standards while also being inexpensive, accessible and very practical. A seminary was envisioned where courses were team-taught by theologians and practitioners, which could be offered online or onsite to bi-vocational adults and where weekly assignments could be applied directly to the student's local ministry.

Already IWU was nationally recognized for its multi-site and online adult education programs with more than 12,000 students enrolled. US News & World Report called IWU a "top Masters university" and soon the same accessible, affordable and practical model of education was used to develop an innovative Master of Arts in Ministry degree with an enrollment of over 170 students.

Then in April 2009 the IWU Board of Trustees voted to create a new seminary with a practical and student-centered approach for busy working ministers. 30 new Master of Divinity students joined 170 students enrolled in the existing Master of Arts in Ministry degree. The new seminary was named Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University. There are several factors that have created this remarkably practical, accessible and fast-growing seminary.

First, the parent denomination of IWU owns one college and five universities, but has never had an official seminary. With 85 percent of Wesleyan ministers not possessing a seminary degree, Wesley Seminary provided both accessibility and affordability.

Secondly, IWU has a healthy and time-tested infrastructure that can support this endeavor. Many seminaries struggle financially, but IWU possesses the resources to effectively undergird this initiative.

Thirdly, there is a growing awareness in the seminary world that ministerial education needs to be done in a new and accessible way. It is becoming increasingly difficult for ministers and their families to pick up and move to a seminary for three or four years, followed by another move upon graduation. The new Wesley Seminary model allows ministers to stay in their current ministry setting while attending seminary.

And finally, research suggests that traditional seminaries are struggling to prepare ministers for the realities of practical ministry. By combining team-taught courses of theologians and practitioners with weekly homework that can applied to one's local ministry, the new Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University has grown to over 500 students.

The Wesleyan Church

The Wesleyan Church is an Evangelical Protestant denomination with approximately 475,000 people in 5,000 churches and missions, in 90 countries of the world.

Founded in 1968 as the result of a merger between the Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Pilgrim Holiness Church, its roots are in the abolitionist and holiness revival movements of the nineteenth century. Its twenty-first century emphasis is on exalting Christ through worldwide missions, compassion ministries, and concern for social justice that reaches out to all people.

Wesleyan Values

The spirit and content of Wesleyan values are an expression of historic Christian faith, rooted in the Bible, proclaimed by the church and lived out in the world. The following values are emphasized in the Wesleyan tradition.

1. Faith First - Right relationship with God is more important than having "it all figured out." While reason, education and scholarship are important, they follow and serve one's relationship with Christ.
2. Personal Transformation - Christian conversion and becoming more like Christ is central to a Wesleyan way of thinking, learning and living. We are optimistic about the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives.
3. Global Transformation - Wesleyans believe God's will can be done on earth and that we can change the world to be more like the Kingdom of God.
4. Others above Self - Wesleyans value the community beyond the individual. While individual pursuits and personal faith are vital, they find their fullest expression through life in Christian community.
5. Generous Spirit - Wesleyans are welcoming to those who disagree. Loving hospitality should be expressed to all.