NYTS Announces Partnership With New York Divinity School

“Through the excellent leadership of President Dale Irvin these last ten years, and through the brilliant, Godly team he has gathered— including Vice President Kirk Cohall, Professor Peter Heltzel and many others—NYTS embodies a renewal of its potent evangelical, Bible-based, Spiritled, Biblical Seminary heritage,” said Dr. de Vries. “I have admired Dr. Irvin for decades, and now it is a Divine gift to partner together for educating, equipping and empowering effectual ministry in New York.”
 
 

“Paul de Vries is a visionary evangelical leader who has been fighting for justice throughout his career,” said Dr. Irvin. “His commitment to the cause of those who have been excluded and disenfranchised in our society is legendary. I am glad that NYTS can help him realize in part his vision for an accredited program in evangelical theological education that is also committed to these issues.”
 
 
 
 

President Dale T. Irvin of New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) and President Paul de Vries of New York Divinity School (NYDS) announced this month that the two schools have entered into a new partnership intended to broaden the opportunities candidates have for earning accredited theological degrees in New York City. Under the terms of the agreement, NYTS will transfer toward the NYTS Master of Divinity degree up to 30 credits of coursework completed in the NYDS graduate certificate program. The two Deans and other faculty members from both schools will work closely together to assure the programs remain compatible, allowing NYDS students to go on and complete an accredited graduate degree at NYTS.

NYDS offers Bible-based leadership and ministry training programs seeking to meet the needs especially of evangelical churches in the New York metropolitan region, including Baptist, Charismatic, Pentecostal, Reformed, and Independent churches. The Divinity School is committed to the authority of the Bible for behavior and belief, and devoted to excellence in ministry training. While its classes are taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels, the school is presently without accreditation.

NYTS, which continues The Biblical Seminary in New York, is a diverse and inclusive community of learning grounded in biblical witness and Christian tradition, and with a historic commitment as well to serving the New York metropolitan region. NYTS welcomes students from a broad range of Christian traditions as well as from other faith communities. NYTS is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) and chartered by the Regents of The University of the State of New York to offer the Master of Arts, Master of Divinity, and the Doctor of Ministry degrees.

According to the new agreement between the two institutions, students who start their theological education with NYDS at the graduate certificate level will be able to continue on at NYTS to complete an accredited first professional (masters) degree. Future plans also include lectures and short-term pastoral training programs in the city that will be jointly sponsored by the two schools; collaborative work for justice through the Micah Institute, which is under the direction of NYTS Professor Peter Heltzel; and partnering in various other efforts to equip churches to help bridge the education gap, foster racial reconciliation, strengthen religious liberty, engage restorative justice, and increase creation-care.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Courtney Wiley-Harris
New York Theological Seminary
212-870-1253
cwiley@nyts.edu

Ms. Stephanie Collins
New York Divinity School
646-395-0008
stephanie@nydivinityschool.org

Download this announcement as a PDF HERE

Read more about the  NYDS Advanced Certificate for Ministry