EMS Purpose Statement

EMU Mission Statement Academic Framework

EMS Vision Statement:

Eastern Mennonite Seminary seeks to be a learning community rooted in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and built on the Christian tradition that discerns and participates in God’s mission, forming and equipping people for diverse ministries in and for the world.

EMS Mission Statement:

Eastern Mennonite Seminary prepares mature leaders servants of Christ to minister together in a global contextlocally and globally. In response to God’s gracious call, we educate invite students to embody and bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of God’s Spirit as wise interpreters, mature practitioners, discerning communicators, and transformational leaders.

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As the graduate theological center of a seminary situated within Eastern Mennonite University and as a pastoral ministry training center hub of Mennonite Church   USA, we welcome all students who are open desire to study the scriptures, practices, and theology of the Christian tradition, especially as rooted in the Anabaptist heritage. As a community of  disciples we seek to embody what we teach and learn, living out our convictions in the following core practices:

We seek to grow as wise interpreters by

• locating our personal stories in God’s salvation story, revealed in Scripture and in our world
• responding to God’s salvation as we own our human responsibility to be faithful
• reading the texts of scripture in light of their original contexts and languages
• imaginatively preaching and teaching the scriptures within diverse contemporary settings
• thoughtfully telling the stories of Mennonite, Methodist and other Christian faith traditions
• listening to diverse voices, including those from around the world, for more fully understanding and participating in God's mission
• honoring and inviting questions as well as answers in theological discourse

We seek to grow as mature practitioners by

• testifying to a humble awareness of God’s call
• living in joyful, courageous obedience to Jesus
• embodying the gifts and fruit of the Spirit in healthy relationships
• re-vitalizing ancient Christian practices that are personal and communal
• becoming honest and aware of our own strengths and weaknesses
• participating regularly in worship that is communal and missional
• living by guiding principles that we can openly name

We seek to grow as discerning communicators by

• interpreting the meaning of the Gospel for diverse contexts
• embodying the Gospel’s invitational spirit, social conscience and public witness
• evaluating the theological import of current events and popular culture
• pursuing peace and justice in local, national and global communities
• expressing the Gospel in a variety of creative forms
• engaging empathically with persons of other faith traditions and world religions
• listening actively to local communities in order to promote their well-being

We seek to grow as transformational leaders by

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informed by our Anabaptist heritage.