Since its humble beginning in 1871, San Francisco Theological Seminary has played an important role in shaping a future in tune with God’s purposes in the world. By engaging students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, friends, congregations and other church entities, we respond to the opportunities and challenges facing the Church of Jesus Christ by preparing faith leaders to serve in churches and in the community.
Located on 14 scenic acres in San Anselmo, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, SFTS is the only Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminary in the West. Grounded in the Reformed tradition, students integrate faith and learning through innovative teaching, excellent scholarship and creative engagement with the practice of ministry. With more than 200 students in our academic programs, SFTS is enriched by men and women from places such as South Korea, Ethiopia, Fiji, China and Indonesia. They are equipped for ministries in rural America, the inner city and other contexts to witness for Jesus Christ and advocate for social justice.
Among SFTS’s extraordinary faculty, you will find powerful preachers, creative scholars, gifted writers and effective practitioners in ministry. They have come to SFTS from South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and throughout the United States, and include ordained PC(USA) pastors, members of various Protestant denominations and a Roman Catholic sister.
A founding member of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), SFTS is a pioneer in ecumenical education. Our students benefit from open enrollment in the largest and most diverse partnership of seminaries in the United States. SFTS faculty members are core professors of the GTU’s master and doctoral programs, and SFTS students engage regularly with students and professors from other Christian theological traditions. Students interested in interfaith studies can take advantage of the GTU centers for Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies and the Institute of Buddhist Studies.
Our unique Program in Christian Spirituality offers courses and programs for students, alumni, clergy and lay people, emphasizing an integrated, holistic spirituality in which personal and corporate prayer, study, worship and service are maintained in dynamic relationship. Diploma programs and academic concentrations are ecumenical in scope, faithful to Reformed tradition, and sensitive to today’s cultural and religious contexts.
Our acclaimed Clinical Pastoral Education program is offered for clergy, religious professionals, theology students and qualified lay persons. Knowledge from theological, psychological and social science disciplines inform spiritual care providers. These disciplines help students integrate key components of pastoral ministry and embrace the responsibilities of spiritual leadership.
Our comprehensive Field Education program includes a yearlong, full-time internship that allows students to develop pastoral identities by being fully immersed in a supervised ministry position. At SFTS, students find a place where their passion for service meets the needs of the church and the world.
Just as Christ taught his disciples to love their neighbors as themselves, SFTS students live out their faith in ways that honor Christ’s love for the poor and oppressed. Consider that in 1965, SFTS President Ted Gill, faculty members and students marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., from Selma to Montgomery seeking racial justice. In more recent history, the Seminary’s concern for environmental ethics was demonstrated by our 2009 carbon footprint analysis, which is enabling SFTS to make “green” decisions about future construction and operations. And in 2011, the SFTS faculty and student government unanimously adopted an Inclusive Community Statement, which affirms our commitment to “the full inclusion and participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the church universal and the world community.”
We believe that the intersection between faith and public service are inextricably connected, and that faith informs how we enter into issues that are of concern to our community, our country and our world. Seminaries are a prime laboratory for incubating faith leaders who will inspire and challenge communities and nations to live in the light of the Good News of the Gospel. Through biblical studies, seminaries bring depth and breadth to the power of God’s Word to change lives and relationships.
We have begun a new chapter in the history of SFTS. Join us as we strive to cultivate faith leaders to engage in God’s transforming work in the world.
Degrees and Special Programs
• Master of Divinity
• Master of Arts in Theological Studies
• Common Master of Arts through the GTU
• Doctor of Ministry
• Doctor of Philosophy through the GTU
• Doctor of Theology through the GTU
• Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction
• Diploma in Spiritual Formation Studies
• Clinical Pastoral Education
• Certificate in Ministry Studies