MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF RELIGION

In February 1867, a school for the training of ministers and other church leaders was organized in the Springfield Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia, under the sponsorship of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. This school was known as the Augusta Institute until its move to Atlanta in 1879, whereupon it was renamed Atlanta Baptist Seminary. Twenty years later, the Seminary was authorized to offer college work and the name was changed to Atlanta Baptist College. Theological students continued to outnumber liberal arts students until 1923-24. In 1904, attention turned to the Divinity School which, though related to the College, had its own instructors and offered the B.D. degree in addition to the B.Th. and the Diploma in Theology.

The name Morehouse was adopted in 1913 in honor of Dr. Henry L. Morehouse, Corresponding Secretary of the American Baptist Home Mission Society and, in 1924, the Divinity School of Morehouse College became known as the School of Religion. This change was accompanied by a reorganization of curriculum, and Dr. Charles D. Hubert, who had been a professor in the Divinity School since 1914, became the first director of the School of Religion of Morehouse College.
Through the mutual agreement of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, then president of both Morehouse College and Morehouse School of Religion, and Dr. Harry V. Richardson, then president of The ITC, and with the concurrence of Morehouse College trustees, Morehouse School of Religion became the Baptist constituent member of the consortium known as the Interdenominational Theological Center.

GAMMON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Gammon Theological Seminary had its beginning as Gammon School of Theology, first as a Department of Religion and Philosophy at Clark University for the 1869-70 academic year. In February 1872, Clark Theological Seminary was opened with twenty-six students. The Reverend L.D. Barrows was selected to head instruction at the seminary. Gammon Theological Seminary was founded in 1883 by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Bishop Gilbert Haven and the officers of the Freedmen's Aid Society had purchased nearly 500 acres of high land in the southern suburbs of Atlanta to which Clark University relocated in 1883.

A Department of Theology was established at Clark University in 1882, through the efforts of Bishop Henry White Warren, resident bishop, and the gift of $20,000 for endowment from the Rev. Elijah H. Gammon, a superannuated Methodist minister of the Rock River (Illinois) Conference. The enthusiasm and cooperation of these two men led to the erection of Gammon Hall which was dedicated on December 18, 1883. In June of that year, the Reverend Wilbur Patterson Thirkield was elected dean, and "Gammon School of Theology" was officially opened on October 3, 1883.

Within four years, Mr. Gammon offered to give the school more liberal support on the condition that it become independent of Clark University so that it might serve the entire Methodist Episcopal Church and all her colleges in the South. In April 1887, the official connections between Gammon and Clark were dissolved and, in January 1888, Mr. Gammon added $200,000 to the endowment fund. The Seminary was granted a charter on March 24 and the name was officially changed to its present name on December 28 of that year. Dr. Thirkield served as the first president.

When Mr. Gammon died on July 3, 1891, he had willed the Seminary sufficient additional funds to bring his total gift to more than a half million dollars. In his plans, he intended the Seminary to be a central theological school of the Methodist Episcopal Church for the entire South, open to students of all races and all denominations. The Seminary offered, without distinction of race, to all students for the Christian ministry, a thorough, extensive, and well-arranged course of study which is now the exclusive function of The ITC. Gammon maintains a lectureship and varied activities in relation to its denomination from which she derives resources in addition to the income from other basic resources.

TURNER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Turner Theological Seminary began as a department of Morris Brown College in 1894, nine years after the Board of Trustees first voted approval on September 23, 1885. The Reverend T. G. Steward, D.D., a former United States Army chaplain, was elected the first dean of Theology. In the interim, The Reverend E. L. Chew was also elected, but The Reverend E. W. Lee, a former principal who was subsequently elected president of Morris Brown College, was the first to serve as dean of Theology. Twelve persons constituted the first student body.
The name, Turner Theological Seminary, was approved in 1900 in honor of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner who was the resident bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and senior bishop of the denomination at that time.

The Seminary remained on the campus of Morris Brown College until 1957 when a building was acquired at 557 Mitchell Street. The Trustee Board of Morris Brown College authorized Turner Theological Seminary to become a founding constituent of Interdenominational Theological Center in 1958 under the leadership of Bishop William Reid Wilkes, Sr. Dr. George A. Sewell was appointed director/dean.

The Seminary received its own charter in 1975 and its first separate Board of Trustees was elected. Those who followed Dr. Sewell as deans have included Dr. Josephus R. Coan, Dr. Cecil W. Cone, I, Dr. George L. Champion, and Dr. Clayton D. Wilkerson. Dr. Daniel W. Jacobs, Sr. has served as dean since 1985. During his tenure the Frederick Hilborn Talbot Hall was erected and the enrollment has more than doubled.

Turner Theological Seminary remains committed to its motto "For a Prepared Ministry" in keeping with the aim of its founders to be "an institution for the preparation of young men and women for every department of Christian work." Her graduates can be found in all areas of the church: college and seminary teachers and presidents, pastors, presiding elders and bishops, as well as civic and political officials.

PHILLIPS SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

Phillips School of Theology is the only seminary of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church. It was founded on May 30, 1944, by the action of the Lane College Board of Trustees (Jackson, Tennessee) and birthed into reality by the leadership of Bishop J. Arthur Hamlett. The academic program of Phillips began on January 2, 1945. Dr. Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. (elected in 1966 as the 34th bishop of the CME Church) was elected the first president of the school in 1945. He served until 1954.

In 1950, the General Conference of the CME Church voted to make Phillips School of Theology a Connectional school, which entitled Phillips to the financial support of the denomination. Early enrollments at Phillips were across denominational lines. When Dr. U. Z. McKinnon was elected the second president of Phillips in 1954, an extension program was added to the curriculum of the Seminary. The extension program afforded ministers and laity outside the Jackson, Tennessee, area to receive theological training. Extension centers were established in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. Classes were offered in Christian education, theology, homiletics, and administration.

In August 1959, Phillips School of Theology became a founding member of the Interdenominational Theological Center by action of the 1958 General Conference of the CME Church. Dr. Milner Darnell was elected its third dean and supervised the construction of the present facility. Bishop B. Julian Smith, who served as the first chairman of the Phillips Board of Trustees in its affiliation with The ITC, was a major player in bridging Phillips with the ITC concept.

Following the death of Dr. Darnell in the fall of 1973, Dr. Alvin Dopson was elected the fourth dean. Dr. Dopson served as dean until his death in 1979. Dr. William C. Larkin was elected the fifth dean in 1980 and served until 1990. Dr. Thomas L. Brown, Sr., was elected the sixth dean in 1990. In conjunction with the Seminary's Founders' Day observance, a Pastors' Conference is held annually for ministers of the CME Church.

Graduates of Phillips serve effectively at every level of ministry in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church - as civilian and military chaplains, professors, and teachers. Phillips prides itself in shaping men and women for a competent, relevant ministry that is priestly, pastoral, and prophetic. Phillips was named in honor of Charles Henry Phillips, the 20th bishop of the CME Church. Bishop Phillips was one of the best-trained ministers of his day, including holding a degree in medicine. He also donated the first $5,000 towards establishing Phillips as a seminary.

JOHNSON C. SMITH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary is one of the ten theological institutions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was established on April 7, 1867, as a part of the Freedmen's College of North Carolina, subsequently named Biddle Memorial Institute, Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1923, Mrs. Jane Berry Smith of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, generously endowed the institution and constructed several buildings on the seventy-five acre campus in honor of her husband, Johnson C. Smith. In recognition of this gift, the Board of Trustees voted on March 1, 1923, to change the name of the Institute to Johnson C. Smith University.

The Seminary operated as a department of the University, graduating its first class of three in 1872. In 1969, the religion department moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Atlanta as Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. Through official action of the Johnson C. Smith University Board of Trustees and the 182nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Seminary became a part of the consortium of the six Protestant seminaries known as the Interdenominational Theological Center.

CHARLES H. MASON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Initial plans for Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary began in 1965 when Senior Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones, Sr., convened a planning committee to explore the possibility of the Church of God in Christ organizing a seminary and becoming an affiliate of the Interdenominational Theological Center. He also invited Dr. Harry V. Richardson, president of ITC, to Memphis, Tennessee, to meet with that special committee. At this meeting, the idea was discussed and tabled until the Church could resolve some of its political problems.

In the fall of 1968, the General Assembly of the Church of God in Christ approved a new Constitution which resolved the Church's political crises and elected a new administration. This administration, headed by Presiding Bishop James Oglethorpe Patterson, Sr., and a presidium called the General Board, made the seminary idea one of its priorities. Bishop Patterson convened another planning committee led by Bishop D. A. Burton, general secretary of the Church, and Bishop R. L. H. Winbush, president of the Publishing Board. This committee finalized plans for organizing the Seminary and its entrance into the Interdenominational Theological Center.

In April 1970, the General Assembly authorized the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary, named in honor of the founder of the Church, to become a constituent seminary of the Interdenominational Theological Center. Bishop Charles E. Blake was elected the first chairman of the Board of Trustees, while Dr. Leonard Lovett was chosen as dean. The Seminary officially opened in the fall of 1970. Dr. Oliver J. Haney, Jr., served as dean of the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary from 1974 until his retirement in June 2004. Elder Arthur F. Mosley currently serves as interim administrative dean.

LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN ATLANTA

ITC also has a growing relationship with the Lutheran Church through the participation of The Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta (LTCA) on its campus. This seminary began as an enrichment program of Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1988. As such, it provided an opportunity for students from both seminaries to come to Atlanta and take courses at the Atlanta seminaries toward the graduation requirements of Trinity and Southern. In 1997, LTCA moved to the Interdenominational Theological Center’s campus to strengthen both the Lutheran Center's relationship to ITC and the commitment of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to encourage African-American leadership development in the ELCA.

Even prior to its move to ITC, the program always had a particular emphasis on African Americans and others seeking to serve the Church in the African-American community. Currently, the Lutheran Center, through its relationship to ITC, provides opportunities for students enrolled at any of the eight ELCA seminaries to come to Atlanta and pursue course work towards graduation requirements of their home seminaries in the rich ecumenical context of six other denominations. At LTCA, students participate in the life and mission of ITC by engaging in the activities and offerings of the campus, including chapel, convocations, and lectures and the various opportunities for student fellowship planned by ITC’s Office of Student and Community Life.

The Rev. W. Arthur Lewis, a former pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the director of the Lutheran Theological Center in Atlanta.

INTERDENOMINATIONAL THEOLOGICAL CENTER

The first four seminaries identified above came together to form one school of theology in cooperation as an ecumenical cluster and were joined by the additional two. The Center's actualization was greatly helped by some magnificent grants from philanthropic foundations, especially the Sealantic Fund and the General Education Board. The ITC has been accredited by the Association of Theological Schools since 1960 and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since October 1984.

The Absalom Jones Theological Institute became a part of The ITC following the unanimous endorsement of the Episcopal Church's Board for Theological Education and Seminary Deans on March 30, 1971. The proposal for affiliation was submitted by the Reverend Robert A. Bennett for the Directors of the Union of Black Episcopalians. The Seminary was named to honor the first African American ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. The program proved to be too expensive for the small number of African Americans in training and the Seminary closed in 1979.

ITC faculty members are chosen both for scholarly competence and for teaching ability. They constitute an outstanding group among the seminaries of the nation. The faculty-student ratio is very favorable, thus insuring small classes and individual attention with an opportunity for flexibility in instruction.

Dr. Harry V. Richardson served as the first president of the Interdenominational Theological Center from 1959 to 1968. Dr. Oswald P. Bronson served as president from 1968 to 1975. Dr. Grant S. Shockley became president in January of 1976 and served until the end of December 1979. Dr. James Deotis Roberts became president in August 1980 and served until April 1983. Dr. James H. Costen became president in December 1983 and served through June 1997. Dr. Robert Michael Franklin became president in July 1997.

The ITC is located on a ten-acre plot in the heart of the Atlanta University Center. The site is a generous gift of Atlanta University. The buildings and all other facilities are modern, providing every resource for effective instruction and comfortable living. The Center is under the direction of a forty-five member Board of Trustees. Twenty-four of the trustees come from the six participating schools. The remaining twenty-one trustees are fifteen members-at-large chosen without regard to denominational affiliation; two alumni representatives, two faculty representatives, and two student representatives. The trustees employ the faculty and administration, set institutional policies, and oversee the management of the physical and financial resources of the Center.

AT-LARGE CONSTITUENCY

Since its inception, The ITC has welcomed into its enrollment students who were members of denominations other than the six constituent denominations. These students are designated as "At-Large." In 1998, this "constituency" was named the Selma T. and Harry V. Richardson Fellowship, in honor of its founding president and his wife, Selma. It operates under the leadership of the administrative dean for At-Large Students. At present, more than fifteen different denominations are represented among this population, including Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), United Church of Christ, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic, as well as students who are non-denominational. Currently, At-Large students make up the fourth largest of the individual student segments at The ITC; they participate fully in the life of the institution. The At-Large Student Fellowship elects officers annually and undertakes a full calendar of programs, services, and activities.

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