Our History:
SeminaryAction began in spring 2006, from a web of student friendships across seminary campuses in Hyde Park, Chicago. Several of these students began to meet on a monthly basis to discuss their lives as students in the different theological education programs.
The students realized that positive working relationships were rare among seminarians in the neighborhood, despite each of the schools' close physical proximity. Student ecumenical and interreligious cooperation lagged far behind that of the church denominations from which each seminary was founded.
Additionally, students realized that social justice and voluntary service initiatives were difficult to organize with the small student populations and resources of each individual campus.
Most of the seminaries do not provide guidance for connecting with the neighborhoods surrounding the campuses, and students are often anxious to initiate connections on their own.
Finally, there was a growing awareness that many students felt disenfranchised within their own seminaries as organizers/activists, or due to personal identity, such as race, ethnicity, orientation, nationality, disability, gender, marital and family status, and denominational minority.
Therefore, the work of SeminaryAction strives to accomplish three goals:
Building relationships among students preparing for ministry, across faith and campus lines;
Connecting students with the world outside their seminary campuses--in the immediate neighborhoods, locally, nationally, and globally;
Supporting student initiatives to address 'quality of life' issues within their own seminaries, so that theological education can be a healthy, positive experience for everyone.