Why Give?

The Case for Support

The dream of Presbyterians in the earliest years of the New Republic following the Revolution was of a seminary: a place to prepare ministers for the church. And the dream became reality on May 28, 1812, when the General Assembly voted to establish “The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church at Princeton, New Jersey.”

That seminary is Princeton Theological Seminary and it has been preparing women and men for Christian ministry for 194 years. Over those years nearly 20,000 alumni/ae have left its campus to go out into the world to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They have gone across the country and around the globe ministering in Christ's name through the church and by means of a variety of ministries.

The original “Design” of the Seminary, written in 1812 by its founders, states that the purpose of this institution is to unite piety of the heart with solid learning. The commitment of Princeton Seminary to the mission for which it was established nearly two hundred years ago is undiminished. It is still single-mindedly dedicated to giving the finest quality theological education to men and women preparing for Christian ministry, still committed to training “scholars who are believers and believers who are scholars.” It is still intent on providing the church with leaders who are imbued with a deep personal faith that is intellectually informed and warmed by a piety of the heart.

The Vision Reaffirmed

Today's vision for the future of Princeton Seminary-a vision shared by the Board of Trustees, the faculty, the administration, and the students-is expressed in the following Mission Statement adopted in May 1996.

Princeton Theological Seminary prepares women and men to serve Jesus Christ in ministries marked by faith, integrity, scholarship, competence, compassion, and joy, equipping them for leadership worldwide in congregations and the larger church, in classrooms and the academy, and in the public arena.

A professional and graduate school of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Seminary stands within the Reformed tradition, affirming the sovereignty of the triune God over all creation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ as God's saving word for all people, the renewing power of the word and Spirit in all of life, and the unity of Christ's servant church throughout the world. This tradition shapes the instruction, research, practical training, and continuing education provided by the Seminary, as well as the theological scholarship it promotes.

In response to Christ's call for the unity of the church, the Seminary embraces in its life and work a rich racial and ethnic diversity and the breadth of communions represented in the worldwide church. In response to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, the Seminary offers its theological scholarship in service to God's renewal of the church's life and mission. In response to God's sovereign claim over all creation, the Seminary seeks to engage Christian faith with intellectual, political, and economic life in pursuit of truth, justice, compassion, and peace.

To these ends, the Seminary provides a residential community of worship and learning where a sense of calling is tested and defined, where Scripture and the Christian tradition are appropriated critically, where faith and intellect mature and lifelong friendships begin, and where habits of discipleship are so nourished that members of the community may learn to proclaim with conviction, courage, wisdom, and love the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Leadership: Presbyterian and Ecumenical

Princeton is a seminary of the church and for the church. Though established by the Presbyterian Church, it has served the wider church of Jesus Christ from its inception. At Princeton Seminary “ecumenical” and “Presbyterian” are complementary, not contradictory, ideas reflected in the makeup of the Princeton community, which is intentionally Presbyterian and consequently ecumenical. Princeton Seminary is a denominational seminary that regards its Reformed tradition and ecumenical ministry as intrinsically related in the search for the true and faithful form of a church “reformed yet always being reformed according to the word of God” in its theology, community, and mission. Because of these commitments and relationships Princeton Seminary continues its leadership role in theological education for both the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the larger church in a true spirit of ecumenism.

The Faculty: World Class

The annual budget in support of the faculty of Princeton Seminary exceeds the total annual budget of most theological schools.

Princeton Seminary is blessed with a faculty of men and women who individually are internationally known and respected in their fields, and who collectively may legitimately be called “world class.”

Princeton Seminary's fifty-member faculty unites a diversity of gifted scholars who, working together, create a unique theological and educational community. The talent, size, and diversity of the faculty enable it to offer a breadth and depth of theological studies available in very few institutions.

Funding the development and maintenance of a fifty-member faculty requires a significant and consistently high level of support. Such a scholarly group requires provision for adequate compensation, benefits, office space, and essential support staff. It takes the generous annual gifts of many people, supplemented by endowment income, to build and sustain such a large, deeply committed, highly qualified, multi-talented group of men and women as the faculty of Princeton Seminary.

The Students: Leaders for the Future

The annual budget in support of students through the scholarship program at Princeton Seminary exceeds the total annual budget of most theological schools.

The student body of Princeton Seminary reflects the character and mission of the institution. Presbyterians are a majority of the 450 men and women enrolled in the Master of Divinity degree program, the basic three-year degree program leading to ordination for ministry. In the total student body of over 800, more than 40 Christian denominations are represented by students who come from almost every one of the fifty states and from more than twenty countries. While largely a Presbyterian institution, Princeton Seminary is both widely ecumenical and broadly international.

Our students are long on ability, but are often regrettably short on resources. Many of the best and brightest are able to attend Princeton only because of the Seminary's Scholarship Fund. This fund is supported by the annual gifts of alumni/ae, churches, and friends, and also by a number of designated endowments. Nine out of ten women and men in the student body today qualify for and receive financial aid. Because more of our students than ever before require more financial assistance than ever before, the annual budget for financial aid has increased more than fivefold over the last fifteen years to a total of more than $5 million.

The Libraries: A Treasury of Wisdom

The annual budget in support of the libraries of Princeton Seminary exceeds the total annual budget of most theological schools.

To support a fine research faculty and students in five degree programs, a world-class library is essential. Princeton is fortunate to have two wonderful libraries that, together, make up one of the largest and finest theological research facilities in the world.

Speer and Luce Libraries house more than 500,000 volumes, pamphlets, and microfilms in addition to many unique special collections, and currently receive 2,100 journals. They provide reading space for 450 individuals, study carrels for students writing dissertations, special storage and display rooms for Seminary archives, a rare book and manuscript preservation facility, and a computer research center giving scholars state-of-the-art research capability.

The strength of the libraries is maintained by the acquisition of all major sets, critical editions, and scholarly monograph series currently published in the main fields of theological study. The libraries are supported by the annual gifts of alumni/ae and friends of the Seminary, supplemented by endowment income.

The Campus: An Educational Instrument

The annual budget in support of the operation and maintenance of the physical plant at Princeton Seminary exceeds the total annual budget of most theological schools.

Although the real nucleus of every educational institution is its faculty, library, and students, for many people it is the campus that symbolizes and represents Princeton Seminary. Located in the heart of the Princeton community and consisting of twenty major buildings and thirty homes, the Seminary campus speaks well of the institution it houses.

The cornerstone for Alexander Hall, the first structure in America built for use as a seminary by the Presbyterian Church, was laid on September 26, 1815. Extensively renovated in 1978, Alexander Hall is architecturally the heart of the campus. Other historic structures on the campus are Miller Chapel (1834), Brown Hall (1865), Stuart Hall (1876), and Hodge Hall (1893). Twentieth-century additions include the Mackay Campus Center, Speer Library, Erdman Hall, Templeton Hall, and the most recent addition, Luce Library, dedicated in 1994.

The meticulous care and updating of older structures, and the continual maintenance of all the buildings, involve a substantial annual commitment of financial resources. The beautiful landscaping and the well-maintained buildings are a tribute to individuals past and present whose gifts have made this possible. It is significant to note also that the manner in which our buildings have been maintained has garnered public recognition and has won the Seminary two awards within recent years from the State of New Jersey and the Borough of Princeton for historic preservation.

Learning: A Lifelong Experience

The annual budget of Princeton Seminary includes a substantial financial commitment to the program of continuing education for clergy and laity.

There was a day when formal education for most ministers culminated with the Master of Divinity degree and when seminaries did not provide theological studies for laity. That day has passed. Today, ministers in growing numbers seek opportunities for continuing education, including both degree and non-degree programs. Each year more than a thousand people, including many laymen and laywomen, participate in the wide variety of programs offered by the Seminary's Center of Continuing Education.

Most ministers have modest study allowances, and laypersons have none. For both of these reasons Princeton Seminary's continuing education program must be subsidized. The Seminary is able to do this only because of the generosity of many friends who contribute regularly in support of the ongoing program or who have endowed seminars at the Center of Continuing Education.

The Teaching of Teachers

There are few, if any, theological institutions in the world that have as strong a doctoral program as Princeton has, and also have Princeton Seminary's direct relationship with and firm commitment to the church. The Seminary is committed to educating the future teachers of preachers and pastors. Therefore, among Princeton's academic priorities is its Doctor of Philosophy degree program. In the last fifteen years, Princeton Seminary has graduated more than 200 men and women with the Ph.D. degree in one of the classic theological fields: Biblical Studies, Church History, Theology, or Practical Theology. Of these graduates, more than two-thirds now teach in colleges, universities, and seminaries. Many of the others serve as pastors of congregations.

Doctoral education is highly specialized, individualized, and labor intensive. It is also very expensive. It is not surprising, therefore, that it is only Princeton Seminary's financial strength, made possible by the continuing generosity of its friends, that allows this institution to maintain a Ph.D. program highly respected in theological circles around the world.

Securing the Future: Perception and Reality

Princeton Seminary is a financially sound institution. It is blessed by its resources. That is a reality. There is, however, the perception that because of a strong endowment Princeton Seminary does not need the annual gifts of its alumni/ae and friends. Even when it is acknowledged that gifts in support of capital projects (e.g., new construction or building renovations) are warranted and that these projects cannot be funded out of current income, it is often suggested that the Seminary does not need support for its current, ongoing program. How accurate is that perception, and how correct is that suggestion?

Princeton Seminary is indeed fortunate to have a substantial endowment. The income earned annually from the endowment is essential. That income underwrites two-thirds of the educational cost of every student, ensures the proper upkeep of the buildings and grounds, provides for the continuing academic excellence of the institution, and assures the Seminary's continuation for as long as the church needs ministers to preach and the world needs to hear the Good News of God's love in Christ.

But as essential as it is, the income earned on the Seminary's endowment is simply not sufficient to finance the total program. It is also necessary to secure additional annual income to carry on the Seminary's mission as defined by the Board of Trustees. In order to keep tuition as low as possible to help students obtain their theological education and enter the practice of ministry without being oppressively burdened with educational debt, considerable annual income must come from gift sources. Despite a large endowment and the significant income received from its responsible investment, Princeton Seminary must raise as much each year for its ongoing program as the total budget of any of its sister Presbyterian seminaries.

The giving pattern of congregations is changing. The practice of contributing to a central denominational mission program is decreasing while support of designated local programs is increasing.

Thirty years ago Princeton Seminary received one-quarter of its annual operating budget from the General Assembly Mission Budget of the Presbyterian Church. Today, the Seminary receives only 1 1/2 percent of its annual budget from the Presbyterian denomination through its Theological Education Fund, and that support is unlikely to increase significantly in the foreseeable future. In all probability, congregations will give more of their future benevolence dollars to their own local mission projects than to causes beyond their immediate locale and to institutions like Princeton Seminary. It is increasingly apparent that in the future the Seminary will have to rely more heavily on gifts from individuals than it has ever had to do in the past.

The financial strength of an institution ensures its future. The Seminary's endowment has grown through funds given and wisely invested by people in the past. Today, the Board of Trustees continues to invest the endowment prudently and to use its income responsibly. Following those policies preserves the principal and gives assurance that the original intent of the donors will be followed in the future as it is faithfully fulfilled today.

Commitments: Institutional and Individual

Theological education at Princeton Seminary takes place within the context of a Christian faith commitment. That commitment, to Christ and his church, conjoined with the highest standards of academic excellence and scholarly research, marks Princeton Seminary as an institution apart from others, and an institution worthy of the support of those who share its vision.

No institution can live solely on the largess of the past. Princeton Seminary is no exception. People in the past have been generous, and today those gifts of yesterday are being used responsibly and invested wisely. Those of us vitally interested in theological education's enterprise of preparing strong leaders for the church of tomorrow must give significant financial support today so that we are both fair to the past and responsible to the future. Princeton Seminary needs us to do our share now, so that we will hand on to future generations an institution at least as financially strong and as uncompromising in its mission as the one that was entrusted to us.