Bangor Theological Seminary was an ecumenical

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

, founded in 1814, in the

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

tradition of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

. Located in Bangor, Maine, and

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

, it was the only accredited

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

Northern New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

The seminary had campuses in Bangor and Portland, Maine. Its primary mission was preparation for Christian ministry (now general theological education). Graduate programs have included the Master of Divinity (M.Div.),

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

(MA) and

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advance ...

(D.Min.) degrees. The school was accredited by the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The assoc ...

, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and Maine Board of Education. Bangor Theological Seminary was an official Open and Affirming seminary. The school closed with its final commencement service on June 22, 2013.

History

Bangor Theological Seminary was originally of a much more conservative tradition/philosophy than what it evolved into. Led by a group of Congregational ministers and lay leaders who wanted to create a center of theological study in northern New England, the Society for Theological Education met on July 27, 1811, in Portland to establish a school. Jonathan Fisher, a founding trustee, described the urgency and importance of the school's mission: :"I am strongly adverse to an unlearned ministry, but if in this district we wait to be supplied from other institutions, I am fully persuaded that the ground would be preoccupied by Sectarians, many of whom will not only be unlearned, but very unlearned." Granted a charter on February 25, 1814, by the

Great and General Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, w ...

, the Maine Charity School shared space with

Hampden Academy Hampden Academy is a public high school located at 89 Western Avenue in Hampden, Maine, United States. The school is a part of Regional School Unit #22 (R.S.U. 22), with approximately 708 students from Hampden, Newburgh, Frankfort and Winterpo ...

before moving to its Bangor location in 1819. The seminary began to assume its later shape under the leadership of the Reverend Enoch Pond. A noted scholar and writer, Pond joined the faculty in 1833, became president in 1856, and remained in that capacity until his death in 1882. In 1858, running a $3000 deficit, it considered consolidating with Bowdoin College or

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...

, but was able to recover. It sold its historic campus after moving to the

Husson University Husson University is a private university in Bangor, Maine. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and as of Fall 2020 had a total enrollment of 3,476 students, including 799 graduate students in master's and doctoral programs. Husson U ...

campus in 2005. At the time of its closing in May 2013, Bangor Theological Seminary had academic programs leading to the Master of Divinity degree, the Master of Arts degree, and the Doctor of Ministry degree. The seminary was ecumenical in nature, with over a dozen religious traditions represented among students and faculty. One of seven United Church of Christ seminaries in the United States, it was the only accredited theological institution in northern New England.From the 2007-2008 Catalog http://catalog.bts.edu The school website states that its "spiritual successor" is the BTS Center, a non-profit "educational venture" offering opportunities for professional development for both clergy and laity, as well as robust non-degree programs exploring issues of contemporary Christianity and spirituality.

Campus

The seminary's former campus is located just west of central downtown Bangor, occupying the central portion of an irregular city block bounded by Hammond, Cedar, Pond, and Union Streets. The location was a hayfield donated to the seminary by Bangor resident Isaac Davenport. The oldest building on the campus, Old Commons, dated to 1827-28, and was the second building built for the seminary; the first, a chapel, burned down in 1829. The new chapel was built in 1858-59, and is a fine Italianate building designed by William G. Morse. Two of its later buildings, the Denio House and the Gymnasium, were designed by Wilfred E. Mansur, a prominent Bangor architect, in the 1890s. The last addition to the campus was the Moulton Library, designed by Crowell, Lancaster, Higgins & Webster and built in 1959. The campus was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1977, in recognition of the seminary's historical importance. Since the school's closure, the buildings have been adapted to other uses.

Notable alumni

Elias Bond The Bond District is a collection of historic buildings located in the district of North Kohala on the island of Hawaii. The district has three sections: the homestead of missionaries Ellen and Reverend Elias Bond (1813–1896), Kalahikiola Church, ...

(1813–1896), missionary to Hawaii *

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (born Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain, September 8, 1828February 24, 1914) was an American college professor from Maine who volunteered during the American Civil War to join the Union Army. He became a highly respected a ...

, governor, Civil War general * David H. Cyr, Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

Daniel Dole Daniel Dole (September 9, 1808 – August 26, 1878) was a Protestant missionary educator from the United States to the Hawaiian Islands. Life Daniel Dole was born September 9, 1808, in Skowhegan, Maine. His father was Wigglesworth Dole (1779– ...

(1808–1878), missionary to Hawaii, and founder of Punahou School * Samuel C. Fessenden, U.S. Congressman *

Cyrus Hamlin Cyrus ( Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyru ...

, founder of Robert College (Istanbul) * Daniel Collamore Heath, publisher *

Charles Henry Howard Charles Henry Howard (August 28, 1838 – January 27, 1908) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and a newspaper editor and publisher. He was the younger brother of Union general Oliver O. Howard. Early life Howard ...

, Civil War general and editor * John Davis Paris (1809–1892), missionary to Hawaii * Arthur B. Patten, minister and hymn-writer * Minot Judson Savage, minister, author, and spiritualist * Elkanah Walker, missionary and early settler in Oregon *

David Atwood Wasson David Atwood Wasson (1823–1887) was an American minister and Transcendentalist author, an essayist and poet. He was early influenced by Thomas Carlyle, an influence he would shed; he is usually regarded as a disciple of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Lif ...

, minister and transcendentalist

Notable faculty

Jehudi Ashmun Jehudi Ashmun (April 21, 1794 – August 25, 1828) was an American religious leader and social reformer from New England who became involved in the American Colonization Society. It founded the colony of Liberia in West Africa as a place to rese ...

, later a founder of Liberia * William H. Barbour Jr., later Pastor of

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, 1877–87 * Samuel Harris, later President of Bowdoin College, 1867-7 * Burton H. Throckmorton Jr., pastor and professor *

David Trobisch David Johannes Trobisch (born on August 18, 1958) is a German scholar whose work has focused on formation of the Christian Bible, ancient New Testament manuscripts and the epistles of Paul. Life Trobisch grew up in Cameroon where his parents ...

References

External links

The BTS Center

Bangor Theological Seminary

Bangor Theological Seminary catalog
* {{authority control Education in Bangor, Maine Education in Portland, Maine Educational institutions established in 1814 Federal architecture in Maine Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Religious buildings and structures completed in 1827 Seminaries and theological colleges in Maine United Church of Christ in Maine Universities and colleges affiliated with the United Church of Christ Universities and colleges in Penobscot County, Maine Universities and colleges in Cumberland County, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, Maine 1814 establishments in Massachusetts Defunct private universities and colleges in Maine