Affiliations and Accreditations

Accreditation

Meadville Lombard Theological School is accredited and widely recognized as a leader among theological schools nationwide.

Meadville Lombard is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the United States and Canada. The following Meadville Lombard degree programs are approved:    

• Master of Divinity
• Master of Arts in Religion    
• Master of Arts in Leadership Studies

In 2013, ATS reaffirmed accreditation of Meadville Lombard for a period of 10 years, the longest term possible. The ATS accreditation report also highlighted the school’s “distinctive strengths”:

• The collaborative process engaged by this theological school’s leadership that has established a unique niche in graduate theological education for this seminary–one that successfully affirms the distinct identity for MLTS through an imaginative curriculum delivered creatively to a distinctive audience.
• The formational focus of Meadville Lombard’s “signature” courses in its MDiv program that emphasizes team teaching, service learning, and integration of praxis and theological reflection in multi-cultural contexts.
• The new sense of nimbleness that has led to Meadville Lombard’s amazing turnaround over the last decade, from a more classical model of graduate education to a more agile model that is mission-driven, market-sensitive, and monetarily sustainable.

Affiliations

Unitarian Universalist Association

Meadville Lombard is one of two Unitarian Universalist theological schools in North America with strong affiliations with the Unitarian Universalist Association, its Department of Ministry, and the UUA’s Ministerial Fellowship Committee, which meets annually with students at the school.

Association of Chicago Theological Schools

Meadville Lombard, along with 11 other theological schools in Chicago, is a member of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. ACTS membership allows Meadville Lombard students access to more than 300 faculty members, 1,000 courses, and excellent libraries in the Chicago area and suburbs.

International Association for Religious Freedom

Meadville Lombard is an institutional member of the International Association for Religious Freedom. Historically, many students, alumni/ae, and faculty have served on the IARF/U.S. chapter board.

Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago

Meadville Lombard is a member of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, an inter-religious community of leaders from diverse faith traditions. Its members build bridges across their many faiths; engage in discussions about intra- and inter-religious civic issues; support one another and their religious communities in the face of religious prejudice, discrimination, and persecution; and take action on public issues that advance the common good.

Spertus Institute

Meadville Lombard shares space in the innovative, environmentally sustainable Spertus Institute building on S. Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Meadville Lombard shares library space with Spertus, which specializes in accredited graduate degree and certificate programs in areas critical to the Jewish community and to broader communities in Chicago and beyond.