Ecclesiastical Law (J.D.)

Program Overview

The Juris Doctor (J.D.) in Ecclesiastical Law prepares graduates to understand churches as legal institutions. A church is a community of faith, but it also owns buildings, employs staff, disciplines members, enters contracts, and sometimes divides. When disputes arise, two bodies of law meet: the church's own law — its canons, constitution, or book of order — and the civil law of the state, which decides how far its courts will look inside a religious body at all. Alongside the core of a legal education — legal method and writing, constitutional law, civil obligations, procedure and evidence, and professional responsibility — students study church polity in its episcopal, presbyterian, and congregational forms; the internal law of churches, from Roman Catholic canon law and Anglican canons to Protestant books of order and discipline; the civil law of church property, including denominational trust clauses and the disputes that follow a division; the church autonomy and ecclesiastical abstention doctrines from Watson v. Jones to Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese v. Milivojevich and Jones v. Wolf; and the law of established churches, where ecclesiastical law is part of the law of the land. Graduates serve denominations, dioceses, and congregations as legal affairs officers, policy advisers, and researchers, and work alongside counsel on property, governance, and discipline. The J.D. thesis analyzes one problem at the boundary of church law and civil law. The degree is an academic and professional credential in ecclesiastical law; it is not a qualifying law degree for admission to the bar, and graduates who intend to practise law must meet the licensing requirements of their own jurisdiction.

Core Courses

• JD 501 — Legal Method, Research, and Writing (9 credits)
• JD 510 — Constitutional Law and Fundamental Rights (9 credits)
• JD 520 — Contracts, Torts, and Civil Obligations (12 credits)
• JD 530 — Civil Procedure and Evidence (9 credits)
• JD 611 — Church Polity and the Internal Law of Churches (9 credits)
• JD 621 — Churches in the Civil Courts (9 credits)
• JD 680 — Professional Responsibility (6 credits)
• JD 699 — Juris Doctor Thesis in Ecclesiastical Law (9 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a recognized institution
• Statement of purpose describing an interest in law and its relation to faith, ministry, or public service
• Analytical writing sample of at least 1,500 words
• Current résumé or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available
• Signed acknowledgment that the degree is not a qualifying law degree for bar admission in any jurisdiction