Ecumenical Studies

Program Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Ecumenical Studies takes Christ's prayer that his followers be one as a research programme. Division among Christians is not a neutral fact of organizational life; it damages witness, distorts theology, and wounds the communities that live along the fault lines. Serious ecumenical work is neither indifference to doctrine nor negotiation toward the lowest common denominator. It is the patient labour of establishing what is actually held in common, naming what is not, and testing whether apparent contradictions are genuine. Students study the history of the movement — Edinburgh 1910, Faith and Order, Life and Work, the founding of the World Council of Churches, the Second Vatican Council and Catholic entry into dialogue, and the bilateral dialogues of the past half-century. The doctrinal core works through the agreed statements themselves: Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry; the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification; Anglican-Roman Catholic, Lutheran-Orthodox, Reformed, Methodist, and Pentecostal dialogues; and the ecclesiological questions of recognition, reception, and communion. Attention is given to the hard cases — ordination, papal primacy, eucharistic sharing, the ordination of women, and moral teaching — and to the reception problem, where agreements signed by commissions never reach congregations. The dissertation contributes original research on a dialogue, a doctrinal question, or a local ecumenical reality. Graduates teach ecclesiology and ecumenics, serve on dialogue commissions and councils of churches, advise denominations on unity questions, and lead local ecumenical projects.

Core Courses

• ECU 801 — History of the Ecumenical Movement (6 credits)
• ECU 812 — Ecclesiology and the Unity of the Church (6 credits)
• ECU 824 — Reading the Agreed Statements (6 credits)
• ECU 836 — The Hard Cases (6 credits)
• ECU 848 — Reception, Recognition, and Local Ecumenism (5 credits)
• ECU 860 — Research Design in Ecumenical Studies (4 credits)
• ECU 899 — Doctoral Dissertation in Ecumenical Studies (24 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Master's degree in theology, missiology, world Christianity, worship, or a related field
• Cross-cultural ministry, mission, or ecumenical experience, or equivalent research preparation
• Statement of purpose naming the region, movement, or question your research will address
• Academic writing sample
• Current curriculum vitae or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available