Certificates & Denominational Focus

The rich ecumenical setting of the Master of Divinity program at Yale Divinity School cultivates the skills necessary for professional ministry in a post-denominational world. As a member of the Association of Theological Schools, YDS meets most denominations’ criteria for Seminary training. However, this does not mean that YDS meets all the requirements specific to ordination in each denomination.

Students interested in exploring the possibility of ordination within any Christian tradition will need to work closely with leaders from that tradition, as they learn about the requirements and possibilities for ministry, and the ways in which their own gifts will be celebrated. Ongoing conversations about most of the denominational traditions below can be found with the YDS community. Students should talk with their academic advisors, and with the staff in the Office of Vocation and Ministry, to learn more.

The links below connect with some information about each of these traditions. 

Any person seeking ordination should contact their denomination, both at the local and organizational level, for a full understanding of specific requirements. In addition, YDS offers certificate programs that coincide and/or enrich some of these denominational programs.

Denominational Support at YDS

Significant formation support is offered by denominational programs for those considering ordained or non-ordained ministry. Among those resources are:

  • Andover Newton at Yale – Dean Sarah Drummond; for those in the UU, UCC and Baptist traditions
  • Berkeley Divinity School – Dean Andrew McGowan; for those in the Episcopal and Anglican traditions
  • Black Church Studies Program – Rev. Joanne Jennings; for those in historically Black Church traditions
  • Catholic Lay Ministerial Studies - tba
  • Lutheran Studies Certificate Program – Rev. Tim Keyl; for those in the Lutheran ELCA tradition 
  • Presbyterian – Rev. Jennifer Davis and Rev. Tony Tian-Ren Lin 
  • Reformed Studies Certificate Program – Rev. Maria LaSala; for those in the Presbyterian and Reformed traditions 
  • United Methodist Certificate Program – Rev. Vicki Flippin; for those in the United Methodist tradition 

Additionally, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has created a resource guidethat those interested in ordination requirements by denomination might wish to consult. 

YDS students may contact Bill Goettler, Associate Dean for Ministerial and Social Leadership, for more assistance. 

Non-Denominational Certificate Programs

“I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we lawyers and scientists don’t know how to do that.” 
—James Gustave Speth, Former Dean of the Yale School of the Environment

Religious and ethical leadership is essential to addressing the ecological crisis. From climate change to biodiversity loss, from pollution to environmental injustice—moral leadership is needed to inspire the political, economic, technological, and cultural transformations needed to create a more healthy, just, and flourishing future. This is what the Passionist monk and cultural historian Thomas Berry called the Great Work of our time—the transition from a period of exploitation of the Earth to a period of mutual flourishing.

The Certificate in Ecological Leadership and Ministry offers students vocational training and mentorship in ecospiritual advocacy for the Earth, our common home. The program weaves together academic coursework, community building, and contemplative practice to integrate ecological concerns into religious and spiritual leadership. In a supportive community environment, students cultivate their unique callings to care for creation, strengthen their capacity to organize communities of solidarity, and learn to translate scientific data into inspired communication for transformational action.

Relevant courses enhance students’ understanding of both the academic field and moral force of religion and ecology. They also offer students a theological vocabulary grounded in the integrity of creation and an ethical framework for addressing today’s ecological crises. The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology serves as a key partner, offering a wellspring of relevant resources including six online courses on Religions and Ecology: Restoring the Earth Community.

Through monthly colloquia, participants learn from leaders in the field blazing creative pathways in a range of settings—including churches, nonprofits, retreat centers, and academic programs—to advance climate justice, biodiversity protection, and sustainable lifestyles in the spirit of the Divinity School’s new regenerative residence hall, the Living Village. These gatherings also offer students a valuable networking opportunity to help forge vocational paths of service in the field.

Students are asked to put their faith into practice through fieldwork with community-based organizations engaged in ecological work. These include churches focused on climate justice; local nonprofits engaged in urban forestry, biodiversity conservation, and shoreline protection; and climate organizations supporting the renewable energy transition.

For more information, interested students can contact Sam King (s.king@yale.edu).

The Center for Public Theology and Public Policy was established by Founding Director William J. Barber, II to create a training ground for leaders who wish to be equipped with a moral framework as a guide for their vocations and to deepen their knowledge and further explore the interconnectedness of public theology and public policy through scholarly research. 

The mission of the CPTPP is to prepare a new generation of moral faith leaders to be active participants in creating a just society using the academic, practical, and research tools of past and present social justice movements. 

CPTPP at YDS offers a Certificate in Public Theology and Public Policy for students who want to ground their degrees in a moral fusion framework to be equipped for moral leadership in public life.