Outside of McMaster Divinity College Chapel

About Us

Located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, McMaster Divinity College develops effective evangelical Christian leaders for the Church, academy, and society through graduate-level education, spiritual development, and vocational formation.

Our Statement of Faith Accreditation and Affiliations

Welcome from the President

 

Our Values

In order to achieve our mission, McMaster Divinity College is committed to the transformational paradigm of “Knowing…Being…Doing…” as the basis of both our professional and research degree programs. All of our courses impart a body of knowledge (knowing) that enhances our students’ understanding, insight, and perspective on the important issues of the Christian faith. We are convinced, however, that education must push beyond the informational to the formational (being) and result in an inner transformation, where all members of the learning community are conformed to Christ’s image. This paradigm of education includes advanced vocational competencies (doing) so that graduates from our degree programs are equipped for what will be required of them as they move from graduation to their chosen ministry vocation.

An eye symbol representing knowledge within the

Knowing...

the Word of God

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A leaf symbol representing

Being...

transformed into Christ’s image

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A hand symbol representing

Doing....

the work of ministry

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Our History

1830 - 1920

1920 - 1960

1960-1990

1990 - 2000

2000 - Now

McMaster Divinity College is heir to an educational tradition that reaches back to 1838, when a Scots pastor named John Gilmour founded Canada Baptist College in the then commercial centre of Canada, Montreal. At the heart of the College was the theological curriculum. Unfortunately, circumstances led to the closing of the college in 1849.

Eight years after the demise of the Montreal school, one of its Principals, Robert Alexander Fyfe, a Toronto pastor, became one of the leading advocates of the voluntary system of support for denominational schools. He favoured a Baptist college affiliated with a national nonsectarian university. In 1857, he and prominent Baptists established the Canadian Literary Institute at Woodstock in southern Ontario.

In 1881, William McMaster, a wealthy merchant, banker, and Senator of the Dominion of Canada, urged the creation of a theological school related to Woodstock, but situated in the city of Toronto. McMaster was generous in his financial support of the new school, Toronto Baptist College. The College prospered with a growing student body and a useful affiliation with the University of Toronto. Essentially a theological school that stressed the missionary and pastoral labours of its students, the College enjoyed impressive facilities, now the Royal Conservatory of Music, provided by the Senator on Bloor Street.

Through a series of agreements with Baptist interests in Woodstock, plus a new commitment of funds from Senator McMaster, Toronto Baptist College secured from the Ontario Legislature in 1887 a charter for an independent Christian university. The new school incorporated the arts and sciences with the training of ministers. The name McMaster was adopted in honour of the chief benefactor, who died suddenly in 1888, leaving one of the largest bequests to an educational institution in Victorian Canada.

 

The University was persuaded in 1928 that the City of Hamilton afforded a better environment for McMaster University than Toronto. Thus the University of some four hundred students and its theological faculty of five moved to new facilities on Hamilton’s west end bordering Cootes Paradise and the Niagara escarpment.

McMaster University was reorganized in 1957 allowing for governance of the institution to pass from the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ) to a privately-chartered, publicly-funded arrangement. The theological program was transformed into McMaster Divinity College, a separately-chartered affiliate institution with its own degree-granting powers and Senate and Board of Trustees.

In 1960, with the help of donors and churches across Canada, McMaster Divinity College erected new facilities. These include a beautiful chapel, whose internal appointments, including numerous stone and wood carvings, were designed by the renowned artist, William McElcheran. This chapel later was dedicated in memory of the first McMaster Divinity College Principal, Nathaniel H. Parker (1898-1982). Just outside the chapel is the Matthews Memorial Tower, dedicated to the memory of The Honourable Albert Matthews (1873-1949), prominent Baptist layperson, long-time Chair of the Board of Governors of McMaster University, and generous benefactor of the institution. The tower’s stained-glass windows were designed by Ms. Yvonne Williams of Toronto.

One of the major transformations in the life of McMaster Divinity College began in the 1980s, when some members of the Baptist Convention expressed concern regarding the general liberal theology of the College. They instigated a process that resulted in a major theological shift, whereby McMaster Divinity College has come to be one of the premier evangelical seminaries in Canada. In addition to all of the faculty being actively evangelical, MDC is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), an active member of Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC), and the President is a member of the Fellowship of Evangelical Seminary Presidents (FESP).

In 1989, members of the Hurlburt family established the George F. Hurlburt Chair in Preaching, the first fully-endowed Chair at McMaster University or McMaster Divinity College. The purpose of this professorship is to elevate the office and gift of preaching in Christian ministry. The Hurlburt professorship also supports continuing education for those in ministry and has become the most distinguished Chair of its kind in Canada.

A second endowed Chair was inaugurated in 1990, the Centenary Chair in World Christianity. This Chair honours the one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of McMaster University with funds made possible by friends and churches of the CBOQ. The Centenary Chair currently supports work by McMaster Divinity College in the area of globalization of the Christian faith.

In 1995, a third endowed Chair was established, the J. Gordon and Margaret Warnock Jones Chair in Church and Ministry. This was made possible by gifts of the family of J. Gordon Jones, Dr. and Mrs. Edwin Howes, and others. The chair encompasses the work of pastoral ministry and the church in its various settings.

The Ministry Formation program – an integral part of ministerial preparation in the MDiv degree–was endowed in 1997, with the institution of the Garbutt F. Smith Director of Field Education and Clinical Programs. McMaster Divinity College has been a leader in developing a supervised ministry formation program.

In 1999, the Howard and Shirley Bentall Chair in Evangelical Thought was created by the generosity of the Rev. Dr. Howard and Dr. Shirley Bentall of West Vancouver, British Columbia. The endowment supports a full-time faculty position in theology, systematic theology, and other fields related to the general discipline of theology.

 

In 2002, the most recent of the endowed Chairs of McMaster Divinity College was established through the estate of a generous benefactor. This benefactor had a genuine concern for the church confronting the major ethical issues of our day, and provides for the teaching of a Christian worldview across the curriculum.

We are excited about where God is leading us in the future as we strive to develop effective, evangelical Christian leaders, just as our predecessors trained leaders for their day and age.

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Statement Of Faith

  • I. God

    We affirm: that God is an eternal reality apart from the desires and yearnings of human beings; that the triune God alone is creator, redeemer and sustainer, Lord of history to whom we as creatures address our hope for unity and meaning in our lives; that God’s grace, power and saving activity have been made known to us in the life, death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ; and that the Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts and minds through the Creation, experience and the Scriptures of the existence of God, and of his love for the world. We have come to know God through the divine initiative seen in the lives of faithful persons like Abraham, Sarah, Jeremiah, Mary and Jesus. God’s continuing grace calls forth our thanksgiving and praise which we are bound to offer in Christian worship and in service to our fellow beings.

  • II. Jesus Christ

    We affirm: that Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, is the Son of God, fully God and fully human, and is the complete revelation of God, the one mediator between God and humankind; that Jesus Christ, through his earthly life and mission, his sacrificial death and triumphal resurrection, saves us from sin and separation from God and gives us new and eternal life; that Jesus Christ restores us to full fellowship with God and creates the possibility for healed relationships with other persons and with the whole of God’s creation; and that Jesus Christ calls us to a life of obedient discipleship as we patiently await his own coming in power and glory to judge the world and to establish the kingdom of God.

  • III. Scripture

    We affirm: that the Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, have been given to us by the inspiration of God as the standard for Christian faith, life and teaching; that the Scriptures, though written by human hands, are the Word of God, uniquely authoritative, revealing to us the will of God in Jesus Christ, the living Word; that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the study of the Scriptures, their setting, their languages and their message, employing the finest tools and minds, is honouring to God and leads us to the deeper truths of his Word; and that our task is to apply our hearts, our minds and our skills to the understanding of the Scriptures and to the proclamation of their message to our age.

  • IV. The Church

    We affirm: that the church is the living body of Christ (Christ is its head, the one in whom and through whom the church exists. He alone is king, by whom the people of God are delivered from darkness. He alone is priest, by whom the people of God are redeemed and nourished. He alone is prophet who calls us to service in the world); that the ancient marks of the church are the qualities we seek for the church-unity, holiness, universality and apostolicity (by the power of the Holy Spirit we offer ourselves for the encouragement of the unity of the church, for the nurture of holiness in the lives of its members, for the extension of the church throughout the world and for becoming true successors of the apostles); that the church exists to worship God and to witness for him in the world, identifying itself with the needs of men and women in every dimension of their experience (the inspiration of our mission is Jesus Christ, crucified and risen); that we seek to bring people into communion with God through repentance and faith leading to baptism, to discipleship, and to anticipation of the coming new age when the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of God and of his Christ-the day of which the Lord’s Supper is a sign.

Accreditation And Affiliations

  • Accreditation

    McMaster Divinity College is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). ATS was established in 1936 as the official accrediting body of professional graduate theological institutions in Canada and the United States. The Association requires oversight of member institutions through periodic assessments, measurements of educational effectiveness, and annual reports; it also provides resources through publications, training events, and general meetings.

    The Commission contact information is:

    The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
    10 Summit Park Drive
    Pittsburgh, PA 15275, USA
    Telephone: 412.788.6505
    Fax: 412.788.6510
    Website: www.ats.edu

    McMaster Divinity College has been a full member of ATS since 1954 and was granted the maximum 10-year accreditation standing at the last review in 2019. In keeping with ATS accreditation requirements, MDC publishes this Statement of Institutional Effectiveness to give students, alumni, churches, and the wider public a clear picture of how well our programs are fulfilling their goals.

    Degree Programs Covered

    All of the degree programs offered by McMaster Divinity College are accredited by ATS, and the following degree programs are approved.

     

    Statement on Institutional Effectiveness

    How MDC Assesses Effectiveness

    McMaster Divinity College evaluates the effectiveness of its programs through a cycle of assessment that runs throughout the academic year. Students, faculty, administration, and board members all take part, and the results are used to improve our programs and inform institutional planning.

     

    Course and Curriculum Review

    • Course evaluations. Students complete an evaluation for every course offered. Relevant faculty and administration analyze the results.
    • Syllabus review. Each year, course syllabi are reviewed by both the instructor and administration (the Vice-President Academic and the President) before they are posted and shared with students.

     

    Student Formation and Progress

    • Ministry Reflection Seminar assessments. Students complete assessment forms three times a year, which relevant faculty and administration collect and analyze.
    • Doctoral progress reports. Each spring, doctoral students and their supervisory team complete a Program Progress Checklist, which records the previous year’s achievements and sets objectives for the next year.

     

    Graduate Outcomes

    • Program Outcome Assessment Survey. Each year, graduates complete this survey. All faculty and administration review the collated results at the first faculty meeting of the following academic year.

     

    Institutional Review and Planning

    • Institutional Assessment Committee. Each year, a committee of faculty, administrators, and board members analyzes the data from these measures and evaluates MDC’s institutional effectiveness using ATS standards of assessment.
    • Strategic planning. The data and recommendations from these measures shape MDC’s institutional strategic plan, which is updated yearly.

     

    Student Profile and Enrollment Trends

    MDC’s professional degree programs (MDiv, MACSC, MATM, and CertCS) have experienced steady enrollment growth over the past five years. While some students pursue their studies full time, many enroll part time, continuing to serve in ministry and other vocational roles alongside their academic studies. Several newer programs, including the MACSC and DPT, have demonstrated particularly strong growth. In response to the diverse needs of our students, MDC has also expanded its delivery formats to include livestream classrooms, which bring together in-person and online students in a shared, interactive learning environment, as well as both synchronous and asynchronous online courses.

     

    Evidence of Educational Outcomes

    Over the past five years, the most commonly cited areas where doctoral students indicate progress and growth are:

    • Competent knowledge and understanding of the current research methodologies and interests of my discipline (8.7/10)
    • Familiarity with the professional societies, publications and conferences relevant to my discipline (8.7/10)
    • Attaining an appropriate level of expertise in my discipline and area of research interest (8.8/10)

    In feedback from surveys, PhD students say they achieved their goal of learning to research better and finished well equipped for scholarship, the academy and the church. DPT students say they apply their research in sermons, articles, speeches and teaching.

    Over the past five years, the most commonly cited areas where professional degree students (MDiv, MTS, MATM) most often indicate progress are:

    • Able to reflect theologically, in dialogue with appropriate biblical and historical resources
    • Ability to teach well (8.2/10)
    • Have a clear understanding of various pastoral leadership styles, and able to model a style suited to my gifts and calling (8.3/10)
    • Solid understanding of different forms of Christian spirituality and spiritual disciplines (8.2/10)

    In feedback from surveys students credit professors for recognizing gifts they hadn’t seen in themselves, and say the program helped them lead with grace and understand leadership in a Canadian multicultural context.

    If you have questions regarding accreditation, institutional effectiveness, or educational outcomes, please contact our Vice President Academic.

  • Affiliations

    Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec (CBOQ)

    One of the principle reasons for the organization of the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec in 1889 was to provide support for Christian higher education and, specifically, McMaster University. McMaster Divinity College continues the relationship as the official ministerial training school of the CBOQ. The membership of the CBOQ elect members of the Board of Trustees and provide funds for the College budget. The College provides personnel for various divisions of CBOQ programs. Through the CBOQ, the College also enjoys full recognition in the Canadian Baptist Ministries.

    The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC)

    McMaster Divinity College is an affiliate organization of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Founded in 1964, the EFC brings together over 30 denominations, 150 ministry agencies and educational institutions, 1,000 local congregations and more than 15,000 supporting individuals in order to represent and unite together the roughly 2.5 million evangelical Christians in Canada.

    Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU)

    McMaster Divinity College is an affiliate member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), an international higher education association of intentionally Christian colleges and universities. Founded in 1976 with 38 members, the Council has grown to 116 members in North America and 54 affiliate institutions in 18 countries. Their mission is to advance the cause of Christ-centred higher education and to help our institution transform lives by faithfully relating scholarship and service to biblical truth.

    Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC)

    McMaster Divinity College is a member of the Council for Christian Higher Education Canada, a national higher education organization of Christian colleges and universities across Canada. Since their inception in 2008, the organization has maintained its mission to advance the efficiency and effectiveness of Christian higher education at member schools, including fostering institutional cooperation, and to raise public awareness of the value of Christian higher education in Canada.

    Canadian Bible Society

    McMaster Divinity College was the first institutional member of the Canadian Bible Society, having joined the society in promotion of work to promulgate the gospel in 2000.