Thank you for your interest in McMaster Divinity College. If you are a prospective student, 
family member, friend or mentor of a potential student, I hope that we can help you weigh the value of seminary education, and whether McMaster Divinity College is the best place for your further study. We believe that it may well be the right place for you.
Seminaries have been integral to the life of the Church for centuries. They still serve as the best place to train men and women for ministry. We at McMaster Divinity College continue that tradition of excellence in seminary education, and we are convinced that we are one of the best in North America in doing this. We are sure that you will be convinced, too!
We provide training that creates flexible and responsive graduates ready to serve wherever and however God calls them. Ministry in the twenty-first century—whether one serves in pastoral ministry, chaplaincy, religious education, as a scholar-teacher, or in any other number of areas—has become and will continue to be increasingly complex and diverse, requiring those answering the call of God to have the best preparation possible. Our desire is not simply to educate students for a successful ministry. Our mission is to develop effective Christian leaders for the Church, academy, and society. The spiritual and academic training at McMaster Divinity College provides graduates with the skills necessary to navigate the complexities of ministry.
Though the roots of our well-established institution go back to the nineteenth century, we maintain a vibrant and relevant approach to ministry. We are an evangelical seminary, with quality faculty who are passionate about ministry and about training others for ministry. Though we have a Baptist heritage (our roots are in the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec), we have students from over thirty-five denominations studying with us; our faculty also represent multiple denominations.
Our students reflect a broad mix of ethnic and national backgrounds, age diversity, and, of course, both men and women training together for Christian service. We are sure that you will find the atmosphere of the College inviting and welcoming, whatever your particular denominational affiliation, gender, or nationality.
We maintain high academic standards at McMaster Divinity College, and we have rigorous academic programs based on the foundation of God’s Word. You will experience a unique combination of solid, essential academic training and well-structured integration of the practice of ministry. That is why we have chosen the paradigm “knowing, being, doing”–we believe that every course, every program, and every degree needs to incorporate all of these aspects in order to prepare our students for their work in the Church, academy, and society. We also offer a number of specialties in all of our degree programs. I encourage you to consider whether one of these specialties is right for you.
I invite you to continue exploring our site. I am sure that you will have further questions as you learn more about us. If I, or any of my colleagues at McMaster Divinity College, can help you answer these questions as you respond to God’s call on your life, please do not hesitate to contact us. McMaster Divinity College may well be where God is calling you for your training and preparation for a lifetime of service to Him.
I wish you God’s best in your spiritual journey.
Stanley E. Porter, Ph.D.
President and Dean
Professor of New Testament