In the February 4, 2020, issue of the Christian Century, Sarah Drummond explains why Andover Newton Seminary requires students who are preparing for ministry to take at least one course from the Yale School of Management (SOM).

Drummond is the dean at Andover Newton, which used to be a freestanding theological school in Massachusetts but recently became embedded in Yale Divinity School. Just across town is the Yale SOM, a highly regarded business school that specializes in social enterprises.

Drummond writes that she was initially resistant to adding any courses to the already-full seminary curriculum because she values the traditional theological disciplines so highly. But when she interviewed exemplary pastors, she discovered that many believe seminarians need to improve their skills in leadership, business, and marketing.

Now Andover Newton students are required to take two or three courses in leadership, including at least one from the SOM. Drummond and a colleague from the SOM have drawn up a list of 20 recommended courses that focus on topics like accounting and nonprofit strategy.

Read the full text of Sarah Drummond’s article in the Christian Century.