CANDLER SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY.
Agency history record.

RECORD GROUP NUMBER 003

In March 1914, the Educational Commission of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, decided it was time for another Methodist university in the Southeast.  The Candler School of Theology opened in September 1914 in the Wesley Memorial Building on Auburn Avenue in downtown Atlanta.  In 1916 the school moved into the Theology Building, the first building constructed on the present campus of Emory University.  This building housed the Chancellor's office, other offices, classrooms, the university chapel, and the library.  Although it seemed commodious, in less than a decade after the building was dedicated, the theology faculty was lobbying for more space.  The school continued to grow and moved into Bishops Hall in 1957.  The theology library gradually occupied more space in the old Theology Building.  The purchase of the Hartford Collection in 1975 doubled the size of the library's holdings and necessitated a major expansion.  In 1976 the William R. Cannon Chapel was constructed and dedicated.  The former theology building was then renovated as the Pitts Theology Library, and Durham Chapel became the Durham Reading Room.  Most of the Candler classrooms and administrative offices are now located in Bishops Hall and Cannon Chapel with some program offices located at Turner Village.

The Candler School of Theology is now one of thirteen official seminaries of the United Methodist Church.  Candler serves to educate men and women for professional competence in ministry and the theological disciplines.  The theology school offers programs leading to Master of Divinity, Master of Theological Studies, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Sacred Theology degrees.  The school also provides continuing education opportunities for clergy, church professionals, and lay persons.  Candler is fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada, the University Senate of the United Methodist Church, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

All of the school's programs and activities are administered through the oversight of the Dean's Office.  The functional units consist of Finance and Administration, Academic Affairs, Admissions and Student Services, Development, Worship/Chapel, Pitts Theology Library, and Faculty Development.  Organizations that are affiliated with the Candler School of Theology include the World Methodist Evangelism Institute and the Aquinas Center of Theology.

--Written by Joan S. Clemens, 2000.

Sources:
Candler School of Theology. "75th anniversary exhibit brochure", 1989.

Candler School of Theology Bulletin, 1999.

The records of the Candler School of Theology are described separately.  Descriptions of all the series generated by the conference are linked to this agency history.