New West Seminary is a New Thought learning community preparing the next generation of spiritual leaders.
New West Seminary is dedicated to providing the education, opportunities, and experiences that will support and prepare those who are called to spiritual leadership and sacred service.
The seminary’s programs strive to support our students in deep personal spiritual exploration and formation, rigorous spiritual scholarship, practical ministry skills, and active service in the world.
Our intention is that each student’s education prepares them to be a powerful conduit for the indwelling presence we call God, by serving the world with his or her own unique voice of Spirit.
New West sees God, the world, and you as creative. Therefore we see your call to sacred leadership and service as creative. Some students will choose the traditional path of church ministry. Others will choose teaching, speaking, foreign service, spiritual direction, hospice work, chaplaincy, peace work, or other forms of sacred service. Regardless of where you will be invited in to serve, it is our intent to partner with you and Spirit in making you ready.
As a New Thought seminary, our foundation is based on core New Thought tenets. While we teach from a New Thought perspective, we value and deeply honor all the wisdom traditions, integrating them into our ministry training. The curriculum at New West honors tradition while seeking the emerging edges of human understanding.
Courses are offered in:
New West Seminary offers several programs for the spiritual seeker.
New West Seminary is affiliated with Open Spirit Community, an independent New Thought Spiritual Community. For more information about Open Spirit visit their website at:
OpenSpiritCommunity.orgNew West Seminary was founded with the intention of satisfying the requirements for academic accreditation while functioning as a spiritual learning community. We value equally the knowledge and experience of all members: students, faculty, board members and advisors. As we evolve we seek to embody the following commitments.
On the surface, the religions and faith traditions of the world appear to be very different. There are numerous and varied holy days, rituals, and rules. Each has its teachers, prophets, and wise ones. The diverse cultures and climates that each tradition is born out of have informed how it is expressed. Even within specific religions there are splits and different sects created when there have been disagreements over power and doctrine.
The time has come to go beyond what makes us different, and delve into the heart of the spiritual path. At the core, there are far more similarities between these spiritual expressions then differences. It is here that we find that we are truly connected and share a common journey. This is where true healing and compassion will be found.
As a New Thought seminary, our foundation is based on New Thought tenets. While we teach from a New Thought perspective, we embrace the core truths of the world's rich faith traditions, while honoring their unique expressions. We seek and value the wisdom that is gifted to us through the deep faith of the world's spiritual leaders and teachers. By accessing this wisdom, as well as our own New Thought teachings, we invite our students to deepen and enrich their own spiritual tradition, rather than asking them to convert to someone else's.
New West Seminary's course content is presented as material for the student's individual discernment of Truth. The Seminary does not demand allegiance to any particular creed.
While we embrace the world’s varied spiritual traditions, we acknowledge that a majority of New West Seminary’s founders, board and faculty are products of western Judeo-Christian culture. The training and perspective of many of the Seminary faculty draws upon the teachings of New Thought. New West Seminary does not view New Thought teachings as the only authoritative formulation of theology or philosophy and actively seeks knowledge and understanding that evolves beyond those teachings.
New West Seminary seeks to support each person on their journey of faith, regardless of what their formal spiritual tradition may be, so that they may have the spiritual stamina, the knowledge, and the courage to step into sacred service and spiritual leadership.
New Thought is a non-denominational expression of American religion that emerged in the late nineteenth century. The two central tenets of New Thought are belief in God as the one and only power and presence in the universe and belief in the basic goodness and creative capacity of humankind.