ITC Today
Today the Interdenominational Theological Center remains one of the premier graduate HBCU’s and theological institutions in America. With the departure of the Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, the center today consists of five shools/seminaries (Gammon Theological Seminary, Morehouse School of Religion, Turner Theological Seminary); Phillips School of Theology, and the Charles H. Mason Theological Seminary, joined by the act of the General Assembly of the Church of God in Christ in 1970. One fellowship, the Selma T. and Harry V. Richardson Ecumenical Fellowship, is a program for students who are not affiliated with one of the five denominational seminaries. The name honors ITC’s founding president and his wife, whose idea of an ecumenical, historically black seminary manifested in the creation of ITC. The Fellowship’s mission seeks to create a community that values their faith and invites person to practice and experience liberating and transformative theological education.
ITC continues to be an example of Black Christian ecumenism bringing students from various denominations together to attend the Southwest Atlanta campus located at 700 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. (just down the street from the long-time residence of Dr. King and his family). For more than fifty years ITC’s Black ecumenical project has been in this predominately African American neighborhood emphasizing classroom, campus and community involvement with Christian principles at the center.
The tradition of acquiring and maintaining highly skilled classroom professors continues at the ITC today. Past ITC students have received instruction from highly esteemed faculty scholars such as Isaac R. Clark, Charles B. Copher, Randal Bailey, and Love Henry Whelchel. Today inside the ITC classroom students receive instruction from prominent professors like Dr. Riggins Earl Jr., Mark Ellingsen, and Dr. Jaqueline Grant whose work in theology from a womanist perspective has gained her notable acclaim in the field of theology around the world.
The long standing Student Christian League serves as a primary conduit for student participation and community involvement. One notable past president of the ITC student Christian League, Bishop Charles Blake, is currently the pastor of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles, CA and is the presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ. A graduate of ITC’s Mason Theological Seminary, Bishop Blake is known internationally for his humanitarian work. ITC and its schools/seminaries continue each year to draw hundreds to the campus for their respective founder’s day activities. These campus and community events include seminars, workshops, lectures and worship services, all designed to honor the history and heritage of each institution. They also allow hundreds of ITC alumni to reunite and reflect on their seminary and post seminary experiences. These activities give current students the opportunity to network with community leaders within and outside their denominations.