Meadville-Lombard Theological School

Name

Meadville-Lombard Theological School

Legal name

Meadville Lombard Theological School

Website

https://meadville.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1844

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theological Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation) (EDAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Theological education
• Ministerial training
• Graduate seminary programs
• Religious leadership
• Liberal religious studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Educational Programs: Revenue from degree programs including Master of Divinity, Master of Arts (Religion), and Doctor of Ministry. Financial aid is available to students.
2. Donations and Giving: The school maintains a donate section and encourages alumni and supporters to contribute financially.
3. LIGHT Lifelong Learning Programs: Revenue from non-degree certificates, micro-credentials, workshops, and retreats including Nonprofit Management, Spiritual Direction, and Authentic Leadership programs.
4. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of branded merchandise including Theo plush toys ($25), enamel pins ($15), stickers ($5), and MLTS hats ($35).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Meadville-Lombard Theological School is a graduate theological seminary that educates and forms religious leaders for Unitarian Universalist and progressive/liberal religious communities. It offers accredited degree programs (Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion, Doctor of Ministry, Certificate of Theological Studies) along with non-degree lifelong learning through its LIGHT program, grounded in a contextual learning model that integrates classroom study with real-world ministry.

Product overview

Meadville Lombard Theological School is a Unitarian Universalist institution offering degree programs (Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Religion, Doctor of Ministry) and certificate programs for progressive religious leaders. The school operates The LIGHT (Leadership Institute for Growth, Healing, and Transformation) which houses lifelong learning programs including Nonprofit Management, Spiritual Direction, and Authentic Leadership. Academic support services include the Wiggin Library and Archives (with 400+ collections and I-Share consortium access) and a Writing Center. The school also sells mascot merchandise featuring Theo the honey badger through its online shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wiggin Library: The library and archives of Meadville Lombard Theological School, housing over 400 physical and digital archival collections related to Unitarian Universalism.
• LIGHT (The Leadership Institute for Growth, Healing, and Transformation)

Products and services

• Master of Divinity (MDiv)

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration22 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois)coreTechnology or IntegrationCARLI provides and maintains access to the library catalog (Alma), I-Share, and the digital archive management system (ContentDM). CARLI is the primary infrastructure partner for library operations.
• I-Share LibrariescoreTechnology or IntegrationI-Share is a merged union catalog of 91 member institutions with over 14.7 million bibliographic records and 38.1 million item records. Allows Meadville Lombard students to check out books from other Illinois academic libraries.
• ACTS (Association of Chicago Theological Schools)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Meadville Lombard students with ACTS card for checking out books at ACTS member seminary libraries in the Chicago area.
• Atla (American Theological Library Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeadville Lombard participates in the ATLA Reciprocal Borrowing Program, connecting graduate students, faculty, and staff with theological libraries across the country.
• University of Chicago LibrariesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate students, faculty, and staff have borrowing privileges at University of Chicago libraries as part of Hyde Park Seminaries partnership.
• OpenAthenscoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthentication service that verifies graduate student, alum, and faculty patrons when logging into library resources via Populi credentials.
• EBSCOcoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor ebook provider and database access including Atla Religion Database, Academic Search Complete, and other databases.
• JSTOR (Ithaka)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides access to the JSTOR Religion and Theology Collection of academic journals covering the history and philosophy of religion.
• PopulicoreTechnology or IntegrationStudent information system used for admissions, student records, course management, library authentication, and email.
• CATLA (Chicago Area Theological Library Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReciprocal borrowing partnership among Chicago-area theological libraries. No formal agreement exists but encouraged access to member libraries.
• Skinner House BooksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial publisher of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Standing order relationship provides complimentary copies of all Skinner House publications to the Wiggin Library.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Starr King School for the Ministry: The other primary Unitarian Universalist-affiliated seminary in the U.S., located in Berkeley, CA. Directly comparable in scale, denomination, justice-oriented curriculum, and small graduate theology model serving UU ministerial candidates.
• Pacific School of Religion: A progressive Christian graduate theological school in Berkeley, CA with similar small-scale, justice-centered curriculum, multi-denominational student body, and historic role in training progressive religious leaders.
• Chicago Theological Seminary: A progressive, United Church of Christ-affiliated seminary also based in Chicago's Loop. Highly comparable as a small urban seminary with similar justice-focused curriculum and overlapping ACTS library consortium membership.
• Union Theological Seminary: A historic progressive Protestant seminary in New York City with comparable justice-centered curriculum and graduate theological degree offerings (M.Div, M.A., D.Min), though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Iliff School of Theology: A progressive United Methodist seminary in Denver offering M.Div and D.Min programs with a social-justice focus similar to Meadville Lombard's curriculum positioning. Comparable in scale and online/hybrid delivery model.
• Brite Divinity School: A progressive Christian (Disciples of Christ) seminary in Fort Worth, TX offering comparable M.Div and D.Min degrees with social-justice emphasis and small-scale operations similar to Meadville Lombard.
• Wesley Theological Seminary: A United Methodist seminary in Washington, D.C. offering M.Div, M.A., and D.Min programs with comparable justice-centered curriculum and a similar mix of degree and continuing education programs.

Broad incumbents

• Boston University School of Theology: A large research-university Methodist seminary offering M.Div, M.A., and D.Min degrees. Overlaps with Meadville Lombard's progressive theological education but at materially greater scale, brand recognition, and resource base.
• Yale Divinity School: A prestigious university-affiliated divinity school offering M.Div and M.A.R degrees with non-sectarian admission and progressive curriculum. Competes for similar candidates with substantially greater prestige and financial aid resources.
• Harvard Divinity School: A leading multi-religious divinity school offering M.Div and M.T.S. degrees. Attracts similar progressive, justice-oriented candidates with significantly larger endowment, faculty, and brand recognition than Meadville Lombard.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/300492703709
• Xx.com/meadvilleEdu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meadville-lombard-theological-school

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Meadville-Lombard Theological School