Introducing the Graduate Certificate in Restorative Justice

Imagine going inside a state prison and taking a seminary course in a classroom alongside incarcerated students. Such an experience would be transformative! Learning with and from incarcerated students inside prison walls would shape how you see people who are different from yourself. It would change how you read Scripture, engage in ministry, and understand many societal issues.

The Opportunity

Western Theological Seminary is thrilled to be offering a Graduate Certificate in Restorative Justice beginning in the fall of 2025. The certificate program includes three integrated “inside-out” classes at the Muskegon Correctional Facility, where students will learn in a classroom that includes both “inside” incarcerated students and “outside” WTS students. A cohort of WTS students will travel to the Muskegon Correctional Facility, enter the prison, and learn with and from a cohort of men currently enrolled in the Hope-Western Prison Education Program.

The certificate program lays a foundation for restorative justice ministries and restorative practices in the context of the Christian faith.

Restorative justice names a way of approaching the many harms done to individuals and society through injustice, wrongdoing, and crime by asking the question, “How can we heal the harms and build a better community?”   Students will deepen their knowledge of biblical and theological dimensions of restorative justice, restorative practices, and practical aspects of putting the gospel into action through courses such as “Restorative Justice,” “Leading with Courage and Compassion,” and other electives. The certificate is earned by taking three “inside-out” classes and four other foundational classes through the main WTS campus.

A Formational Impact

We are confident that participation in our program or taking inside-out classes will transform students’ approach to pastoral, social, or educational ministry, particularly for those with prophetic or social callings or involvement in justice systems. Engagement with prisons illuminates societal issues like racism, education, income inequality, violence, and the justice system. Interaction with inside students fosters cultural understanding. Studying Scripture in prison offers fresh perspectives on our faith, following Jesus, who also experienced incarceration. We encourage seminary students to seize this opportunity.

“Inside-out” courses will be open to students enrolled in the certificate program or another WTS program. In addition, such courses could be an excellent way for alumni to further their education. They might also be the first seminary course someone in the community takes at WTS.

Whatever the case, taking these courses will be a rich, intense, difficult, and joy-filled learning experience–a transformative exchange between professors, inside students, and outside students as they all engage in the course content.

Program Creation

The WTS Graduate Certificate in Restorative Justice intersects with the Hope-Western Prison Education Program (HWPEP). This initiative of Hope College, Western Theological Seminary, and the Michigan Department of Corrections provides an opportunity for men incarcerated in Michigan state prisons to earn a Hope College Bachelor of Arts degree.

There are very few, if any, programs like this one that unite incarcerated students gaining a Christian liberal arts Bachelor’s degree with seminary students seeking to further their education for lives of leadership, ministry, and service. We are confident this certificate program will be a great addition to the WTS educational community and be a transformative educational experience for our students.