Sigma Theta Epsilon

Sigma Theta Epsilon (ΣΘΕ) was an American interdenominational national Christian fraternal organization that operated from 1925 to 2022. It had 47 chapters across the United States.

Predecessor groups
A group of Methodist men in the Wesley Foundation at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, had been carrying on a program as a religious fraternity, which they called Phi Lambda Phi, for some time when it occurred to them that perhaps the men in other Wesley Foundations had similar groups which could be mutually helpful if they should form a union.

The idea was brought up at the student council retreat at Ames, Iowa, in 1924 and 1925. They sent an invitation to all Wesley Foundation units asking those interested to send representatives to an organizational meeting. This meeting was held at Lincoln, Nebraska on February 6–7, 1925. The delegates drew up articles of federation and elected National Officers, thus a National Religious Fraternity for Methodist Men became known as Phi Tau Theta (meaning "Friends of God").

On October 8, 1936, another group of Christian men met and started a fraternity. The meeting was held at Indiana University, and there, Sigma Epsilon Theta was formed.

Formation
On October 8, 1936, another group of Christian men met and started a fraternity. The meeting was held at Indiana University, and there, Sigma Epsilon Theta was formed. In 1939, a delegation from Phi Tau Theta approached the national officers of Sigma Epsilon Theta and proposed a merger of the two national fraternities. Stemming from this introduction, during Thanksgiving break, 1941, Delta Sigma Theta was formed. The transition from two fraternities to one was smooth, largely due to careful preparation by the officers. However, when all seemed to be going well, Delta Sigma Theta, a national sorority with prior usage of that name, threatened suit against the new fraternity for the use of their name. A new name, Sigma Theta Epsilon, was selected during Easter break 1949.

After a period of expansion, the inactivity of the chapters (high in number – low in spirit) persuaded the national conclave of 1968 to appoint a committee to examine the philosophy of the fraternity. The committee suggested that the fraternity change from its original emphasis as a National Religious Fraternity for Methodist Men. This change saw a decrease in enrollment due to lessened support by the Wesley Foundation. The national cabinet meeting of 1972 realized that Sigma Theta Epsilon had evolved into a National Christian Service Fraternity, and thus adopted purposes centered on three main areas: religious, service, and social. These purposes were revised at the conclave of 1975 into the four Purposes of Sigma Theta Epsilon.

Still, chapters were lost to dormancy. A low point was reached in 1975 when only two active units remained: Alpha Gamma chapter at West Virginia Wesleyan College and newly formed Epsilon chapter at Ohio Northern University. The following years almost saw the dissolving of Sigma Theta Epsilon as a National Fraternity. The addition of a new Delta chapter, the second of that name, at Mount Union College in April 1980 stimulated new optimism and growth for the fraternity.

In 1988 Sigma Theta Epsilon struggled again through some growing pains. Delta chapter had all but disappeared while Alpha Gamma chapter's numbers began to fall. But 1988 also saw the start of the Beta Alpha chapter in Oklahoma City. This new chapter grew rapidly and soon vied with the Epsilon chapter as the fraternity's largest. Beta Alpha's designation marked what was hoped to be a rebirth for the fraternity, and all chapters from this point on would be named in succession following Beta Alpha. Whereas previously the fraternity had used a standard naming system of Greek alphabetical succession, at some point it began to use a state model, naming a new chapter "Alpha chapter of Texas" for example, that had been formed in 1999.

This excitement carried into Spring 1993 when the Beta Beta chapter at Miami University of Ohio was formed. An excited group of men gathered together and quickly grew to be as solid as any chapter. In the fall of 1993, Delta chapter at Mt. Union put together its first pledge class in almost five years. Led by an alumnus of the Epsilon chapter, who had been teaching at Mount Union College, these men revived the Delta chapter just weeks before the National Fraternity was to absorb their charter and assets.

The fraternity didn't see National Growth again until 1998, when on January 31, the Beta Gamma chapter was initiated at the University of Cincinnati. Thus began a substantial period of National Growth that continues today. Spring Conclave 1999 saw the formal initiation of a group of men from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas as Beta Delta chapter. This group of men would mark themselves as one of the most active chapters in the Nation.

At the 2000 Spring Conclave, a group of men from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois pledged as a temporary club. These same men were formally initiated as the Beta Epsilon chapter at The English Chapel at Ohio Northern University during the East Regional Fall Gathering on October 21, 2000.

At the West Regional Fall Gathering at Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a group of men from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma were formally initiated as the Beta Zeta chapter on October 26, 2002. Their road to establishing a chapter was a rocky one, to say the least, but their persistence prevailed.

On April 5, 2003, the Beta Eta chapter at West Virginia University was formally initiated at Spring Conclave in St. Louis, Missouri. The addition of the Beta Kappa chapter brought the number of chapters nationally to eleven. This was the highest number seen since the 1960s. However, growth ceased, and in 2022-08 there was only one active chapter, Our Lady of the Lake University.

On November 19th, 2022, Sigma Theta Epsilon officially closed. There are no remaining active chapters and all fraternal operations have ceased.

Symbols
The name "Sigma Theta Epsilon" finds its roots in the Greek words, "Sunergoi Theou Esman", meaning "Fellow Workers with God". This is taken from I Corinthians 3:9 and was also the group's motto. Its colors were purple, old gold, and white.

Chapters
Chapters of Sigma Theta Epsilon included the following. Several chapter names were re-assigned, and some campuses hosted chapters with new names, after recolonization. A state naming system was adopted briefly when there were few chapters still active. Inactive chapters and institutions are noted in italics.