Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary

Last updated
Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary
CBTS-Logo Only.jpg
MottoInformed Scholarship, Pastoral Heart.
Type Private seminary
Established2005;20 years ago (2005)
Accreditation Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries
Religious affiliation
Mid-America Reformed Baptist Association of Churches
President Sam Waldron
Students~470 [1]
Location, ,
United States
CampusSuburban
Website cbtseminary.org

Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) is a Reformed Baptist seminary in Owensboro, Kentucky, on the premises of Grace Reformed Baptist Church and led by President Sam Waldron. CBTS trains people who hold to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith to lead churches, domestically and internationally.

Contents

History

The Seminary was originally founded in 2005 as the Midwest Center for Theological Studies by Ted Christman, then pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky. [2] [3] [4] The seminary began with one faculty member, Sam Waldron, using a single classroom at Heritage Christian School. [5] In August 2007 the seminary expanded temporarily to two rooms of a local law office, while the church made plans to build a $5.5 million, 38,000-square-foot addition to Heritage School. [6] At that time, thirty to thirty-five students were taught by three faculty, including Waldron, with three adjunct professors. [7]

In 2015 the board of directors adopted the name Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary "in order to more clearly to indicate both the mission of the Seminary and its theological viewpoint". [8] The seminary was recognized by the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries in 2019, and started offering the Master of Divinity (M. Div), a standard theological degree. [9]

In June 2023 the Seminary moved into the newly renovated property of Grace Reformed Church of Owensboro giving it greater capacity for enrollment. [10]

Academics

The Seminary's academic offerings include the Master of Divinity (MDiv), Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS), Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS), Master of Theology (ThM), and Master of Reformed Baptist Studies (MARBS) degrees. [11]

Accreditation

CBTS is accredited by the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries. [12] ARTS received recognition as an accreditor from the Council on Higher Education Accreditation in May 2024.

Non-profit status

According to Charity Navigator, "Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 2020". [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Baptists</span> Baptists who hold to a Calvinist soteriology

Reformed Baptists, Particular Baptists and Calvinistic Baptists, are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology. Depending on the denomination, Calvinistic Baptists adhere to varying degrees of Reformed theology, ranging from simply embracing the Five Points of Calvinism, to accepting a modified form of federalism; all Calvinistic Baptists reject the classical Reformed teaching on infant baptism. While the Reformed Baptist confessions affirm views of the nature of baptism similar to those of the classical Reformed, they reject infants as the proper subjects of baptism. The first Calvinistic Baptist church was formed in the 1630s. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith is a significant summary of the beliefs of Reformed Baptists. The name "Reformed Baptist" dates from the latter part of the 20th century to denote Baptists who retained Baptist ecclesiology, and reaffirmed Reformed biblical theology, such as Covenant theology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Theological Seminary</span> U.S. Presbyterian seminary

Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Protestant theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary in 1929 after Princeton chose to take a liberal direction during the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Presbyterian Seminary</span> Seminary in Virginia, US

Union Presbyterian Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, offering graduate theological education in multiple modalities: in-person, hybrid, and online.

For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divinity schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary</span> Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.

The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and in 2005 was one of the largest seminaries in the world. It is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, and the National Association of Schools of Music to award diplomas and bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

B. H. Carroll Theological Institute is an accredited Christian Baptist institution in Irving, Texas with multiple sources of funding and a self-perpetuating board of governors. It is named after Benajah Harvey Carroll and teaches Baptist principles and practices. It operates in cooperation primarily with Baptist churches, and also cooperates with other Great Commission Christians. The institution offers classes in both conventional classroom settings and by innovative means. It trains students in "“teaching churches” located in multiple Texas cities, as well as through interactive lessons taught over the Internet", with 20 such "teaching churches" in operation throughout Texas as of November 2006. The school plans to focus on the use of distance education to make it easier for students to obtain theological education. As of 2006, the school's second year of operation, B. H. Carroll Theological Institute had 300 students taking courses and an additional 300 students auditing courses. Bruce Corley was Carroll's first president; Gene Wilkes is Carroll's second president.

Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is a theological seminary in the Reformed theological tradition with campuses in multiple locations in the United States. Founded by conservatives in the Southern Presbyterian Church, the Presbyterian Church in the United States, in 1966, it serves primarily students from more conservative branches of the Presbyterian and Reformed traditions.

Westminster Seminary California is a Reformed and Presbyterian Christian seminary in Escondido, California. It was initially a branch campus of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia until 1982 when it became fully independent. It has 13 full-time faculty members and enrolls approximately 155 full-time students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covenant Theological Seminary</span> Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America

Covenant Theological Seminary, informally called Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, it trains people to work as leaders in church positions and elsewhere, especially as pastors, missionaries, and counselors. It does not require all students to be members of the PCA, but it is bound to promote the teachings of its denomination. Faculty must subscribe to the system of biblical doctrine outlined in the Westminster Standards.

Master of Theology is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a stand-alone terminal degree depending on one's particular educational background and institution of study. In North America, the Th.M. typically requires at least three years of prerequisite graduate study for entrance into the program, typically a Master of Divinity or equivalent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkeley School of Theology</span> Theological school in California, US

The Berkeley School of Theology (BST) is a Baptist theological institute in Berkeley, California, U.S.. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. It is part of the Graduate Theological Union, a consortium of theological schools and centers in the Berkeley area.

Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute located in Cordova in Shelby County, Tennessee. Dedicated to its mission of equipping biblical leaders, Mid-America offers fully accredited degree programs including graduate degrees through the Seminary and undergraduate degrees through Mid-America College. Mid-America's beliefs and practices are aligned with the conservative wing of the Southern Baptist Convention, though it is not operated by the denomination itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Paul School of Theology</span> United Methodist seminary in Kansas, U.S.

Saint Paul School of Theology (SPST) is a United Methodist seminary in Leawood, Kansas, United States. In addition to the Kansas City area campus at Church of the Resurrection, Saint Paul School of Theology at Oklahoma City University has been offering courses since September 2008. The Oklahoma campus works in a collaboration with Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Additionally, the Kansas Campus works in partnership with the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection to serve the Greater Kansas City Metro Area in Leawood, KS. The student body has almost equal numbers of men and women, representing many states and other countries. While most students are United Methodist, several other denominations are represented in the student body each year.

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS) is a private Baptist seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary also houses an undergraduate college, Spurgeon College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary</span> Christian higher education school in United States

Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary is a Reformed seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Joel R. Beeke was the president of Puritan Reformed from 1995 to 2023 and currently serves as the chancellor, while Adriaan C. Neele serves as the president and Gerald M. Bilkes as the vice president. Founded by the Heritage Reformed Congregations in 1995, Puritan Reformed is a graduate school that offers both masters' and doctoral degrees. All of its faculty subscribe to the Three Forms of Unity and the Westminster Standards. Since 1998, the Free Reformed Churches of North America (FRCNA) has sent its theological students to Puritan Reformed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage College & Seminary</span> Canadian evangelical institution in Ontario

The Heritage College & Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. It is affiliated with the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.

Baptist Seminary of Kentucky (BSK) is a Baptist theological institute located in Lexington, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melinda Gibbons Prunty</span> American politician

Melinda Gibbons Prunty is a Republican politician who represented Kentucky's 15th legislative district in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023. She did not seek reelection in 2022.

Grace Reformed Baptist Church is a Reformed Baptist church in Owensboro, Kentucky. The church has been worshipping together since 2015. It is affiliated with the Mid-America Reformed Baptist Association of Churches. Among the pastors of the congregation is Samuel E. Waldron who serves as the president of the Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary that meets on the church's grounds.

References

  1. Bigham, Brice (11 December 2024). "2024 by the Numbers". Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Archived from the original on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
  2. "About". Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  3. "Heritage Baptist Church History". Heritage Baptist Church. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  4. "Pastor Ted Christman". Messenger-Inquirer . 2019-02-07. p. B2. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  5. "Reformed Baptists start local seminary". Messenger-Inquirer . 2005-08-14. p. 15. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  6. "Seminary to borrow space at law office". Messenger-Inquirer . 2007-08-12. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  7. "Space: Seminary's sponsor helps with cost (cont. from page 1C)". Messenger-Inquirer . 2007-08-12. p. 15. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  8. "Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary Constitution & By-Laws" (PDF). CBTS. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  9. "ARTS Partners". Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  10. "Dual Purpose: Grace Reformed Baptist opens new church building with seminary wing". Messenger-Inquirer . 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  11. "CBTS Degree Programs". CBTS Degree Programs. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  12. "Accreditation - Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary" . Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  13. "Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary | Charity Navigator Profile". www.charitynavigator.org. Retrieved 2021-11-04.