Western Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary with physical campuses in Portland, Oregon, San Jose, California, Sacramento, California, and Seattle, Washington. Western Seminary also has online-only degrees and programs. The seminary offers Master's Degrees in Divinity, Counseling, Intercultural Studies, Leadership and Theology along with Doctoral Programs in Ministry and Intercultural Studies. Western Seminary also provides non-credit classes through the Center for Leadership Development (CLD).
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Theology and philosophy of Ministry
Western Seminary is dedicated to "gospel-centered transformation". The seminary centers all learning and experience - in and out of the classroom - on the gospel.
Though Western Seminary students come from a large number of Christian denominations and non-denominational churches, the faculty teaches a conservative and evangelical Christian doctrine, with a philosophy of ministry in and alongside the Church. Western Seminary regards the Bible as the infallible and inerrant word of God.
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Accreditation
Western Seminary is accredited to award master's and doctorate degrees by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and is an accredited member of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS).
The seminary is also a partner with Jerusalem University College in Jerusalem, Israel, as well as a charter member of the Institute of Theological Studies (ITS).
History
Portland Baptist Bible Institute was organized in the winter of 1925 through the work of Walter B. Hinson. In the following year, further efforts were begun to establish a graduate-level seminary to provide a theological education of greater depth in the Northwestern United States. The Western Baptist Theological Seminary was officially dedicated on October 4, 1927.
The Board acquired a mansion and 5 acres (20,000 m2) of land on the west slope of Portland's Mt. Tabor in 1944. Additional structures were built and classes convened at the new site in the fall of that year. The Portland campus continues to operate at this site at the crest of the Hawthorne District.
The Western Baptist Theological Seminary became Western Seminary. Western Seminary has opened several extension campus locations in the Western United States. The first branch campus was launched in San Jose, California in 1986, followed by another in Phoenix, Arizona in 1988. A Sacramento, California campus was opened in 1991, as was the former Seattle, Washington campus in 1992. The Phoenix campus has become an independent seminary, Phoenix Seminary. Western Seminary's former Seattle campus is now The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology (formerly Mars Hill Graduate School).
Western's presidents have been reputable leaders in theological education, including Earl D. Radmacher (1965-1989) and Bert Downs (1998-2008). The current president is Randal Roberts (starting in 2008).
Western has developed many solutions to help non-residential students complete their coursework. Western was one of the earliest institutions to offer the Doctor of Ministry degree, with modular scheduling for easy out of state access. In 1981, Western began an online-only program that served hundreds of students per year in study centers across America and overseas through interactive video curriculum. In adapting courses to DVD and online streaming formats, the Western Seminary Online Campus offers distance learning courses and programs.
In 2005, Western expanded its training sites along the west coast by establishing learning cohorts in such cities as Seattle and Richland, Washington, Reno, Nevada and Bakersfield, California.
In 2010, the San Jose, California campus relocated to Santa Clara, California.
In 2013, Western Seminary changed the name of its online learning department to Western Seminary Online Campus (formerly "Center for Lifelong Learning") as it began to offer its fully online degree program.
In 2014, the seminary launched a Seattle Teaching Site in Bellevue, Washington to offer classes to the Puget Sound Area. The Sacramento, California campus relocated to a new facility in the Sacramento community of Rocklin, California.
In 2016, the San Jose, California campus relocated to Milpitas, California.
Degrees offered
Western Seminary offers the following Master's degrees:
- Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
- M.A. in Counseling
- M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy
- M.A. (Biblical and Theological Studies)
- M.A. in Ministry and Leadership
- M.A. in Global Leadership
- Master of Theology (Th.M.)
- Graduate Studies Diploma
- Graduate Studies Certificate
- Addiction Studies Certificate
Western Seminary offers the following Doctoral degrees:
- Doctor of Intercultural Studies
- Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
Western Seminary offers the following non-credit programs:
- Certificate in Transformational Coaching
- Lay Leadership Training Certificate
- Advanced Studies Certificate
The following training programs are no longer offered, but were once offered at various points in the history of the seminary:
- Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.)
- Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
- Doctor of Missiology (D.Miss.)
- Master of Church Leadership
- Master of Church Music
- Master of Spiritual Nurture
- M.A. in Educational Ministry
- M.A. in Exegetical Theology
- M.A. in General Ministry
- M.A. (Intercultural Studies)
- M.A. in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling
- M.A. in Music Ministry
- M.A. in Specialized Ministry
- M.A. in Youth and Family Ministry
- Ph.D. in Psychology
Publications
Western Magazine is a print publication produced semi-annually by Western Seminary and is sent to alumni, supporters, and friends of the Seminary.
'Renewal' is an electronic newsletter published by Western Seminary and sent to alumni, supporters, and friends of the Seminary.
'Transformed' is a blog composed by faculty and alumni of Western Seminary, which was launched in October 2011 to help initiate renewal to the Christian Church community. Articles address a variety of disciplines, including the Bible, theology, ministry practice, leadership, discipleship, culture and reviews of various media that pertain to Christian living.
The Spurgeon Fellowship Journal was inaugurated in October 2007 in an effort "to equip pastors to bring classic pastoral wisdom to bear upon modern ministry challenges." The journal is published online three times a year, focusing each edition on one of three areas: The Pastoral Identity, The Pastoral Task and the Pastoral Confession. Journal articles are contributed by Western Seminary faculty, as well as theologians and pastors around the country.
Notable alumni
- Craig A. Evans (Master of Divinity from Western Baptist Seminary)
- Robert B. Pamplin, Jr. (Masters of Arts in Theology (1978) and a Doctor of Ministry in Theology (1982) from Western Seminary)
- Thomas R. Schreiner (M.Div. and Th.M.)
- Dan Kimball
- Tim LaHaye
- Matt Mikalatos
- Mark Driscoll (pastor) (Master of Arts degree in exegetical theology from Western Seminary)
- Bruce A. Ware (M.Div. (1978) and Th.M. (1980) from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary)
- George I. Mavrodes (B.D. degree (1953) from Western Baptist Theological Seminary)
- Stu Weber (Master of Divinity from Western Seminary)
- Bruce Wilkinson (D.D. from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary)
- Gary P. Weeden
References
- Thomas, Steve. (10-12-2007). "The Spurgeon Fellowship Journal Western Seminary Alumni. Accessed 10-15-2007.
External links
- Official Site
- Trans·formed - Western Seminary Faculty Blog
- The Spurgeon Fellowship
- Online Campus (Distance Education Department)
Source of article : Wikipedia
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