Baptist Seminaries - SaBC (Seminaries and Bible Colleges)

Just as there are many baptist denominations, there are also many accredited baptist seminaries. Some seminaries are the official theology schools of particular baptist denominations, while others are simply broadly baptist without any official affiliation. Most baptist seminary schools, however, gladly accept students from outside the schools’ specific baptist heritage.

Baptist Seminaries, Theology Schools, and Divinity Schools of National Organizations

American Baptist Churches USA Seminaries

American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a large, mainline baptist denomination in the United States. It has more than 1 million members, and possibly well over that number. Although the denomination is considered mainline, there are charismatic and evangelical congregations within the denomination. The ABCUSA is a member of the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, and the Baptist World Alliance.

There are ten officially affiliated American Baptist Church USA seminaries:

American Baptist Seminary of the West, a seminary that’s affiliated with ABCUSA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention
Central Baptist Theological Seminary, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and ABCUSA theology school that has many ecumenical connections
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, a progressive, ecumenical seminary of the ABCUSA
Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico, an ABCUSA seminary in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Baptist School of Theology, a theology school associated with the ABCUSA, Progressive National Baptist Convention, and National Baptist Convention
Palmer Theological Seminary, an ABCUSA seminary in Pennsylvania
Shaw University Divinity School, a General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and ABCUSA divinity school that has historically served African-American Christians
Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology of Virginia Union University, an ABCUSA theology school that has historically served African-American Christians

Baptist Missionary Association of America Seminary

The Baptist Missionary Association of America (BMAA) grew from a group of churches that left the American Baptist Association in 1950. The BMAA has over 1,000 congregations in the United States, mostly in the Southern U.S., as well as many overseas.

The Baptist Missionary Association of America has one seminary:

Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary, an official seminary school of the BMAA

Churches of God General Conference Seminary

The Churches of God General Conference (CGGC) is an evangelical, conservative, and arminian baptist denomination that traces its roots back to the evangelism and revivalism of John Winebrenner. The denomination has several hundred congregations, which are mostly located in Pennsylvania and the Midwest.

The Churches of God General Conference has one denominational seminary:

Winebrenner Theological Seminary, the CGGC’s seminary in Findlay, Ohio

Converge Worldwide Seminary

Converge Worldwide was formerly known as the Baptist General Conference (BGC). It’s an evangelical baptist conference that has been influenced by Pietism. Its congregations are largely located in the Midwest, but there are member churches throughout the world.

Converge Worldwide has a relationship with one seminary:

Bethel Seminary of Bethel University, an evangelical seminary that works with Converge Worldwide

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Seminaries

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) was formed in 1991 by theologically moderate Christians who withdrew from the Southern Baptist Convention as its seminaries became more conservative. The CBF has about 1,900 congregations.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship works with many seminaries, some of which also have official affiliations with state-specific CBF groups:

Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, a seminary that’s affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Fellowship and CBF
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, a baptist seminary that’s affiliated with the CBF and other baptist organizations
Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University, a divinity school that’s affiliated with the Disciples of Christ, but is also approved by the United Methodist Church and offers a baptist studies program supported by the CBF
Campbell University Divinity School, a seminary of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, General Baptist Convention of North Carolina, and CBF
Central Baptist Theological Seminary, an American Baptist Churches USA and CBF theology school that has many ecumenical connections
George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, a CBF seminary school named after George Washington Truett, a Southern Baptist pastor
McAfee School of Theology of Mercer University, a theology school that’s an “identity partner” with the CBF
M. Christopher White School of Divinity of Gardner-Webb University, a divinity school of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and CBF

General Association of General Baptists Seminary

The General Association of General Baptists is an association of baptists that hold to general atonement. The association’s member churches are mostly located in the Midwest.

The General Association of General Baptists has one denominational seminary:

Chapman Seminary of Oakland City University, a seminary school in Indiana that’s affiliated with the General Association of General Baptists

North American Baptist Conference Seminaries

The North American Baptist Conference (NABC) is a conference of baptist churches in the United States and Canada. The denomination has several hundred churches.

There are two official North American Baptist Conference Seminaries:

Sioux Falls Seminary, the primary seminary of the NABC
Taylor Seminary, a seminary in Edmonton, Alberta that’s also associated with the NABC

Southern Baptist Convention Seminaries

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is the largest baptist denomination in the world, boasting more than 15 million members. The SBC is marked by its insistence on believer’s baptism by immersion and evangelical theology. Over the past few decades, the SBC has become more conservative.

There are six official Southern Baptist Convention seminaries:

Gateway Seminary, an SBC seminary that’s one of the ten largest seminaries in the U.S. (formerly known as Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary)
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, an SBC divinity school in Missouri
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, another SBC seminary that’s one of the largest theology schools in the world
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, an SBC seminary and one of the largest seminary schools in the world
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, an SBC theology school in North Carolina
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, another SBC seminary that’s one of the largest theology schools in the world

Baptist Theology Schools, Divinity Schools and Seminaries of State Organizations

District of Columbia Baptist Convention Seminary

The District of Columbia Baptist Convention (DCBC) is a broad convention of American Baptist Churches USA, Southern Baptist Convention, and Progressive National Baptist Convention congregations. The DCBC is also a member of the Baptist World Alliance.

The District of Columbia Baptist Convention partners with one theology school:

John Leland Center for Theological Studies, a DCBC and Baptist General Association of Virginia theology school

Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Seminaries

The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) is a collection of Southern Baptist churches in North Carolina. Although all church members are also part of the Southern Baptist Convention, the BSCNC is distinct from the national denomination.

There are two seminaries that the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina partners with:

M. Christopher White School of Divinity of Gardner-Webb University, a BSCNC and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina divinity school
Campbell University Divinity School, a seminary of the BSCNC, General Baptist Convention of North Carolina, and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina is made up of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship schools in the state.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina has a relationship with:

M. Christopher White School of Divinity of Gardner-Webb University, a Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina divinity school

General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina

The General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina was founded to meet the needs of African Americans, but today it includes many congregations throughout North Carolina and isn’t limited only to primarily African-American churches.

The General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has formal relationships with two divinity schools:

Shaw University Divinity School, a General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and American Baptist Churches USA divinity school that has historically served African-American Christians
Campbell University Divinity School, a seminary of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, General Baptist Convention of North Carolina, and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Baptist General Convention of Texas Seminaries

The Baptist General Convention of Texas includes both Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Southern Baptist Convention churches in Texas.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas has relationships with two seminaries:

George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, a baptist seminary named after George Washington Truett, a Southern Baptist pastor
Logsdon Seminary of Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University, a Baptist General Convention of Texas theology school in Abilene

Baptist General Association of Virginia Seminary

The Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) is a moderate convention of Southern Baptist churches in Virginia. The state’s Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia is a more conservative group of Southern Baptist churches in the state. The BGAV has over 1,400 churches and is a member of the Baptist World Alliance.

The Baptist General Association of Virginia has a formal association with one seminary:

John Leland Center for Theology Studies, a BGAV and District of Columbia Baptist Convention theology school

Other Divinity Schools, Theology Schools and Seminaries for Baptists

In addition to the denominationally affiliated schools, there are several independent seminaries and theology schools that either offer baptist courses or have a baptist history.

The following seminaries are independent of any specific baptist denomination but well-known within baptist circles:

B. H. Carroll Theological Institute, a baptist seminary in Texas
Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Minneapolis, a fundamentalist seminary in the baptist tradition
Dallas Theological Seminary, a theology school known for its dispensational teaching that has many unofficial baptist connections
Moody Theological Seminary, a conservative seminary school named after the evangelist Dwight L. Moody
Neal T. Jones Seminary of Washington University of Virginia, a baptist seminary in Virginia
Shepherds Theological Seminary, a conservative theology school in North Carolina

The following seminaries are in other traditions offer baptist courses and certificates:

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a reformed seminary offering a Baptist Studies Certificate
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University, a Lutheran seminary in South Carolina that offers baptist courses

These seminaries are now independent, but they have a baptist history

Denver Seminary, an evangelical seminary that has baptist roots
Grace School of Theology, a historically baptist, conservative theology school in Indiana
Grand Rapids Theological Seminary of Cornerstone University, a historically baptist theology school in Michigan
University of Chicago Divinity School, an independent divinity school with a baptist heritage
Wake Forest University School of Divinity, a historically baptist divinity school

(While many of these seminaries and divinity schools have ties with particular denominations, they generally gladly accept students from other baptist denominations and other traditions. Additionally, some of the schools listed above as working with a denomination may technically be independent institutions.)

Looking for more seminaries? Try our lists of:

Alternatively, here’s a list of all the denominations we’ve covered.