Covenant Theological Seminary

[Saint Louis| St. Louis]]

Covenant Theological Seminary, sometimes known as Covenant Seminary,[1] is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).[2][3] It is located in St. Louis, Missouri, and its purpose is to train leaders for work in the church and the world — especially as pastors, missionaries, and counselors. It does not require all students to be members of the PCA, but it is loyal to the teachings of its denomination. Faculty must subscribe to the system of doctrine as outlined in the Westminster Standards.[4]

History

The seminary was established by Christians in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, (which later merged with the Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Synod to form Reformed Presbyterian Church-Evangelical Synod), who believed that their denomination, born out of resistance to rising liberal influences, needed a strong theological school of its own. In 1956, Covenant College and Seminary began with eleven students on a plot of land a few miles west of St. Louis, Missouri (having split from Faith Theological Seminary[5]). The seminary continued to grow in both size and reputation in the years that followed. In 1964, having outgrown its space, the liberal arts undergraduate school, Covenant College, along with its students, faculty, and staff, moved to Lookout Mountain, Georgia to the site of a former luxury hotel.[6] In 1966, the two institutions formally divided. In 1982, following another denominational merger (known as the "joining and receiving") between the Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America, Covenant Seminary became the national seminary of the PCA, which elects and oversees the work of the seminary's Board of Trustees.[7][8] Academics

As a fully accredited seminary by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1973[9] and Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada in 1983,[10] Covenant offers several academic degrees: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts (in Educational Ministries, Theological Studies, Counseling, or Exegetical Theology), Master of Theology, and Doctor of Ministry.[10]

The seminary is doctrinally committed to the Reformed faith and Covenant theology, and it believes the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant word of God.[4]

The seminary is also home to the Francis Schaeffer Institute,[11] which encourages Christians to engage contemporary culture in a compassionate way with the truth-claims of the gospel.[12]