John Leland Center for Theological Studies
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__NOTOC__ The John Leland Center for Theological Studies is a
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
theological institute in
Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county ...
, with several satellite locations elsewhere in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. Leland is partnered with the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the
District of Columbia Baptist Convention __NOTOC__ The District of Columbia Baptist Convention (DCBC) is a coalition of Baptist churches in or near the Washington, DC area. The DCBC is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. It al ...
, though the center has ties with a range of denominations and churches. Leland is a member of the Washington Theological Consortium. The center's namesake, John Leland, was an 18th- and 19th-century
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
minister in the United States who was a proponent of the
separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
and an opponent of theological seminaries.


History

At a 1997
Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is the largest international Baptist organization with an estimated 51 million people in 2022 with 246 member bodies in 128 countries and territories. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA account ...
meeting, several Baptist leaders discussed developing the
Washington Metropolitan Area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgi ...
's first Baptist seminary. These individuals resolved to create the center which began offering classes the next year. Randel Everett, the center's first president, stepped down in late 2006. Mark J. Olson became Leland's second president in 2007. In 2019, William H. Smith became Leland's president.


Academics

The seminary is
accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by the
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The assoc ...
(ATS). The seminary offers the following ATS-approved degrees: Master of Divinity, Master of Christian Leadership, and
Master of Theological Studies A Master of Theological Studies (MTS) is a graduate degree, offered in theological seminary or graduate faculty of theology, which gives students lay training in theological studies. Under Association of Theological Schools in the United States ...
. The seminary also offers several graduate certificates. Leland's School of Ministry offers the center's
undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...
-level courses, including a diploma in
theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
program. Students seeking a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
may be able to
transfer credit Transfer credit, credit transfer, or advanced standing are the terms used by colleges and universities for the procedure of granting credit to a student for educational experiences or courses undertaken at another institution. This is a subset of ...
from the School of Ministry into two Bluefield College
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree programs.


References


External links

* {{authority control Education in Arlington County, Virginia Baptist seminaries and theological colleges in the United States Seminaries and theological colleges in Virginia Educational institutions established in 1998 Buildings and structures in Arlington County, Virginia Baptist Christianity in Virginia 1998 establishments in Virginia