Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary (CBTS) is a

Reformed Baptist Reformed Baptists, also called Particular Baptists, or Calvinist Baptists, are Baptists that hold to a Calvinism, Calvinist soteriology (salvation belief teached by John Calvin). The name "Reformed Baptist" dates from the latter part of the 20 ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a Home rule in the United States, home rule-class city in Daviess County, Kentucky, United States, of which it is also the county seat. It is the List of cities in Kentucky, fourth-most populous city in the state. Owensboro is loca ...

, 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 The Confession of Faith (1689), also known as the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, or the Second London Confession of Faith (to distinguish it from the First London Confession), is a Particular Baptist confession of faith. It was written by E ...

to lead churches, domestically and internationally.

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. The seminary began with one faculty member, Sam Waldron, using a single classroom at Heritage Christian School. 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. At that time, thirty to thirty-five students were taught by three faculty, including Waldron, with three adjunct professors. 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". The seminary was recognized by the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries in 2019, and started offering the

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

(M. Div), a standard theological degree. In June 2023 the Seminary moved into the newly renovated property of Grace Reformed Church of Owensboro giving it greater capacity for enrollment. CBTS wing

Academics

The Seminary's academic offerings include the

(MDiv),

Master of Arts in Theological Studies The Master of Arts (MA) in a religious discipline is a graduate degree, offered in seminary or other graduate school, which gives students a basic understanding in theological disciplines. It is often pursued by individuals interested in academi ...

(MATS), Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies (MAPS),

Master of Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

(ThM), and Master of Reformed Baptist Studies (MARBS) degrees.

Accreditation

CBTS is accredited by the Association of Reformed Theological Seminaries. ARTS received recognition as an accreditor from the

Council on Higher Education Accreditation The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is an American organization of degree-granting colleges and universities. It identifies its purpose as providing national advocacy for academic quality through accreditation in order to c ...

in May 2024.

Non-profit status

According to

Charity Navigator Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates more than 230,000 charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a 501(c)(3) organization. It provides insights into a nonprofit's financial stability, adh ...

, "Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary is a

501(c)(3) organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

, with an IRS ruling year of 2020".

References

{{reflist Seminaries and theological colleges in Kentucky Education in Kentucky Baptist Christianity in Kentucky Reformed universities and colleges Baptist seminaries and theological colleges in the United States Calvinist organizations Educational institutions established in 2005 Owensboro, Kentucky