Union Presbyterian Seminary is a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

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 ...

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, and

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, offering graduate theological education in multiple modalities: in-person, hybrid, and online.

History

As a result of efforts undertaken together by the Synod of Virginia and the Synod of North Carolina, Union Theological Seminary was founded in 1812 as the theological department of

Hampden–Sydney College Hampden–Sydney College (H-SC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Men's colleges in the United States, college for men in Hampden Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, it is the oldest privatel ...

, located near

Farmville, Virginia Farmville is a town in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Prince Edward and Cumberland County, Virginia, Cumberland counties in the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County, Virginia, Prince Edward County. ...

, and housed in what is now named Venable Hall. In 1895,

Lewis Ginter Lewis Ginter (April 4, 1824 – October 2, 1897) was an American businessman, financier, military officer, real estate developer, and philanthropist based in Richmond, Virginia. Ginter acquired his fortune through his various business ventures a ...

, a financier and philanthropist in Richmond, donated eleven acres of land to the school, which was relocated to its current campus location on the north side of Richmond in 1898. The General Assembly's Training School (ATS) for Lay Workers was founded in Richmond in 1914 as a complementary institution intended to train "workers outside of the regular ordained ministry." In 1959 ATS was renamed the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (PSCE). PSCE offered a master's degree in Christian Education, and operated across the street from Union Seminary until 1997, when Union and PSCE were joined in federation, becoming Union-PSCE. In 2002, a commuter campus in Charlotte, North Carolina, began on the campus of

Queens University of Charlotte The Queens University of Charlotte is a private university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It has approximately 1,900 undergraduate and graduate students. Established in 1857, the university offers 50 undergraduate majors, 58 minors, ...

, offering both M.Div. and M.A.C.E. degrees to part-time students. The Charlotte campus for Union Presbyterian was relocated to its new facility on 5141 Sharon Road in 2012. In 2009, Union's board of trustees voted to change the name of the institution to Union Presbyterian Seminary, partially as a means of distinguishing it from

Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...

. In his address announcing the new name, seminary president Brian Blount emphasized the school's unique heritage of several "unions", as well as the school's Presbyterian identity. For many years, the seminary operated WRFK, an FM

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

at 106.5 MHz. WRFK was sold to commercial interests in 1988.

Faculty

Union has a faculty of scholars in the fields of

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

Christian education Christian education may refer to: * Catechesis, a type of Christian education associated with the Roman Catholic church and churches that follow a liturgical paradigm *Sunday school, a form of Christian education used widely among many different ki ...

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

preaching A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. E ...

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...

church history Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of t ...

, Christian leadership, and

pastoral care ''The Book of Pastoral Rule'' (Latin: ''Liber Regulae Pastoralis'', ''Regula Pastoralis'' or ''Cura Pastoralis'' — sometimes translated into English ''Pastoral Care'') is a treatise on the responsibilities of the clergy written by Pope Greg ...

. Faculty come from a range of denominational backgrounds, including Baptist, Lutheran, and Methodist. Notable retired faculty include Bible scholar James L. Mays and

Brian Blount Brian K. Blount (born in Smithfield, Virginia) is a Presbyterian minister, New Testament scholar and past President of Union Presbyterian Seminary. He is a preacher and scholar on the Book of Revelation. Education He holds a B.A. from the Colleg ...

Student body

Union's student body is made up of about 180 students, with 90 students at the Richmond campus and 84 more students at the Charlotte campus. The majority of Union's students come from the Presbyterian tradition, but the seminary draws students from more than 20 Christian denominations, including Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, and Reformed. There are a number of international students, from

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and other nations. Students at Union take part in a number of student activities and seminary initiatives, such as mission and service activities to Shalom Farms in the city of Richmond.

Campuses

William Smith Morton Library at Union Presbyterian Seminary

Union's Richmond campus includes two chapels: the historic Watts Chapel, located in Watts Hall, which also serves as a classroom and administration building; and the state-of-the-art Lake Chapel, located in the campus's Early Center, a classroom and office building completed in 2008. The Richmond campus also includes the Belk student center, dormitories, student apartments, and guest housing, as well as recreation fields, community gardens, and tennis courts. Union's William Smith Morton Library was completed in 1996; it includes over 900,000 volumes and adds about 5,500 volumes per year. The seminary's Charlotte campus is located on 5141 Sharon Road. This facility, opened in 2012, houses a chapel, library, classrooms, a regional Christian Education Resource Center, and office facilities.

Academics

The seminary offers graduate degrees: *Master of Arts in Christian Education (M.A.C.E.) *Master of Arts in Public Theology (M.A.P.T) *Master of Divinity (M.Div.) *''Dual Degree Program''—Master of Divinity / Master of Arts in Christian Education (M.Div./M.A.C.E.) *''Dual Degree Program''—Master of Arts in Christian Education/Master of Arts in Public Theology (M.A.C.E./M.A.P.T.) *''Dual Degree Program''—Master of Divinity / Master of Arts in Public Theology (M.Div/M.A.P.T) *Master of Theology (Th.M.) *Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) The seminary also offers certificates: * Certificate Program in Christian Education (C.C.E.) * Certificate Program in Public Theology (C.P.T.)

Notable alumni

* John M. P. Atkinson: minister; tenth president of

; first president of The Virginia Educational Association *

Myron Augsburger Myron Augsburger (born August 20, 1929) is an American Mennonite pastor, professor, theologian, and author. He is the former president of both Eastern Mennonite College (now known as Eastern Mennonite University) and the Council for Christian C ...

: pastor, theologian, fifth president of

Eastern Mennonite University Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private Mennonite university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The university also operates a satellite campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which primarily caters to working adults. EMU is known for its Center f ...

John Bright John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...

: biblical scholar and author * Bob Childress: church planter and Presbyterian minister *

Erskine Clarke Thomas Erskine Clarke is a Professor Emeritus of American Religious History at Columbia Theological Seminary, best known for his books ''Dwelling Place'' (Yale, 2005) and ''By the Rivers of Water'' (Basic, 2013). Life Erskine Clarke graduated fr ...

: historian, author, retired professor at

Columbia Theological Seminary Columbia Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Decatur, Georgia. It is one of ten theological institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History Columbia Theological Seminary was founded in 1828 in Lexington, Geor ...

, winner of the

Bancroft Prize The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948, with a bequest from Frederic Bancroft, in his memory and that of his brother, d ...

(2006) * Jill Y. Crainshaw: professor of religion, and Vice Dean of the Faculty at

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

* Kathy Dawson: Associate Professor of Christian Education and Director of M.A.P.T. Program at

; Association of Presbyterian Church Educators' 2015 Educator of the Year * Pierre Etienne: French poet and

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...

of the

Taizé Community The Taizé Community () is an ecumenical Christian monastic community in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France. It is composed of about one hundred brothers, from Catholic and Protestant traditions, who originate from about thirty countries ...

* Frances Taylor Gench: New Testament scholar * T. David Gordon:

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

theologian at

Grove City College Grove City College (GCC) is a private, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Grove City, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1876 as a normal school, the college emphasizes a humanities core curriculum and offers 60 majors and si ...

and

Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an evangelical seminary with its main campus in Hamilton, Massachusetts, and three other campuses in Boston, Massachusetts; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jacksonville, Florida. According to the Ass ...

Graeme Goldsworthy Graeme L. Goldsworthy (born 7 September 1934) is an Australian evangelical Anglican theologian specialising in the Old Testament and Biblical theology. His most significant work is a trilogy: ''Gospel and Kingdom'', ''Gospel and Wisdom'', and ''The ...

: Australian–Anglican evangelist, author, retired professor at

Moore Theological College Moore Theological College, otherwise known simply as Moore College, is the theological training seminary of the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney holds ''ex officio'' the presidency of t ...

* Leontine Kelly: first black woman to become a bishop in a major Christian denomination (Methodism) *

George Wilson McPhail George Wilson McPhail (December 26, 1815 – June 28, 1871) was an American Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the sixth president of Lafayette College, a director at Princeton Theological Seminary, and the fifth president of Davids ...

: minister, sixth president of Lafayette college and fifth president of

Davidson College Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...

* Thomas Mar Makarios: bishop of the Indian Orthodox Church; founder of the United States and Canada diocese *

Douglas Oldenburg Douglas W. Oldenburg (February 22, 1935 to July 21, 2020) was a Christian pastor and President Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary in the US. He served as the moderator of the 210th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1998. ...

: a President Emeritus at

; moderator of the 210th General Assembly of the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...

Katherine Paterson Katherine Paterson (née Womeldorf; born October 31, 1932) is an American writer best known for Children's literature, children's novels, including ''Bridge to Terabithia (novel), Bridge to Terabithia'' (1977), which won the Newbery Medal in 197 ...

: author of '' Bridge to Terabithia'' and ''

Jacob Have I Loved ''Jacob Have I Loved'' is a 1980 coming of age novel for teenagers and young adults by American author Katherine Paterson. It won the annual Newbery Medal in 1981. The title alludes to the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau in the Bible, an ...

''; two-time winner of the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

and of the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

* Roy Kinneer Patteson, Jr.: biblical scholar, college administrator *

John Paxton John Paxton (May 21, 1911 – January 5, 1985) was an American screenwriter. Some of his films include '' Murder, My Sweet'' in 1944, '' Cornered'' in 1945, '' Crossfire'' in 1947 (an adaptation of the controversial novel ''The Brick Foxhole'' ...

: missionary to China during Boxer Rebellion * William D. Reynolds: missionary to Korea; lead translator of the first Korean Old and New testament, professor * W. Taylor Reveley IV: political scientist, 26th president of

Longwood University Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1839 as Farmville Female Seminary and colloquially known as Longwood or Longwood College, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of ...

* Jay W. Richards: author, business professor, fellow at the

Discovery Institute The Discovery Institute (DI) is a conservatism in the United States, politically conservative think tank that advocates the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific concept Article available froUniversiteit Gent of intelligent design (ID). It was fou ...

, executive editor of ''The Stream'' *

Holmes Rolston III Holmes Rolston III (November 19, 1932 – February 12, 2025) was an American philosopher who was University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Colorado State University. He is best known for his contributions to environmental ethics and the ...

: philosopher; professor at Colorado State University; winner of the

Templeton Prize The Templeton Prize is an annual award granted to a living person, in the estimation of the judges, "whose exemplary achievements advance Sir John Templeton's philanthropic vision: harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest ques ...

(2003) * John Bunyan Shearer: president of Stewart College, which became

Rhodes College Rhodes College is a private liberal arts college in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), it is a member of the Associated Colleges of the South and is accredited by the Southern Associa ...

; eighth president of Davidson College *

Theodore Wardlaw Theodore J. Wardlaw is an American Presbyterian minister and was president emeritus of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas until his retirement in 2022. After his retirement there, he became the editor of the ''Journal for P ...

: theologian, retired president Austin Theological Seminary * V. Neil Wyrick: pastor, popular Christian author and actor

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 37, 34, 43.7, N, 77, 26, 57.9, W, display=title 1812 establishments in Virginia Educational institutions established in 1812 Education in Charlotte, North Carolina Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Richmond, Virginia Presbyterian Church (USA) seminaries Presbyterianism in North Carolina Presbyterianism in Virginia Seminaries and theological colleges in North Carolina Seminaries and theological colleges in Virginia Universities and colleges in Richmond, Virginia