Missio Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The seminary was previously known as Biblical Theological Seminary but changed to its current name in 2018. It is located on the site of Franklin Music Hall, formerly the Electric Factory.[1]
 | |
Former name | Biblical Theological Seminary |
|---|---|
| Motto | Following Jesus into the world |
| Type | Private seminary |
| Established | 1971 |
Religious affiliation | Interdenominational Christian |
| President | Clarence E. Wright |
| Students | 300 |
| Location | , , United States |
| Colors |
|
| Affiliations | |
| Website | missio |
History
editMissio Seminary was founded in 1971 as the Biblical School of Theology by Jack W. Murray, president of Bible Evangelism, Inc., and founder of the now-closed Clearwater Christian College, and Allan A. MacRae, a former president of Faith Theological Seminary, who served as the seminary's first president.[2][3] The former E.B. Laudenslager public school in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, was renovated to house the new school. In 1978, the name was changed to Biblical Theological Seminary.
Frank A. James III was inaugurated as Biblical's fourth president in 2013.[4] James previously served as provost of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and president of Reformed Theological Seminary.
In October 2018, the seminary announced that it would rename itself from Biblical Theological Seminary to Missio Seminary.[5] In 2019, the seminary moved from its location in Hatfield to Center City, Philadelphia.[6][7] The move was complete by 2020.[8] In February 2023, the college announced a potential partnership with Kairos University.[9]
In July 2023, James retired from his role as President.[10] The board appointed Clarence E. Wright to serve as the seminary's fifth president and first African-American president.[10] Wright graduated from Missio (then Biblical Theological Seminary) with an M.A. in 2016 and M.Div. in 2017 and had served as a faculty member since 2020.[11]
Academics
editThe seminary received regional accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1990[12] and from the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada in 1996.[13]
The seminary offers the Master of Arts (MA), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Theology (Th.M.), and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degrees.[14] Certificate programs are also offered, as well as online courses.
In addition to the school's regular full-time and part-time faculty, various prominent scholars have served as visiting professors or adjunct faculty, including Scot McKnight, D. A. Carson, Timothy Keller, and Peter Enns.
Notable alumni
edit- Paul C. H. Lim, Professor of Vanderbilt University
References
edit- ^ "New Location Update". www.missio.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
- ^ "History," www.biblical.edu, Archived March 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Honoring Our Heritage | Biblical Seminary". www.biblical.edu. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ^ "Biblical Seminary in Hatfield Borough transitioning to new president". Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ^ "THE MISSIO LOGO". Missio Seminary. 2021-11-04. Archived from the original on 2023-04-09.
- ^ "Our New Home". Missio Seminary. Archived from the original on 2019-06-28. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
- ^ Kostelni, Natalie (2018-05-21). "Seminary to move to Phila. from Hatfield". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ "How to make big transformational changes". In Trust Center for Theological Schools. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05.
- ^ "Missio plans partnership with Kairos University". Missio Seminary. 2023-02-23. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
- ^ a b James, Frank (2023-04-25). "Missio on the Move". Missio Seminary. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ Wright, Clarence (2023-07-01). "Dr. Clarence E. Wright CV" (PDF). Missio.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
- ^ Ltd., Info724. "Middle States Commission on Higher Education". www.msche.org. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Biblical Theological Seminary | The Association of Theological Schools". www.ats.edu. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ^ "All Programs Available at Biblical Seminary". www.biblical.edu. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
