Denver Seminary
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Denver Seminary is an evangelical graduate-level institution that offers a wide range of degrees not typically associated with seminaries. The school prides itself in its rigorous academics that are combined with a steady dose of spiritual formation.
Founded in 1950, Dr. Carey Thomas became the Seminary's first president.
The Seminary was founded by members of the newly founded Conservative Baptist Association. This is a group of churches that separated from the Northern Baptist Convention over theological differences stemming from the modernist/fundamentalist conflict earlier in the twentieth century. The school was originally known as the Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary and, during the late 1980s, changed its name to Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary. The school changed its name again in 1998 to Denver Seminary to reflect its growing appeal to a wide-spectrum of evangelical students, most of whom were no longer from the Conservative Baptists Association. Yet, the Seminary maintains its Baptist roots by requiring all full-time faculty to sign a doctrinal statement that is baptistic in nature. Students, staff, and adjunct faculty, however, are only required to sign the statement of faith used by the National Association of Evangelicals.
After Thomas' death in 1955, Vernon Grounds became the second president and remains the chancellor of the school to this day. In 2002, Senior Professor of Church History Bruce Shelley authored a biography on Grounds titled Transformed by Love: The Vernon Grounds Story. This book gives a comprehensive overview of Denver Seminary's history as it developed from a small denominational school to a major evangelical seminary under Grounds leadership.
Denver Seminary moved to a new campus in Littleton, Colorado during July 2005. Before that it was located in Englewood, Colorado on the site of the former Kent School for Girls.
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[edit] Theological Stance
The evangelical theological stance of Denver Seminary is captured by the words of chancellor Vernon Grounds:
Here is no unanchored liberalism, freedom to think without commitment. Here is no encrusted dogmatism, commitment without freedom to think. Here is a vibrant evangelicalism, commitment with freedom to think within the limits laid down in Scripture.
This statement was first used by Grounds to stake out Denver Seminary's theological position in the midst of conflict between moderately conservative and ultra-conservative factions of the Conservative Baptist Association that eventually led the ultra-conservative faction to withdraw from the CBA and found the Conservative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). Grounds, formerly the academic dean of fundamentalist Baptist seminary in New York state affiliated with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, eventually became a key spokesperson for the neo-evangelical movement that attributes its roots to the writings of Carl F. H. Henry. Under his leadership, Denver Seminary became firmly rooted in this theological camp.
[edit] Presidents
The following men have served in the presidency of Denver Seminary.
1. Carey S. Thomas, 1951-55
2. Vernon C. Grounds, 1955-1979
3. Haddon W. Robinson, 1979-1993
4. Edward L. Hayes, 1993-1996
5. Clyde McDowell, 1996-1999
Interim, Leith Anderson, 1999-2000
6. G. Craig Williford, 2000-present
[edit] Accreditation
Denver Seminary is accredited by Association of Theological Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and the prestigious Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP).
The school has a library that contains over 166,000 books and bound periodicals.
[edit] Training and Mentoring
Denver Seminary's flagship training and mentoring program, started by former president Clyde McDowell, has distinguished the seminary from similar evangelical schools and led to a significant increase in student enrollment since it was launched in 1998. The training and mentoring program places students with a team of mentors who help them to design and pursue two learning contracts each semester, one focusing on spiritual growth and a second on professional development. Students can choose to work under the auspices of one of five different training centers: counseling, chaplaincy, church ministry, intercultural, or parachurch. The Church Ministry Training Center offers options for specialization in rural, urban, suburban or church planting ministries.
[edit] Publications
Since 1998, Old Testament professor Richard Hess has edited the Denver Journal: An Online Review of Current Biblical and Theological Studies. This is primarily an electronic journal that provides Denver Seminary faculty an opportunity to publish book reviews on the latest theological scholarship.
Denver Seminary Magazine, published quarterly since 1981, addresses current topics in the church and ministry and is distributed primarily to Denver Seminary alumni and other financial supporters.
[edit] Programs
Denver Seminary offers the following programs of study:
- Master of Divinity (MDiv)
- Master of Arts (Biblical Studies) degree
- Master of Arts (Christian Studies) degree
- Master of Arts (Philosophy of Religion) degree
- Master of Arts (Theology) degree
- Master of Arts in Christian Formation and Soul Care degree
- Master of Arts in Counseling (licensure) degree (with a concentration in community counseling or school counseling)
- Master of Arts in Counseling Ministries degree (with an optional 12-hour concentration in chaplaincy)
- Master of Arts in Leadership degree (with an optional 12-hour concentration in intercultural ministry or worship)
- Master of Arts in Youth and Family Ministries degree (with an optional 12-hour concentration in counseling ministries)
- Graduate Certificate (with an emphasis in leadership, theology, Christian studies, or intercultural ministry)
- Certificate of Completion (with an emphasis in Christian apologetics, Christian formation and soul care, intercultural ministry, or worship)
- Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree for those who are currently in ministry and who hold the Master of Divinity degree or its equivalent
