Western Theological Seminary


The Western Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in America is a seminary of the Reformed Church in America and located in Holland, Michigan. Established in 1866, it is one of two seminaries operated by the Reformed Church in America, a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States that follows the theological tradition and Christian practice of John Calvin.
The seminary offers professional and graduate degree programs for candidates for ministry, and to those pursuing careers in academia or non-theological fields. It was established to fill a need for theological education on the western frontier of the Reformed Church in America. In its theological identity, Western Theological Seminary is evangelical, ecumenical and Reformed. Western Theological Seminary prepares students for ministry often involving ordination, as well as for further graduate study, chaplaincy, missions, youth ministry, social service ministry, etc. Although WTS is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, it is ecumenical in scope and it educates students from other denominations, including: the Christian Reformed Church, the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church.

History

In 1866, seven students graduating from Hope College felt called to full-time Christian ministry following graduation. They wanted to pursue their theological training in West Michigan, so they made a petition to the General Synod of the Reformed Church to allow for theological training through the Hope College Religion Department. Permission was granted and Western Theological Seminary was established.

Academics

The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. It offers the Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, and Doctor of Ministry degrees; it also offers graduate certificates.

Notable faculty

Among its student awards, Western Theological Seminary awards annual prizes for Excellence in Writing and Excellence in Preaching American, named after the theologian and writer Frederick Buechner. Additionally, Seminary President and Henry Bast Professor of Preaching, Timothy Brown, has also delivered guest lectures on the topic of Buechner, including at the Buechner Institute at King University in 2013.