Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond : 2004 Seminar
Key Contacts:
Thomas H. Graves, President
Richard B. Vinson, Dean of the Faculty
Stephen Brachlow, Professor of Spirituality
Tracy Hartman, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology
Deborah Carlton Loftis, Associate Professor of Church Music
James F. Peak, Jr., Director, Center for Distance Learning
The purpose of the seminary is to provide advanced theological education and training for effective leadership in the various ministries of the church for those men and women who are called and committed to Christian ministry.
As a community of learners committed to God as revealed in Jesus Christ, the seminary is dedicated to the following principles:
- The seminary seeks to maintain excellence in scholarship and to provide for and encourage the spiritual growth of its faculty, staff, students, and constituents.
- The seminary stresses classical theological disciplines and pursues new avenues of education, encouraging practical application and hands-on practice in ministry.
- The seminary is distinctively Baptist in terms of heritage with an ecumenical commitment, a global perspective, and participation in the world-wide Christian mission.
- The seminary is committed to gender and racial inclusion, and in the development of faculty and staff pledges to seek to achieve balance in gender and race.
Character
The seminary has 13 full-time faculty, of which 6 are women and 7 men. We have a total enrollment of about 300 students per year, of which about 180 are M.Div., 40-45 are D. Min., and the rest are taking courses but are not in a degree program. We are supported by the Baptist General Association of Virginia, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and a variety of churches and individuals. BTSR is part of the Richmond Theological Consortium, along with Union Theological Seminary and the Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union, so students have the chance to cross-register and to participate in community life on three campuses. BTSR offers the M.Div. with concentrations in Music or in Christian Education, and also offers a dual degree program with the VCU School of Social Work leading to an MDiv/MSW, and with the Medical College of Virginia leading to an MDiv/MS in Patient Counseling.
This is the 13th academic year for BTSR. We were begun after the change in leadership and direction in the Southern Baptist Convention led to firings and departures at the six SBC seminaries. About 65% of our student body identifies themselves as “Baptist, Other” on the ATS survey form, and another 20-25% identify themselves as “Southern Baptist.” Just over half of the students are women and about 15% are non-Caucasian. About 75% of our graduates are congregational ministers.