HOUSTON—Houston Baptist University will open its own theological seminary in the fall.
Houston Theological Seminary will offer graduate courses leading to a master of divinity degree, as well as master of arts degrees in apologetics, biblical languages, Christian leadership and theological studies. It also will offer both on-campus and online not-for-credit courses.
“HBU has long emphasized the importance of ministry preparation, and we are pleased to add the master of divinity to our other graduate programs,” HBU President Robert Sloan said.
“Our outstanding faculty will now have the ability to provide ministry preparation in a seminary setting that is based in Houston and is specifically geared for the ministry needs of this great city.”
Houston Theological Seminary will feature programs designed to train pastors for the needs in the 21st century, HBU Provost Cynthia Simpson said.
“We are excited about the opportunity to impact our community and nation for Christ through the training of ministers in an educational setting where students will have excellent theoretical and practical experiences,” Simpson said.
A course on defending the Bible—taught by Craig Evans, dean of HBU’s School of Christian Thought and the John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins—will be among the first classes the seminary offers.
Among other sites, Houston Theological Seminary will offer classes at the Woodway campus of Second Baptist Church.
HBU—founded in 1960—is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and also has a fraternal relationship with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, a group that broke away from the BGCT in 1998.
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Two other BGCT-affiliated universities also are home to seminaries—Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University and Logsdon Seminary at Hardin-Simmons University.
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