Luther Rice College & Seminary is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

college and seminary in

Lithonia, Georgia Lithonia (, ; AAVE: ) is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The city's population was 2,662 at the 2020 census. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolitan area. "Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart ...

. Through the college and seminary the institution offers bachelor, masters, and doctoral degrees in leadership, counseling, apologetics, Christian worldview, Christian studies, and Christian ministry. The school is recognized as being theologically conservative.

History

It was founded in 1962 by Robert Gee Witty in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

, and named for

Luther Rice Luther Rice (25 March 1783 – 27 September 1836) was an American Baptist minister who, after a thwarted mission to India, returned to America where he spent the remainder of his career raising funds for missions and advocating for the formation of ...

, an educator, missionary, and clergyman in the early 1800s. The State of Florida granted the school's charter on June 14, 1962. Dr. Witty was elected President of the college in 1970, a position he held until 1982, when he retired to become Chancellor. In May 1993, Dr. James Flanagan became president of Luther Rice Seminary. He holds an earned doctorate (Ph.D.) from

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and is one of the largest seminaries in the world. It i ...

. Dr. Steven Steinhilber joined the Luther Rice staff in 2012, graduated with his M.Div. in 2015, and served as the Executive Vice President since 2016. Dr. Steinhilber was appointed as the fifth President in July 2021. Dr. Steinhilber holds an earned Doctor of Ministry degree from Clamp Divinity School, Anderson University, S.C. In August 1991, the college moved from Florida to its current location in Metro Atlanta, Georgia. It has an enrollment of about 1,100 students.

Accreditation

Luther Rice College and Seminary is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

and the

Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the International Co ...

(ABHE). It is also a member of the

Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) is a U.S. based institutional accreditation organization that focuses on Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries seeking collegiate accreditation in the United Sta ...

(TRACS).

Notable alumni

John Ankerberg John Ankerberg (born December 10, 1945) is an American Christian television host, author, and speaker. He is an ordained Baptist minister and has authored or coauthored more than 150 books and study guides. He is the producer and host of the int ...

Jody Hice Jody Brownlow Hice (born April 22, 1960) is an American politician, radio show host, and political activist who served as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. He is a member of the Republican Part ...

Fred L. Lowery Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico R ...

* Stephen Olford *

Paul Schenck Paul Chaim Schenck (born 1958) is an ordained clergyman, author, and lecturer. Early life and work Schenck was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, to Henry P. Schenck and Marjorie M. Apgar. He has two sisters and an identical twin brother with wh ...

Shelton Smith Shelton Smith (born December 4, 1942) is the current editor of ''The Sword of the Lord'', a Christian fundamentalist publisher, based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is involved with the Independent Baptist movement. History Shelton Smith was a lo ...

Charles Stanley Charles Frazier Stanley (born 1932) is Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, after serving as senior pastor for 49 years. He is the founder and president of In Touch Ministries, which widely broadcasts his sermons through te ...

Ric Steel Ric Steel (born 2 December 1952) is a Tennessee-based singer and musician. Early life Born to traveling musicians, Ric hails from Jackson, Mississippi. At age 10, he began singing professionally as the lead in an operatic performance by Gian ...

Manuel Sykes Manuel Sykes is an American pastor and civic leader from the state of Florida. Career Sykes attended the Luther Rice Seminary & University, graduating in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then enrolled at Drew University, where he graduate ...

Jerry Vines Charles Jerry Vines (born September 1937) is an American preacher and former pastor of what was then the nation's third largest Southern Baptist church, the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Florida. Like his former co-pastor Homer G. Linds ...

Spiros Zodhiates Spiros Zodhiates ( el, Σπύρος Ζωδιάτης; March 13, 1922 – October 10, 200ref name="CTFP"> was a Greek-American Bible scholar, author, and ministry innovator. He was best known for his work in developing AMG (Advancing the Ministri ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luther Rice College and Seminary Baptist universities and colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1962 Seminaries and theological colleges in Georgia (U.S. state) Universities and colleges in DeKalb County, Georgia 1962 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)