Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (BTSR) was a free-standing

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. It was founded in March 1989 by Virginia

Baptists 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 compe ...

related to the Southern Baptist Alliance (now the

Alliance of Baptists The Alliance of Baptists is a Baptist Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The headquarters is in Raleigh, North Carolina. History The Alliance of Baptists was formed in 1987 as the Southern Baptist Alliance by liberal individ ...

) and

Baptist General Association of Virginia The Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV), founded in 1823, is an umbrella organization of Baptist churches in Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance. History Baptists have been in V ...

. In the late 1980s, as the situation began to change in

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...

during the conservative resurgence/fundamentalist takeover, others in the region joined them in seeing the need for alternative options for theological education among Baptists. BTSR was also affiliated with the

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) is a Baptist Christian denomination in the United States. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is in Decatur, Georgia. History The Cooperative Baptist Association has its or ...

. Accredited by the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...

, BTSR offered degrees including the

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

(M.Div.),

Master of Theological Studies A Master of Theological Studies (MTS) is a graduate degree, offered in theological seminary or graduate faculty of theology, which gives students lay training in theological studies. Under Association of Theological Schools in the United States a ...

(MTS), and

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advanced ...

(D.Min.). On November 13, 2018, the BTSR Trustees announced that the school would close, effective June 30, 2019. The trustees cited financial pressure as the reason for the closure, and said that the school would work with students to transfer their credits to other seminaries.

References

External links

* Seminaries and theological colleges in Virginia Education in Richmond, Virginia Educational institutions established in 1989 Educational institutions disestablished in 2019 1989 establishments in Virginia 2019 disestablishments in Virginia {{Virginia-university-stub