Knox Theological Seminary is an independent, evangelical seminary in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

, founded in 1989 by

D. James Kennedy Dennis James Kennedy (November 3, 1930 – September 5, 2007) was an American pastor, evangelist, Christian broadcaster, and author. He was the senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 1960 until hi ...

. The school offers ministry training at its residential facility in Fort Lauderdale and through its internet campus, Knox Online.

History

Named after the Scottish Reformer

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

, Knox Theological Seminary was founded in 1989 by

(1930–2007), Senior Pastor of

Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church is a Christian megachurch within the Presbyterian Church in America located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was founded in 1960 by D. James Kennedy (1930–2007), who served as the church's senior pastor until s ...

. Kennedy wanted to build an institution that would teach and equip men and women to become pastors, teachers, evangelists, and lay workers who would fulfill the

Great Commission In Christianity, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples to spread the gospel to all the nations of the world. The Great Commission is outlined in Matthew 28:16– 20, where on a mountain i ...

and impact all aspects of culture. The goal, he said, was to train ministers who would "stand for truth without compromise and have a zeal for evangelism." The school graduated its first class in 1993 and was granted accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools in 2005. Knox obtained ATS approval in 2012 to offer two master's degree programs (Biblical and Theological Studies, Christianity and Culture) entirely online. Knox Seminary was a subsidiary of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church for the first 24 years of its existence but became an independent free-standing institution under the exclusive governance of its board of directors on July 1, 2013.

Academics

Knox has 35 full-time, adjunct, and visiting instructors, including

Gerald Bray Gerald Lewis Bray (born 16 November 1948) is a British theologian, ecclesiastical historian and priest in the Church of England. Teaching Born in Montreal, Quebec, on 16 November 1948, Bray holds a BA from McGill University and a MLitt and DLitt ...

, Distinguished Professor of Historical Theology;

Bryan Chapell Bryan Chapell (born 18 November 1954) is an American pastor and theologian who currently serves as the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in America. He was previously the senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Illinois. Prio ...

, Distinguished Professor of Preaching; and

Bruce Waltke Bruce K. Waltke (born August 30, 1930) is an American Reformed evangelical professor of Old Testament and Hebrew. He has held professorships in the Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Wes ...

, Distinguished Professor of Old Testament. Knox currently offers four degree programs: Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Arts (MA) in Christian and Classical Studies, and Master of Arts (Biblical and Theological Studies). It also offers several certificate programs.

Governance

Knox is governed by a board of directors. Knox Seminary's board installed Samuel Lamerson (Ph.D. TEDS under Scot McKnight) as the president in November 2014. Lamerson was professor of New Testament before taking on the presidency. Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church granted independence to Knox on July 1, 2013, to allow the school to maximize opportunities afforded by an independent status. Knox continues to have a close relationship with

, including 25% board membership.

References

{{authority control Reformed church seminaries and theological colleges Seminaries and theological colleges in Florida Education in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Educational institutions established in 1989 Universities and colleges in Broward County, Florida 1989 establishments in Florida