Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary is a

theological institute A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological educ ...

located in Cordova in

Shelby County, Tennessee Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's List of counties in Tennessee, 95 counties, both in terms of p ...

(east of the City of

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

), with a branch campus in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, and an extension campus in

Oxford, Mississippi Oxford is a city and college town in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Oxford lies 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and is the county seat of Lafayette County. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British city of Oxf ...

. Though its beliefs and practices are in line with the conservative wing of the

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 ...

, it is not operated by the denomination itself.

History

The school was founded in 1971 as the "School of the Prophets" in Louisiana, but no classes were held. The following year it was moved to

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, and the name was changed to Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1976 the school moved to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, on the old campus of Temple Israel. In 1996 the school moved to a larger campus in South

Germantown, Tennessee Germantown is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,333 at the 2020 census. Germantown is a suburb of Memphis, bordering it to the east-southeast. Germantown was founded in 1841 by mostly German emigrants. The ...

, in the quarters of the old

Germantown Baptist Church Germantown Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch based in Germantown, Tennessee, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The church is 179 years old, and since its founding has moved from its location in downtown Germantown to an over ...

. In 2006 the school moved to

Cordova, Tennessee Cordova is a community in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. Cordova lies east of Memphis, north of Germantown, south of Bartlett, and northwest of Collierville at an elevation of 361 feet (110 meters). The majority of Cordova has been an ...

across the street from the

Bellevue Baptist Church Bellevue Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch in the Cordova, Tennessee, Cordova area of Memphis, Tennessee, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Bellevue is the largest church in Memphis. Bellevue's goals are to ...

into a new $28 million facility located on 51 acres (35 donated by Bellevue and 16 purchased by the Seminary). In 2019, a campus was established at the

Varner Unit The Varner Unit is a high-security state prison for men of the Arkansas Department of Correction in Varner, Choctaw Township, unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 65,

prison in

Varner, Arkansas Varner is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. Its elevation is 177 ft (54 m). Varner is located southeast of Little Rock. History Circa 1952 Varner had three residents.Download ''Circa'' 1958 Varner, whi ...

and another in 2021 at the Limon Correctional Facility prison in

Limon, Colorado Limon is a statutory town that is the most populous municipality in Lincoln County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,880 at the 2010 United States Census. Limon has been called the "Hub City" of Eastern Colorado because Intersta ...

Notable alumni

Brandt Smith Curtis Brandt Smith Jr. (born 18 April 1959) is an American politician and academic serving as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from the 58th district. In 2022, he was a candidate for U.S. congress in Arkansas's 1st congressiona ...

, member of the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

since 2015

References

External links

Official website
Education in Lafayette County, Mississippi Education in Schenectady County, New York Education in Shelby County, Tennessee Seminaries and theological colleges in Tennessee Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges in the Memphis Metro Area Educational institutions established in 1971 1971 establishments in Tennessee Baptist seminaries and theological colleges in the United States {{Seminary-stub