American Baptist Theological Seminary
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| Motto | Light a Flame that lasts forever |
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| Type | Private HBCU |
| Established | 1924 |
| Affiliation | National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. |
| President | Dr. Forrest Elliot Harris, Sr. |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Campus | 53 acres (210,000 m2) |
| Website | www.abcnash.edu |
American Baptist College (also known as American Baptist Theological Seminary or ABTS) is a small, predominantly African American liberal arts college located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1924, its predecessor in black Baptist education was Roger Williams University, a Nashville college begun in the late-19th century and closed in the early 20th century (Its campus is now occupied by Peabody College of Vanderbilt University). Upon full accreditation by the American Association of Bible Colleges, ABTS officially dropped use of the term "Theological Seminary" and renamed itself American Baptist College of ABTS. Recently, on March 25, 2013, the college was granted the honor of being named as a Historically Black College and University commonly referred to as an HBCU.
The college officially opened under the name of the American Baptist Theological Seminary on September 14, 1924. In 1971, the school became accredited and its official name was changed to American Baptist College. The college was originally formed as a joint educational partnership between the Southern Baptist Convention and the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.. The Southern Baptist Convention withdrew its one of the founding fathers of the College. At its annual meeting in 1913, the National Baptist Convention appointed a committee to investigate support of the college in 1995. The college continues to serve as the primary theological training center for the NBC, USA Inc.
The idea of a seminary for the training of Black Baptist ministers grew out of conversation between National Baptist leaders and Dr. O.L. Hailey, the possibility of establishing a seminary for the education of its ministers. In a resolution presented by Dr. E.Y. Mullin and adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in that same year, the convention pledged its cooperation and appointed a similar committee. The committees of the two conventions met together and the following year recommended to their respective bodies that the college be established in Memphis, Tennessee. It was later decided to establish the College in Nashville. The present site of 53 acres was purchased with the help of the National Baptists in 1921, and a plan calling for the management of the seminary by a holding board and a governing board representative of the two conventions was adopted. The first building, Griggs Hall, was erected in 1923 and housed dormitory rooms, dining hall, library, and classrooms.
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