Type | Seminary |
---|---|
Established | 1925 |
Parent institution
|
Eastern University |
Affiliation | American Baptist Churches USA |
Provost | R. Keith Iddings |
Dean | F. David Bronkema |
Academic staff
|
18 |
Students | 227 |
Location |
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States 40°05′39″N 75°24′51″W / 40.09415°N 75.41426°WCoordinates: 40°05′39″N 75°24′51″W / 40.09415°N 75.41426°W |
Website | www |
Palmer Theological Seminary is a multidenominational seminary affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. United Methodists, Presbyterians, Mennonites, African Methodist Episcopalians, and other Protestant church denominations are represented both on the Palmer faculty and in its student body. It was founded in 1925 as Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Twelve members of the Northern Baptist Convention founded Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 19, 1925, intending to preserve their historic evangelical tradition as well as educate future ministers. Originally located on Rittenhouse Square, it moved in 1940 to Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, just across the street from the city boundary.
The seminary originally established a collegiate division to prepare some students for the academic rigor of seminary-level courses. This evolved in 1952 into Eastern Baptist College, since 2002 Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania near Valley Forge and further west on the Philadelphia Main Line from Philadelphia. In 2004, Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary re-merged with Eastern University, now as a subsidiary. The following year, the seminary changed its name to Palmer Theological Seminary in honor of its longest serving president (1936–48), Gordon Palmer. In 2010, the University also established the Smith School of Christian Ministries to oversee certain programs. In 2012, the seminary sold this location and moved temporarily to the American Baptist Churches offices located nearby at 588 N. Gulph Road, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
Over the years, the seminary has combined evangelical theology with the affirmation of women in ministry and commitment to social justice and ethnic diversity. From the beginning, the Seminary welcomed female students. The Seminary continues to affirm its founding motto, "The Whole Gospel for the Whole World."