# Nazarene Theological Seminary

Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) is a Nazarene seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. The seminary was established by the Eleventh General Assembly in June 1944 and started its first school year in 1945 with 61 students. It moved to its current location in 1950. The seminary offers master's degrees in Divinity, Christian Education, Intercultural Studies, and Theological Studies as well as a Doctor of Ministry degree (D.Min.) and non-degree programs.

## History

The Church of the Nazarene, founded in 1908, has since its beginning stressed the importance of education. It started and developed a number of denominational colleges to meet the demand of its constituents for college training, and for some time it relied on the religion departments of its colleges as the principal means for training students preparing for ministry. However, during the quadrennium of 1940-44, sentiment favoring the establishment of a central theological school grew rapidly and finally crystallized in an action of the Annual Conference of the District Superintendents held in Kansas City, January 5–6, 1944. The conference recommended that the Board of General Superintendents appoint a Seminary Commission to study the need for such an institution. On January 10, 1944, the Board of General Superintendents appointed the commission: Russell V. DeLong, chairman, M. Lunn, secretary; E.O. Chalfant; M. Kimber Moulton, and Harlan Heinmiller.
The commission reported its findings to the Eleventh General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene held in Minneapolis in June 1944. This assembly authorized the establishment of the seminary as a graduation institution of the Church of the Nazarene. The first Seminary Board of Trustees was then elected and the name Nazarene Theological Seminary was chosen. The Board of Trustees unanimously selected Kansas City as the Seminary's location.
At a special meeting in Kansas City, September 1944, the board of trustees unanimously elected Hugh C. Benner as the seminary's first president. Meeting in January 1945, the board of trustees elected the following full-time faculty: Russell V. DeLong, district superintendent of the Northwest Indiana District, as dean and Professor of Philosophy of Religion; Ralph Earl, Eastern Nazarene College professor, as Professor of Greek and Bible; L. A. Reed, pastor of Chicago First Church of the Nazarene, as Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministry; Mendell Taylor, Bethany Nazarene College professor, as registrar and Professor of Church History; and Stephen S. White, Olivet Nazarene College professor, as Professor of Theology.
The seminary started its first school year in September 1945 in temporary quarters with 61 enrolled. The Nazarene Publishing House generously provided space for administrative offices and a classroom on the first floor of the General Editorial Building, 2901 Troost; and the management of the denominational headquarters building extended a similar courtesy in providing the seminary with its main classroom and chapel. The library was house in the renovated coach house of the Headquarters property.
In January 1950, a 10+1⁄2-acre (4.2 ha) site was purchased at 1700 East Meyer Boulevard, Kansas City. An administration and classroom building was erected on this campus in 1954. A library building was added in 1966.

### Presidents (1945-present)

* Hugh C. Benner, 1945–1952
* L.T. Corlett, 1952–1966
* Eugene Stowe, 1966–1968
* William M. Greathouse, 1968–1976
* Stephen W. Nease, 1976–1980
* Terrell C. Sanders, Jr., 1981–1992
* A. Gordon Wetmore, 1992–2000
* Ron Benefiel, 2000–2011
* David Busic, 2011–2013
* Carla Sunberg, 2014–2017
* Jeren Rowell, 2017–present

## LGBTQ+ stances

In 2023, an emeritus faculty member, published essays in support of LGBTQ affirmation in a book titled Why the Church of the Nazarene Should be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming. Eric Severson was a current faculty member who wrote a chapter titled “The Queerness of the Holy.”
Steve McCormick, who had retired from NTS also wrote an essay in the book entitled “See No One as ‘Other.’” McCormick was a long-time professor at NTS and the chair of theology. He taught at NTS for 18 years, retiring in 2022, one year before he wrote in Why the Church of the Nazarene Should be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming. McCormick has been open about his affirming position and indicated that he has held that position for years, including while as a faculty member at NTS. While McCormick no longer teaches at NTS, he still retains the position of Emeritus Professor of Historical Theology | William M. Greathouse Chair for Wesleyan-Holiness Theology. NTS has not distanced themselves from McCormick. In addition to his title at NTS, McCormick is listed on the NTS website and still has an official NTS email address.
Michael Christensen is a professor in the NTS Doctor of Ministry program, teaching a course in the spring 2025 semester. Christensen openly affirms same-sex sexual activity. Christensen has been public about his affirming stance since at least 2016. According to Christensen, he has “advocated for full inclusion of gay and lesbian sisters and brothers in the life of church since I was in college over 40 years ago.”

## Denominational funding

NTS receives more than $1 million dollars annually from the Church of the Nazarene. This money is allocated from the World Evangelism Fund, to which every local Nazarene church is expected to contribute 5.5% of its annual income.