Covenant Theological Seminary
Covenant Theological Seminary, sometimes known as Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and it is located in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Covenant trains leaders for work in the church and the world — especially as pastors, missionaries, and counselors. It does not require all students to be members of the PCA, but it is bound to promote the teachings of its denomination. Faculty must subscribe to the system of biblical doctrine outlined in the Westminster Standards. History. The seminary was established in 1956 as a sister institution to Covenant College (begun in  1955 in Pasadena, California). Both schools were then agencies of the Bible Presbyterian Church, (Columbus Synod). Born out of a resistance to liberalizing influences in American Evangelicalism, the institution's founders believed that their denomination needed a strong theological school of its own. For a time, the college and seminary shared the same president and campus in St. Louis, until the college outgrew its space and moved to Lookout Mountain, Georgia, in 1964. They formally became two separate institutions in 1966. As a result of several denominational mergers over the ensuing decades, both schools became part of the Evangelical Presbyterian  Church (EPC); the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES); and finally, in 1982—through what is known as the "joining and receiving" with the RPCES—the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), which elects and oversees the work of the seminary's board of trustees. Over its 65 years, the seminary has continued to grow in size and reputation, and is now home to a student body (both on campus and online) drawn from nearly every US state and many other nations. More than 4,500 Covenant Seminary graduates now serve as pastors, church planters, missionaries, campus ministers, counselors, Bible translators, and  educators, and in many other ministry and non-vocational ministry capacities in multiple denominations and in all 50 states and 100 countries. Academics. The seminary is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. It offers several academic degrees: Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Arts (MA), Master of Theology (Th.M.), and Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.). The seminary is doctrinally committed to the Reformed faith and Covenant theology, and it believes the Bible to be the inspired and inerrant word of God. The seminary is also home to the Francis  Schaeffer Institute, which encourages Christians to engage contemporary culture in a compassionate way with the truth-claims of the gospel. Covenant publishes "Covenant" magazine annually and "Presbyterion," an academic theological journal, semiannually. Head of Covenant Theological Seminary. In July 2021, the Rev. Dr. Thomas C. Gibbs became the sixth president of Covenant Seminary, succeeding Dr. Mark Dalbey, who served as Interim President in 2012–2013 and President from 2013 to 2021. Prior to his call to Covenant, Dr. Gibbs served as a pastor for 24 years. After graduating from Auburn University, he served as a youth director at Faith Presbyterian Church  in Birmingham, Alabama. He followed his call to ministry by pursuing a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Seminary, graduating in 1997. He then started a new Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) chapter at Baylor University, and in 2002 planted Redeemer Presbyterian Church of San Antonio, Texas, serving as its senior pastor for 19 years until taking the reins at Covenant. Previous Covenant presidents include: Dr. Robert G. Rayburn (1956–1977), Dr. William S. Barker (1977–1985), Dr. Paul Kooistra (1985–1994), Dr. Bryan Chapell (1994–2010; Chancellor, 2011–12), and Dr. Mark Dalbey (2012–2021).