Who We Are

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• To explore and develop the Wesleyan-holiness tradition, as a graduate school of theology
• To support the calling of women and men in ministry
• To know and love the Lord, walk with the Lord, and speak of the Lord with charity and hospitality
• To ground persons in the community of faith and in theological disciplines for the practice of ministry in diverse contexts throughout the world
• To serve as a theological resource for the church, particularly the Church of the Nazarene

Nazarene Theological Seminary is proud to be a member institution of the International Board of Education for the Church of the Nazarene.  As such, we uphold and teach the Christian faith and life as articulated in the Nazarene Articles of Faith and Covenants of Christian Character and Conduct (current Nazarene Manual available here).

A Covenant for the NTS Learning Community
As a learning community shaped by the mission and core values of Nazarene Theological Seminary we understand our life together as a covenant of inquiry, interpretation, and discernment. Grounded in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, we work to unite knowledge and vital piety; to develop a faith that seeks understanding. We acknowledge that our conversations will at times be difficult, as our assumptions, experiences, and convictions meet the transforming power of God’s Spirit. Nonetheless, we pursue charitable discernment because it deepens our faith in God and equips us for Christian ministry in diverse contexts throughout the world.  Therefore,

We affirm that:

• every person is made in the image of God and worthy of dignity and respect.
• the Holy Spirit is present in our conversations, guiding us in truth and grace.
• we are each limited and sometimes mistaken.
• diverse perspectives are essential to the work of theological education.
• mutual respect and love should guide even our disagreements.*
• theological exploration is a means of grace, and part of our call to holiness of heart and life.

We strive to:

• listen openly and humbly.
• speak with both courage and charity.
• engage ideas without dismissing people.
• invite and amplify the diversity of God’s people as a gift to our community.
• challenge one another in ways that build up the Body of Christ.
• seek reconciliation when harm occurs.

Together, we covenant to discern charitably, to pursue holiness in love, and to serve God’s mission in the world.

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* In the face of disagreement, we find our bearings in the approach encouraged by John Wesley, in his sermon entitled, “The Catholic Spirit.”

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 principle means for training students preparing for ministry. However, during the quadrennium of 1940 – 1944, 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 graduate 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 Earle, Professor of Greek and Bible; L.A. Reed, pastor of First Church of the Nazarene, Chicago, as Professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministry; Mendell Taylor, Dean and Professor of History at Bethany Nazarene College, as Registrar and Professor of Church History; and Stephen S. White, Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Olivet Nazarene College, 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 at 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 housed in the renovated coach house of the Headquarters property.

In January 1950, a 10 ½ acre site was purchased at 1700 East Meyer Blvd in Kansas City, MO. An administration and classroom building was erected on the campus in 1954, and a library building was added in 1966. In 2008, NTS took possession of the King Conference Center, Commons, and additional land that brought the campus to a total of 25 acres.

Nazarene Theological Seminary presidents include:

Dr. Hugh C. Benner, 1944–1952
Dr. L.T. Corlett, 1952–1966
Dr. Eugene Stowe, 1966–1968
Dr. William M. Greathouse, 1968–1976
Dr. Stephen W. Nease, 1976–1980
Dr. Terrell C. Sanders, Jr., 1981–1992
Dr. A. Gordon Wetmore, 1992–2000
Dr. Ron Benefiel, 2000–2011
Dr. David A. Busic, 2011–2013
Dr. Carla Sunberg, 2014–2017
Dr. Jeren L. Rowell 2017–Present

Nazarene Theological Seminary Deans of the Seminary/Deans of the Faculty include:

Dr. Russell V. DeLong, Dean of the Seminary, 1946–1953
Dr. Mendell Taylor, Dean of the Seminary, 1953–1971
Dr. Willard H. Taylor, 1971–1981
Dr. Chester O. Galloway, 1981–1988
Dr. Albert L. Truesdale, 1988–1995
Dr. Edwin H. Robinson, 1995–2003
Dr. Roger L. Hahn, 2003–2017
Dr. Joshua R. Sweeden, 2017–2022
Dr. Sarah Coleson-Derck, 2022–Present

• Albert L. Truesdale, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy of Religion & Christian Ethics, 1978-2000
• Charles “Chic” Shaver, Emeritus Professor of Evangelism, 1970-2000
• E. Dee Freeborn, Emeritus Professor of Spiritual Formation, 1974-1978, 1980-2001
• Morris A. Weigelt, Emeritus Professor of New Testament; Emeritus Professor of Spiritual Formation, 1975-2001
• Alex R.G. Deasley, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, 1977-2002
• Charles R. Gailey, Emeritus Professor of Missiology, 1981-2002
• Harold Raser, Emeritus Professor of the History of Christianity, 1980-2018
• Joseph Coleson, Emeritus Professor of Old Testament, 1995-2018
• Bill Selvidge, Emeritus Professor of Intercultural Studies, 2002-2018
• Judi Schwanz, Emeritus Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, 2001-2020
• K. Steve McCormick, Emeritus Professor of Historical Theology, 2005-2022
• Debra Bradshaw, Emeritus Professor of Theological Bibliography, & Director of Library Services, 1993-2025

NTS is fully accredited by the Association of Theological School’s Commission on Accrediting. Learn more.