The newly released report by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) reveals that students pursuing church ministry training are predominantly drawn to evangelical Protestant seminaries with orthodox theology. The ATS, which includes over 270 Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish graduate schools of theology, recently released enrollment data from the 2023-24 academic year. This report compares the current enrollment statistics with those from eight years ago, providing insight into trends within theological education.
Evangelical Seminaries Lead Enrollment
The report highlights that Liberty Theological Seminary in Virginia now holds the largest full-time enrollment, boasting 4,050 full-time students and a total headcount of 5,507. Liberty University’s John W. Rawlings School of Divinity, which achieved ATS accreditation in 2020, leads the list. Meanwhile, Fuller Theological Seminary, once the largest in 2016, has seen its full-time enrollment drop by more than half, losing its top position.
Southern Baptist Dominance
Southern Baptist-affiliated seminaries continue to dominate the top 10 list, with schools like Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and others maintaining significant enrollments. Other notable institutions include Dallas Theological Seminary, known for its dispensationalist tradition, and Asbury Theological Seminary, an evangelical school in the Wesleyan tradition.
Mainline Protestant Institutions Lag Behind
The data underscores the growing divide between evangelical and mainline Protestant seminaries. No mainline Protestant institutions rank in the top 10 for enrollment. The largest mainline Protestant seminary, Duke Divinity School, ranks well below its evangelical counterparts.
Overall, the ATS report shows that evangelical seminaries now account for the vast majority of theological students in the U.S., with 72% of all seminarians enrolled in these institutions.
Source:
What Are the Nation’s Largest Christian Seminaries Today?
Photo by Jonathan Simcoe on Unsplash
About Post Author
