For a year and a half, Central Seminary has been talking about a merger with Faith Baptist Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa. Although this merger will not happen in the foreseeable future, our two schools continue to hold each other in the highest regard. We fully intend to collaborate in various activities. In fact, we believe that we can strengthen each other’s ministries in many ways short of a merger.

These conversations have helped us at Central Seminary to think about our own direction. God has given us a clear sense of who we are and what we are supposed to do. We believe that we have an important mission to fulfill within the Christian world. This vision honors and continues the work that Central Seminary has been doing for more than half a century. It also gives us our roadmap for the future.

Part of who we are involves our unique location within gospel-centered Christianity. For more than half a century, Central Seminary has been Baptist, separatist, cessationist, and dispensationalist. We have prized devotion to Christ, the cultivation of the mind, growth in personal holiness, and the preaching of the gospel. Those commitments have not changed.

Over the past fifty years, however, new questions and situations have arisen. The way that Central Seminary answers these questions is what makes us unique. The faculty has prepared statements that summarize their responses to three current debates. These statements, and others that will be issued in the future, are important indicators of the direction of Central Seminary. Therefore, we have posted the existing ethos statements on our website for you to see.

Central Seminary has always been committed to the primacy of the local church. Now more than ever, our identity is tied to local churches. We at Central Seminary understand the absolute imperative of serving churches, strengthening churches, and being accountable to churches. We exist to help local churches prepare Christian leaders. We can help by teaching certain skills, but we fully recognize that other skills can only be fostered within the churches themselves. Therefore, we recognize that seminary education must be a shared enterprise with local congregations.

What is the future of Central Seminary? We intend to pursue our mission and our vision for future generations of Christian leaders, preparing them to love rightly, judge wisely, and lead gently. By God’s grace, we want Central Seminary to be ministering when Jesus raptures His church.

See also:

• The Reason We Exist
• Ethos Statement on Salvation & Sanctification
• Ethos Statement on Hermeneutics & Eschatology
• Ethos Statement on Fundamentalism & Evangelicalism