Twilight Breaking: The State of Baptist Theological Education in a Global Christian Era and Implications for the Future (Viewpoint Essay‪)‬

I am not a historian. I am the director of admissions at a fourteen-year-old theology school that serves as a graduate program of a 175-year-old Baptist university. For the past four years, I have observed one of the most dramatic periods in American theological education to date, especially for Baptists. Significant shifts have occurred, including sociological, theological, historical, and denominational changes. Several researchers have written regarding the many issues related to Baptist theological education. This article builds on their research and turns slightly to seek answers to a few practical questions: How many new Baptist-related programs are there? How many Baptist students are attending seminary in 2009? What types of schools are they attending? Are there enough Baptist students to populate the many new institutions? Given current Baptist trends in church attendance and denominational financial pressures, are there enough students or resources for them all?