The Birmingham Theological Seminary (BTS) was founded in 1972. Two
men, Dr. Frank Barker, Pastor of Briarwood
Presbyterian Church, and Rev. Bill Hay, Pastor of Covenant
Presbyterian Church, saw the need for men and women to be trained
for full-time Christian service to enrich their personal lives, to increase
their knowledge of the things of the Lord and to be better equipped
to teach, preach, and witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. These men also
saw the need to enable those who felt God's call to study for Christian
work to do so on a part-time basis, if obligations would not allow them
to study full-time. Students could have the opportunity to work full-time
and also to attend classes in the evening.
BTS was initially known as the "Birmingham Extension
Seminary for Theological Education," often referred to as "BES." BES
began offering classes in the fall of 1972 at the Edgewood Presbyterian
Church located in Homewood. The seminary began with two degree programs-Master
of Divinity and Master of Religious Education. Six classes were offered,
with 52 students enrolled: 17 M.Div., 14 M.R.E., and 21 audit. In 1980,
the name of the seminary was changed to "Birmingham Theological
Seminary." Green and white became the official school colors in
a 1978 action. During this 33-year history, more than 2500 students
have taken one or more courses and 295 students have been awarded master's
level degrees. BTS has offered courses in various locations around the
state of Alabama and in foreign countries such as Japan, Korea, China,
Ukraine, New Zealand, and Australia.
