Introduction

INTRODUCTION

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary is to form, support, and resource women and men for Holy Spirit-filled, Holy Spirit-led Christian ministry in today’s world. The Seminary is dedicated to carry out this task as an act of obedience to God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Seminary is committed to the absolute authority of Scripture and to the Holiness-Pentecostal interpretation of the Christian faith as set forth in the Declaration of Faith of the Church of God. The Seminary seeks to be a community of faith, worship, and study, nurturing covenantal relationships and creating awareness of the world mission and global diversity of the Church. It is the intention of the Seminary to help students integrate life and learning in such a way that they may acquire the maturity and professional competency needed to carry out the mission of the Church in the world. As a denominationally sponsored institution, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary is fully committed to the spiritual, doctrinal, and ethical emphases of the Church of God and is firmly dedicated to serving and training its ministry.

OUR VISION

From its beginning, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary has followed a model for ministerial development drawn from the Scriptures and the heritage of Wesleyan-Pentecostalism: the community of faith. The underlying thesis of the model has been that equipping persons for ministry is the responsibility of the church and must be done in the context of being the church. The Seminary is the church of God gathered for theological education. This conviction requires the Seminary to continually seek to conform to the nature of the church, to see its mission as an expression of the mission of the church, and to maintain an interdependent relationship with the larger church. These realities constitute the governing vision of the nature of the Seminary.

The Seminary is committed to conform to the nature of the church as established in the Holiness-Pentecostal heritage of the Church of God. It continually strives to ensure that all relationships, processes, and structures of the Seminary are governed by the biblical standards for God’s people. The Seminary seeks to conceptualize and approach these standards with theological integrity using the same methods of discerning, critical reflection and action being taught to the students. It is the vision of the Seminary that all institutional endeavors must honor and strengthen its existence as a Pentecostal community of faith. The administration, faculty, staff, and student body share regular times of fellowship and worship.

The Seminary understands that its mission must serve the global mission of the Church of God. This conviction gives rise to a continuing challenge to set priorities that reflect the larger church and at the same time recognize the limits of its calling and resources. Even though the denomination has opened graduate-level seminaries in other parts of the world, The Pentecostal Theological Seminary remains the flagship of ministerial training for the denomination. The Church of God Master Plan of Education states, "That all graduate programs be networked with the Theological Seminary" (Church of God Educational Handbook, p. 21). It is the vision of the Seminary to serve the Church of God and the Pentecostal movement worldwide as a center for Pentecostal scholarship and training. Within this vision, the Seminary is committed to maintaining a high enrollment of international students and to networking with other seminaries around the world. The faculty frequently serve as visiting instructors in other countries and international scholars often visit the Seminary to teach.

The Seminary understands itself to be an interdependent organ of the larger church. It therefore attempts to be responsive to the needs of the church in its various expressions, but with special emphasis upon the needs of congregations. It strives to be informed by those needs and fulfill its role in the ongoing reformation of the church. Therefore, the Seminary intentionally maintains interactive channels of communication with the other expressions of the Church of God, including the Executive Committee, the Executive Council, Departmental Leaders, State and Territorial Overseers, and representatives of districts and local congregations. It also recognizes that its position as a member of the higher education academy places special responsibility on the Seminary to serve as a link between the denomination and other expressions of the family of God. Under God, the Seminary also strives to be a research/resource center to the church and its public voice in relation to the contemporary challenges and issues in the church and the larger society.

THEOLOGICAL COMMITMENT

The Church of God Declaration of Faith

We believe:

• 1. In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.

  2. In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

  3. That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.

  4. That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.

  5. That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.

  6. In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word and by the Holy Ghost.

  7. Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people.

  8. In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.

  9. In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

  10. In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.

  11. In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.

  12. In the Lord’s Supper and washing of the saints’ feet.

  13. Divine healing is provided for all in the Atonement.

  14. In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

CHARTER AND ACCREDITATION

The Seminary is sponsored by the Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, and operates under a charter of incorporation from the State of Tennessee and Bradley County. The School and its programs are approved by the State Approving Agency for the training of eligible persons under the terms of the Veterans Education Benefits, and is authorized under Federal law to enroll international students. The Seminary operates in Tennessee under an exemption from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is accredited on all campuses by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the masters and doctorate degrees. Contact the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary.

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) and to offer the Master of Divinity, the Master of Arts in Discipleship and Christian Formation (MADCF), the Master of Arts in Church Ministries (MACM), the Masters in Theological Studies (MTS), the Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC), the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MACMHC) and the Doctor of Ministry degrees. For information concerning the accreditation of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary contact the Board of Commissioners of the Association of Theological Schools, 10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15275-1103, or call 412-788-6505, or email at ats.edu.

The Seminary is certified by Asociación para La Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH) to award certificates in Wesleyan-Pentecostal Biblical Studies, Wesleyan-Pentecostal Theology, and Wesleyan-Pentecostal Ministry. Inquiries regarding AETH certification should be directed to PO Box 677848. Orlando, FL 32867. Phone: 720-535-5435. Website: www.aeth.org.

The Seminary is approved by SACS-COC to offer programs fully online and by ATS to offer the following degrees fully online: MADCF, MACM, MTS, MAC and MACMHC; and the two-thirds of the following degrees online, MDiv and DMin.

The Seminary is certified the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) as an educational institution authorized to operate educational programs beyond secondary education, directs the commission to maintain and publish on its web site a list of postsecondary educational institutions meeting the requirements of subdivision (a)(6) with its primary campus domiciled in this state or subdivision (a)(11). 

The Seminary is also a member of National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) as it seeks to operate in various states. NC-SARA lays out a framework for state-level reciprocity, including a governance structure, implementation by the four regional higher education compacts (MHEC, NEBHE, SREB, WICHE), a National Council for SARA to ensure comprehensive national coverage, and a financial plan to support operations.

The Seminary is also on the list of Tennessee List of Schools Approved for Veterans Training (GI Bill). 

PHYSICAL FACILITIES

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is located at 900 Walker Street, NE, Cleveland, Tennessee. A contemporary, two-story, white-brick structure (Gause Administration Building), houses the administrative offices, faculty offices, the chapel, classrooms, and audiovisual facilities. An outdoor courtyard joins the Curtsinger Ministry Center, a 24,000 square foot structure housing the Cecil B. and Evelyn Knight Conference Hall, Student Services Offices, Church of God Chaplains Commission, faculty offices, labs, classrooms, and the H.G. Poitier Student Commons.

NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY

he Seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, handicap, age, class, veteran status, or national/ethnic origin in the administration of any of its policies. It is the policy of the Seminary in its common life and classroom to use inclusive language and to exercise respect and Christian love toward each member of the Seminary community. The Seminary, as part of the Church of God, recognizes homosexuality as an unscriptural lifestyle which precludes church membership, ministerial credentials, and, therefore, participation in this Seminary.

Furthermore, in specific adherence to the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Pentecostal Theological Seminary does not condone discrimination against students, faculty or staff based upon sex in any of its programs or functions, including but not limited to admissions, educational programs, and employment. Sexual misconduct is a type of sex discrimination and is prohibited by Title IX and by the Pentecostal Theological Seminary.

The Pentecostal Theological Seminary is committed to responding immediately and effectively to any reports of possible discrimination based on sex. An individual who has questions regarding sexual harassment or sex discrimination should contact the PTS Title IX Coordinator.

The Title IX Coordinator at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary is Karen Holley. She is charged with monitoring compliance with Title IX regulations. Questions regarding Title IX, as well as questions and concerns regarding noncompliance, may be directed to her. Contact information for Karen Holley, Title IX Coordinator:

Email: kholley@ptseminary.edu

Phone: (423) 478-7973

Office: Gause Administration Building, Room 129