Northern Seminary

Northern Seminary is a private Baptist seminary in Lisle, Illinois. Historically known as Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, it is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA.

Northern Seminary

Former names	Northern Baptist Theological Seminary
Type	Private seminary
Established	1913 (1913)
Religious affiliation	American Baptist Churches USA
Academic affiliation	Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
President	Joy J. Moore
Academic staff	28 (2024) [1]
Postgraduates	297 (2020)[2]
Location	Lisle, Illinois, United States 41°48′33″N 88°03′22″W
Campus	Online/hybrid
Website	www.seminary.edu

History

The Seminary was founded in 1913 by the Second Baptist Church of Chicago named as Northern Baptist Theological Seminary as a theologically conservative alternative within the framework of its association with the American Baptist Churches USA.^[3][4] In 1920 a collegiate department was founded, and the American Baptist Churches became a seminary partner.^[5] In 1963, it moved to Lombard, Illinois.^[6] In 2004, it was renamed Northern Seminary.^[5] In 2017, it moved to Lisle, Illinois.^[7]

It is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.

On March 13, 2023, the president, William D. Shiell, resigned from his position amid controversy.^[8] After several interim presidents were named, Joy J. Moore officially became the 13th president of Northern Seminary on December 1, 2024.^[9]

Presidents

No.	Name	Term	Ref
1	John Marvin Dean	1913–1918	[10][11]
2	George W. Taft	1918–1936	[10]
3	William Law Ferguson	1936–1938	[12][13]
4	Charles W. Koller	1938–1961	[14][15][12]
5	Benjamin P. Browne[a]	1960–1964	[16][17][18]
6	Bryan F. Archibald	1965–1975	[17][19]
7	William R. Myers Sr.	1975–1988	[20][10]
8	Ian M. Chapman	1988–2001	[10]
9	Charles W. Moore	2001–2006	[10][21]
–	John F. Kirn[b]	2006–2008	[10][21]
10	Alistair Brown	2008–2016	[22][10]
11	William D. Shiell	2016–2023	[23]
–	John C. Bowling[b]	2023	[8][24][25]
–	Karen Walker Freeburg[b]	2023–2024	[26][27]
12	Joy J. Moore	2024–present	[28][9]

1. Browne served as interim president during Koller's sabbatical during his last year.^[16]
2. Served as interim president

Notable people

Alumni

• David Breese, evangelist, author, and radio broadcaster
• Millard Erickson, 20th-century theologian and author
• Clay Evans (pastor), 20th-century African-American evangelical pastor
• Derwin Gray, professional football player and pastor
• Carl Henry, founder and first editor of Christianity Today
• Torrey Johnson, first president of Youth for Christ
• Stephen R. Lawhead, fiction writer
• Tara Beth Leach, pastor and author
• John Osteen, first pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas
• Kenneth N. Taylor, creator of The Living Bible paraphrase and founder of Tyndale House publishers
• Warren W. Wiersbe, author, teacher, and minister for Moody Church and Back to the Bible
• Gideon B. Williamson, general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene
• Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, Wesleyan-Holiness preacher, evangelist, and theologian

Faculty

• Lynn H. Cohick, former provost, dean of academic affairs and professor of New Testament
• Harold Lindsell, former professor
• Scot McKnight, former Julius R. Mantey chair of New Testament
• Joy J. Moore, president of Northern Seminary
• Robert E. Webber, former Myers Professor of Ministry