History: The seminary was started to serve the immigrant German population and was adopted into the larger Presbyterian Church. In time it developed a particular mission to rural communities in an increasingly urban church and culture. Through the distance program and the CLP program, it continues to serve rural congregations in ways that value the contributions and life of smaller congregations. The school's commitment to educate leaders for Native American Christian communities provided a rich diversity until the loss of that program.
Mission: The school is committed to diversity of perspectives within the unity of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
Constituency: I suspect we are currently among the most geographically diverse Presbyterian seminaries in the nation. In HT502 I have students from across the nation and Lebanon.
Theological commitment: We are an ecumenical seminary of the Presbyterian Church(USA). The church's confessional commitments articulated in the PC(USA) Book of Confessions include the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, various Reformed confessions of the 16th and 17th centuries, and more recent confessions such as the Barmen Declaration and the Belhar Confession.