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Other name | DTS |
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| Motto | Teach Truth. Love Well. |
| Type | Evangelicalseminary |
| Established | 1924 |
| Affiliation | Non-denominational |
| Chancellor | Mark Bailey |
| President | Mark Yarbrough |
Academic staff | 89.55[1] |
| Students | 2,573[1] |
| Address | 3909 Swiss Ave ,,U.S. 32°47′37″N96°46′48″W / 32.793611°N 96.779997°W /32.793611; -96.779997 |
| Colors | Indigo, Sandstone, Black Patina |
| Website | www |
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Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is anevangelicaltheologicalseminary inDallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system ofdispensationalism. DTS has campuses inDallas,Houston, andWashington, D.C., as well asextension sites inAtlanta,Austin,San Antonio,Nashville, NorthwestArkansas, Europe, andGuatemala, and a multilingualonline education program. DTS is the largest non-denominational seminary accredited by theAssociation of Theological Schools.
DTS was founded in 1924 as theEvangelical Theological College by Rollin T. Chafer,Lewis Sperry Chafer, andWilliam Henry Griffith Thomas. Its founders envisioned a school dedicated to expository Bible teaching, pioneering one of the first four-yearMaster of Theology (Th.M.) programs. The seminary moved to its current location in 1926 and launched itsDoctor of Theology (Th.D.) program in 1927. Under Lewis Sperry Chafer’s leadership until his death in 1952, DTS played a significant role in shaping thefundamentalist movement, training pastors and educators who foundedBible colleges and independent churches. In 1934, the seminary began publishingBibliotheca Sacra, one of the oldest continuously published theological journals in the United States.
Following Chafer’s death,John F. Walvoord became president in 1952, expanding DTS’s academic programs and influence. Under his leadership, the seminary introduced theDoctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program in 1980 and several master’s programs inbiblical studies and Christian education. Subsequent presidents included Donald K. Campbell (1986–1994),Chuck Swindoll (1994–2001), and Mark Bailey (2001–2020), during whose tenure DTS launched programs in biblical counseling,linguistics, media, leadership, aSpanish D.Min. track, and multilingual online education. Mark Yarbrough succeeded Bailey as president in 2020. As of 2014, DTS reported over 15,000 alumni serving in ministry roles across 97 countries worldwide.
Theologically, DTS is widely regarded as a center of modern dispensational teaching, based on Lewis Sperry Chafer’s eight-volumeSystematic Theology (1948), which remains a core resource in its curriculum. The seminary upholds beliefs inpremillennialism, dispensationalism, andbiblical inerrancy while maintaining anon-denominational Protestant identity. DTS was first accredited in 1944 and is a member of several theological and educational associations. Its alumni include prominent pastors, scholars, and authors such asDavid Jeremiah,Andy Stanley, andTony Evans.
DTS was founded asEvangelical Theological College in 1924 by Rollin T. Chafer and his brother,Lewis Sperry Chafer, who taught the first class of thirteen students, andWilliam Henry Griffith Thomas,[2] who was to have been the school's first theology professor but died before the first classes began.[3] Their vision was a school whereexpositoryBible preaching was taught simply, and under Chafers' leadership, DTS pioneered one of the first four-year degrees in theology, theMaster of Theology (Th.M.). The present location of the school was purchased in 1926, and theDoctor of Theology (Th.D.) program was started in 1927.[4] Chafer remained president until his death in 1952.
The seminary had a considerable influence in thefundamentalist movement by training students who established variousBible Colleges and independent fundamentalist churches in the southern United States.[5]
DTS has continually published a quarterly entitledBibliotheca Sacra initially edited by Rollin T. Chafer since 1934. In 1983, a complete collection of articles was published as a book commemorating fifty years of the journal.[6]
John F. Walvoord took over as president in 1952 after Chafer's death in 1952. In 1974, DTS added a two-yearMaster of Arts (MA) program in biblical studies, and in 1982, a two-year program in Christian Education was begun. In addition to these, aDoctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program was opened in 1980. Walvoord retired as DTS president in 1986.[7]
From 1986 to 1994, Donald K. Campbell served as president of DTS. During his tenure, DTS opened a three-year MA program in Biblical Counseling and a two-year MA program inBiblical exegesis andlinguistics.[7]
Chuck Swindoll served as president of the seminary from 1994 to 2001. Mark Bailey followed, serving as president from 2001 to 2020.[7] Under Bailey's tenure, the seminary added a two-year MA program in media and communication, a two-year MA in Christian leadership, a Spanish D.Min. program, and a multi-lingual online education program. He was succeeded by Mark Yarbrough in 2020.
As of Spring 2014, DTS had over 15,000 alumni serving in various ministerial capacities in 97 countries worldwide.[8]
DTS was firstaccredited in 1944 by the Board of Regents, State Education Department of the University of the State of New York of Albany.[9] After that institution stopped accrediting institutions outside of New York, DTS was accredited in 1969 by theSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools and in 1994 by theAssociation of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada.[10]
The school is also a member of theAssociation of Christian Schools International (ACSI), the Evangelical Training Association (ETA), theJerusalem University College, and the Institute of Theological Studies (ITS).[10]
DTS is known as a center of moderndispensational teaching[11][12][13][14][15] due to Dr. Chafer's development of asystematic theology which approaches the Bible with a "premillennial, dispensational interpretation of the Scriptures."[2]Systematic Theology, his eight-volume work describing this approach, was first published in 1948 and is still a required textbook for some courses at DTS.[2]
Notable theological beliefs of the school include: premillennialism, dispensationalism, andBiblical inerrancy. The school considers itselfnon-denominational withinProtestantism, and offers classes in all 66 books of theProtestant Bible.[10]
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In a 2009 study conducted by LifeWay Research, Protestant pastors named preachers who had most influenced them. Three DTS alumni were among the top ten:Chuck Swindoll ('63), founder of radio broadcast Insight for Living;David Jeremiah ('67), founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries; andAndy Stanley ('85), founder of North Point Ministries.[16][17] Other notable people associated with the seminary include:
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