The following seven core values guide us as we seek to carry out our mission.

The Holy Scripture

We are committed to the supremacy of Scripture as the foundation for defining our message and for governing our mission. The Bible does not merely constitute the primary content of our instruction, but it’s the basis for what we try to do as a seminary. In the language of our Confession, we believe “the Holy Scriptures [to be] the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience” (2LCF 1.1). 

Christ’s Gospel 

We will endeavor to keep Christ and the gospel at the center of our teaching and ethos. Our primary distinctive as a seminary should not be “baptism,” “Calvinism,” or “covenant theology.” Rather, we will aim to ensure that the prominent and most defining characteristic of our seminary is Jesus Christ and his saving work of redemption (John 17:3; 1 Cor 2:1–2; Gal 6:14; Phil 3:8–10). 

Confessional Orthodoxy 

We affirm and promote the best of Christian tradition with conviction, humility, and charity. We believe that salvation always has been and always will be through faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone (John 14:6; Rom 3:21–26; Eph 2:1–10). We believe that this central message of Scripture has been most clearly and accurately expounded in the Reformed Confessions of Faith, especially, in the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, which is the seminary’s confessional standard. 

The Local Church

We believe that the privilege and responsibility to train gospel laborers belongs to Christ’s church (2 Tim 2:2). Therefore, we shall not view our ministry as independent but as an extension of the local church’s ministry and, therefore, as existing under and for the local church. Accordingly, we shall work with the student’s pastor as he seeks to disciple and prepare the student for church ministry. 

The Great Commission

We will remind students that learning the biblical languages, church history, and systematic theology are not ends in themselves but means to a greater end, namely, that “every knee should bow … and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10–11). Thus, we will orient our instruction and training toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission, encouraging engagement in evangelism, church-planting, and missionary work. 

Robust Training 

We believe effective pastoral ministry requires a holistic and balanced theological education. Our main aim should not be to train “specialists” but “general practitioners.” Therefore, we will seek to offer a curriculum with balanced coverage of the four main areas of theological study (exegetical, historical, systematic, and practical). Moreover, we will endeavor to provide an education that’s not just focused on filling the student’s head (doctrine) but that’s equally focused on cultivating the student’s heart (spirituality) and equipping his hands (ministry). 

Faithful Stewardship

We view our ministry as the apostles regarded theirs: “as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” And like them, we believe “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Cor 4:1–2). For that reason, we will endeavor by God’s grace to cultivate and maintain a servant’s posture that aims to be faithful in fulfilling what it promises to the churches and the students it serves. To this end, we shall aim to employ the best technologies available to us in order to provide training that’s most efficient at accomplishing our goals (Eccl 10:10).

Christian Integrity 

We believe that the seminary board, staff, and faculty should exemplify the gospel truths it teaches. Like the apostle Paul, we must be able to say to our students, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Therefore, we will endeavor to conduct our ministry with the highest regard for the biblical standards of godliness, truth, faithfulness, compassion, and humility. 

Fraternal Relations 

We prefer to cooperate with other sister seminaries that share our vision and mission rather than to compete against them. We will seek to commend (when we can do so in good conscience) other sister institutions who are striving to advance the mission that Christ gave his church. While it’s not always wrong to highlight something we may have to offer that another seminary does not or to criticize another school’s weakness, we must do so in a spirit of humility and charity as co-laborers who are serving the same Master (1 Cor 3:5–9; Phil 1:15–18; 4:3).

Holy Scripture

We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of both the Old and New Testaments of Holy Scripture (66 books) in their original autographs. We believe that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant in all their parts and are, therefore, trustworthy and authoritative in all that they affirm concerning history, science, doctrine, ethics, religious practice, or any other topic.

Reformed Theology

We believe that salvation always has been and always will be through faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone. We believe that this central message of Scripture has been most clearly and accurately expounded in the Reformed Confessions of Faith, especially, in the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, which is the seminary’s confessional standard.

Baptist Distinctives

We believe that baptism and church membership should only be bestowed upon those who make a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We also believe that the local church is self-governing and under no other ecclesiastical authority except the Lord Jesus Himself.

Unity and Charity

Reformed Baptist Seminary is committed to presenting a biblical theology and vision of ministry which is in harmony with the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, but which also acknowledges legitimate diversity among Reformed Baptists on some issues and is charitable towards like-minded Christian brothers and sisters from other theological traditions.

The Doctrine of God Statement

Reformed Baptist Seminary subscribes to the Second London Baptist Confession (2LBC) as our doctrinal standard. Therefore, we affirm ex animo (from the heart) the doctrine of God as articulated in chapters two and three of our confession. However, there has been a measure of controversy in recent years in modern evangelical theology and even among the Reformed concerning certain aspects of the doctrine of God leading us to believe it is necessary to state in a clear but succinct manner our convictions on matters relevant to these current issues.
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As an affiliate of ARTS, RBS participates in and contributes to collegial and professional development activities of the Association, and is committed to the quality of education ARTS promotes. Affiliate status does not, however, constitute, imply, or presume ARTS accredited status at present or in the future.

In August 2024, RBS applied for full membership in ARTS. On September 27, 2024, ARTS informed RBS that it had formally accepted RBS’s application and granted the seminary applicant status. Currently, the seminary is conducting a self-study in order to attain candidacy status. We hope to have this completed within 9 months.

Benefits of Affiliate Status: 

1. Affiliates are encouraged to participate in the collegiality and accountability structure of ARTS.

2. Affiliates are allowed and encouraged to attend all ARTS meetings, and participate in ARTS committees.

3. Affiliates involved in theological education are allowed to develop academic relationships with any and all ARTS members. The Executive Director for ARTS Commission on Accreditation will help structure these academic relationships with other ARTS member schools.

4. Affiliates desiring to become full ARTS members can seek assistance from the Executive Director for ARTS COA on how to proceed in progressing to full ARTS membership.

For more information about ARTS, click here.

Pastor Jamie Howell

Grace Baptist Church
5020 Old Spartanburg Road
Taylors, SC 29687
Tel: (864) 322-7717
Website

Pastor Brian Borgman

Grace Community Church
2320 Heybourne Road
Minden, NV 89423
Tel: (775) 782-6516
Website

President

Academic Dean