1855 North Western Christian University – now Butler University – is founded at Broadway and Thirteenth Streets in Indianapolis. The university is founded in part to prepare Disciples ministers for the newly organizing Northwest Territory.

1889 The Department of Biblical Philology is established at Butler, inaugurating a new and controversial model of ministerial preparation.  In addition to the classical curriculum of the university, ministerial students were expected to complete five courses in biblical interpretation and homiletics.

1910 The College of Missions is founded in Irvington as an adjunct institution to Butler University.  The purpose of this school is to train world missionaries committed to the developing ecumenical movement.  The school closed in 1927.

The Butler School of Religion is established in Irvington, and begins offering a Bachelor of Divinity degree in cooperation with the College of Missions.  By the early 1920s, the B.D. program had dwindled to nearly nothing, although graduate coursework in ministry continued to be offered.

1924 The Butler School of religion is re-organized with Frederick D. Kershner as Dean. The founding vision of the school included a commitment to Christian unity – regardless of race, ethnicity, or denomination – and aimed at bridging the widening gap between “liberals” and “conservatives,” especially among Disciples.

1928 Butler University re-locates to its present campus. The School of Religion occupies what is now Jordan Hall. Approximately 110 students are enrolled in three degree programs, most of them in the Bachelor of Divinity.

1930s The Great Depression threatens the existence of the Butler School of Religion.  Through the unpopular but effective re-organization efforts of Butler University’s Board of Trustees, the school remains open.

1942 The School of Religion moves into a new building on the campus of Butler University, now known as Robertson Hall. The ministerial program has grown steadily, now with approximately 160 students enrolled in five degree programs.

1944 Orman Shelton becomes the second Dean of the Butler School of Religion.

1940s The School of Religion navigates its way through a series of controversies between “liberal” and “conservative” Disciples.  The school re-affirms its commitments to Christian unity, ecumenism, and progressive theological education.

1950s Enrollment in the degree programs at the School of Religion soars to almost 500, raising the urgent questions of finances and facilities.  Dean Shelton and the leaders of Butler University begin laying plans for expansion.

1958 Butler School of Religion is re-organized and incorporated as Christian Theological Seminary.

1959 Christian Theological Seminary recasts it vision of theological education as an institution separate from but related to Butler University.  Though committed to ecumenism, the school would remain formally linked to the emerging Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  It would offer graduate degrees in theological education only, and would focus mainly on students preparing for congregation-based ministry.  Its degree programs would cultivate both a vital life of faith in and demand rigorous scholarship from its students.  Shelton’s title is changed from “Dean” to “President,” as the CTS begins pulling away from Butler University.

Beauford Norris becomes the second President of Christian Theological Seminary.

1960s Christian Theological Seminary weathers a number of crises related to trends in the churches and in larger American culture: the Civil Rights Movement, the liturgical movement, and the ecumenical movement.  Enrollment takes a sharp decline into the 200s, in part because CTS is perceived to be a denominational seminary serving the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) only.

1966 The new campus of Christian Theological Seminary opens, despite significant revisions to the master plan.  The building includes the auditorium, classroom and office space, and common rooms.  Construction of the chapel and library was delayed due to construction costs.

1967 Following the pattern of leading theological schools, Christian Theological Seminary changes the name of the Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) degree to the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree.  The revised program will begin including formal field education credit.

1969 Christian Theological Seminary begins offering the Doctor of Minister (D.Min.) degree.

1970s A “new ethos” develops at Christian Theological Seminary, largely because of faculty appointments in the late1960s.  The ethos emphasizes the church’s active engagement with contemporary issues, and relies on social scientific approaches to the study of religious faith.  The seminary finds creative ways to cope the anti-authoritarian and anti-institutional spirit of the decade.

1974 Thomas J. Liggett becomes the third president of Christian Theological Seminary.

1986 Richard Dickinson becomes the fourth president of Christian Theological Seminary, the first non-Disciple to hold this post.  He is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

1987 Construction of Sweeney Chapel and of the Seminary’s library facilities is completed.

1980s Christian Theological Seminary re-casts itself as an ecumenical seminary with an historic and on-going relationship with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  This renewed ecumenical commitment is reflected in the composition of the faculty and of the student body.  The Seminary begins finding ways to respond to the institutional decline of mainline denominations and the growth of evangelical Christianity.

1997 Edward Wheeler becomes the fifth president of Christian Theological Seminary.  He is the first African-American to hold the post, and is affiliated with the American Baptist Church.

1990s Though inclusiveness had always been valued by the seminary community,

2000s Christian Theological Seminary becomes more intentional about cultivating diversity.  This renewed emphasis is reflected in faculty appointments, recruitment efforts, and other initiatives to promote a diverse and globally-minded learning community.

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* This timeline was developed from Keith Watkins, Christian Theological Seminary: A History of Education for Ministry (Guild Press of Indiana, 2001).