New York Theological Seminary Closed July 1

Famous alumni include Eugene Peterson and Pat Robertson.

New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) in Manhattan has closed its doors, effective July 1, 2024.

NYTS 2022 graduation / Photo via social media @NYTS

According to the New York State Education Department, the seminary’s board of trustees voted to close the institution on February 22, 2024. Instruction ended in June and transcript requests can be processed through the end of July.

NYTS began in 1900 in New Jersey as Bible Teacher’s College, but it moved to New York City two years later. In 1965, it took the name it bore until its closing.

Well-known alumni include pastor and Message author Eugene Peterson and religious broadcaster Pat Robertson.

The school’s accreditation was withdrawn as of June 21, 2024, according to a letter written by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) Commission in Accrediting.

The letter said it had first issued a warning to NYTS in 2018 about inadequate financial resources. In 2021, the commissioners placed the school on probation for 24 months because it was at risk of not having “sufficient and stable financial resources to achieve its mission with educational quality and financial sustainability.”

In June 2023, the board asked NYTS to provide a report by April 1, 2024 demonstrating why its accreditation should not be withdrawn, to include audit reports and progress toward balancing its budget. The school never provided such a report and “refused to receive the Board-authorized focused visit.”

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A letter by NYTS President LaKeesha Walrond posted on the seminary’s website says the legacy and mission of the seminary will be preserved through a “long-term strategic partnership” entered in July 2023 with Union Theological Seminary (UTS), also located in New York City.

“There was a point when the temptation to close our school, lose our legacy, and walk away seemed like our only option. Many had given up on us, and others had doomed us to failure – but God. God has been with us and provided a way for our beloved Seminary to continue in a new and different form. Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for not giving up on NYTS,” Walrond wrote.

We could not find further details about a plan to continue beyond 2024 on the NYTS website.

NYTS is not the first seminary to turn to Union for help. In 2018, Episcopal Divinity School and Union Theological Seminary signed an agreement allowing EDS to continue as an Episcopal seminary through a collaboration with Union at its campus in New York City.

Union was started by Presbyterian ministers in the 19th century, but now describes itself as progressive, and trains “people of all faiths and none” in works of “social justice.”

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