KANSAS CITY, Kan. — One hundred and five years after it became the first Baptist seminary west of the Mississippi River, Central Baptist Theological Seminary has announced plans to move, mostly to help defer rising maintenance costs on its 16-acre campus. Administrators at Central Seminary had fought the financial drain by offering online classes and operating out of a fraction of its 11 buildings, but a Resource Mobilization Team, formed by board members, alumni and administration, voted to cut losses and find a new location. Seminary President Molly Marshall said in a letter to students and faculty that after 82 years at it current campus, finding a new location would help Central continue its mission. “Missionally, the seminary is taking a bold step toward contextualized theological education by reaching out to those who historically have been considered ‘non-traditional,’” she said, referring to commuters and second-career students who prefer night and weekend classes.
The facility at 31st Street and Minnesota Avenue in Kansas City, Kan., faces roughly $5 million in deferred maintenance costs, and the move will save more than $400,000 a year, according to Marshall. Board members have yet to sell the current campus or name a new location for the school. The seminary plans to host a gala during its May commencement activities as a way to bid the campus adieu.
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