New Orleans Baptist Seminary to stay in city

New Orleans Baptist Seminary to stay in city

ATLANTA — New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) trustees voted unanimously to keep the seminary in New Orleans during a Sept. 27 meeting at the seminary’s temporary administrative offices in the NOBTS North Georgia Campus. Trustees also approved the administration’s plans to restore the main campus to normal operation by August 2006.

NOBTS President Chuck Kelley said, “After talking through the [issue], there was absolutely no reservation, no hesitation, that New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is and always will be New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.” The trustee board met Sept. 26–27 in a special called meeting to discuss the damage to the seminary campus and explore options for the future.

The initial estimate for restoration carries a $20 million price tag.Insurance, however, is expected to cover most of the cost. Trustees said the $70 million in assets the seminary currently owns in New Orleans would be hard to replace in another location. Those assets include $31 million in new construction — buildings that are less than five years old.