Clarksville Theological College & Seminary. Many have asked why do you have the word “Theological” in your school name? It sounds old, stuffy, a putting on of airs (we are holier than thou), or trying to sound highly intellectual by name only. This is a great question and we have even considered replacing the wording with either “Baptist” or “Bible” or even “Christian”. However, we always come back to the original purpose of the name. Let me elaborate.

Clarksville was founded in 1952 by Dr. W. Roy Stewart in Clarksville, Tennessee. The original school was called Clarksville School of Theology and at its core for existence was the goal of preparing students for a religious vocation. Many of Clarksville’s students are called by God into a specific ministry and they seek a place of higher learning where they can be equipped and prepared theologically to carry out the calling upon their lives. When Clarksville moved to Kinston, North Carolina in 1991, the school name was changed to Clarksville Theological Seminary at that time to incorporate the graduate program. In 1996, the college moved to its current location in Clayton, North Carolina and the name was changed to Clarksville Theological College & Seminary, to distinguish between the undergraduate and graduate departments. So, for tradition’s sake we have maintained the wording of “Theology” and “Theological” in our name. But there is a far deeper reason…

Clarksville has had many students through the years that were not sure of a specific calling upon their lives, but they had a desire to know more about God, His Word, and how to live for Him. Through our course studies, students are challenged academically and spiritually to think “theologically” as they prepare for the next steps in their Christian walk with God; be it in full-time service or as Sunday school teachers and lay leaders in their local churches. We are all called to serve and we all need to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear,” so we need to think “theologically” rather than academically or in a secular manner. May we prayerfully approach every conversation thinking “theologically.”