1800s
CTS faculty and students participated in the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War.
1855
In our very first curriculum in 1855, CTS required students to combine theory and practice, action and reflection by serving in churches and mission settings across the Midwest. In doing so, CTS created the first field education component ever introduced into a seminary curriculum in the US.
1880s
As immigration increased in the center of the country, CTS promoted relevance and inclusivity by teaching theology and Bible courses in other languages.
1902
In 1902, eighteen years before women received the right to vote in the US, CTS was the first congregational seminary to award a degree in divinity to a woman, Florence Fensham.
1920s
CTS faculty member Anton Boisen worked to equip a group of CTS students to minister more effectively to the physically, mentally and emotionally ill. These experiences would later lead to the founding of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) in 1930.
1957
CTS was involved in various activities and efforts to advance the cause of Civil Rights. In 1957, CTS became the first seminary in America to award the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree for his activism in the Civil Rights movement.
1965
In March of 1965, CTS president Howard Schomer, along with CTS faculty and students, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, marched along side Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama.
1974
President C. Shelby Rooks led CTS from 1974 to 1984, and was the first African American to lead a predominantly white theological school.
1986
During the ’80s, CTS was engaged in the anti- Apartheid movement and pushing for divestment of resources from South Africa. In 1986, CTS awarded Archbishop Desmond Tutu an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree for his transformational activism against Apartheid in South Africa.
2006
In 2006, CTS established our LGBTQ Religious Studies Center, a theological think tank and resource for activists deeply involved with moving toward greater justice, to encourage new conversations and offer hope.
2009
In 2009, CTS became the only free-standing Protestant seminary to endow a chair in Jewish Studies, advancing interfaith engagement and multi-faith education.
2013
In 2013, CTS became the first progressive seminary accredited to offer a fully online Master of Divinity degree.
2017
CTS launches the InterReligious Institute (IRI) to promote interfaith understanding and cooperation.