Our History

Through the efforts of Walter B. Hinson, the Portland Baptist Bible Institute was organized in the winter of 1925. In 1926, efforts began to replace the Bible Institute with a graduate-level seminary to provide more adequate theological education in the Northwest. As a result, Western Baptist Theological Seminary was officially dedicated on October 4, 1927.

The purpose of the infant institution was reported by the Board of Trustees: “Looking across the years ... we saw coming out of Western Baptist Theological Seminary, men and women schooled to preach and teach the eternal truths of God’s Word and the redemptive love and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw pupils of sound teachers occupying pulpits and mission fields around the world.”

In 1944 the Board of Trustees acquired the present five-acre campus in Portland, Oregon. Classes at the new site convened in the fall of that year. To make residential seminary education accessible to key cities on the west coast, Western has also established two degree-granting campuses in Northern California. In 1985, the San Jose location launched, followed by the Sacramento location, founded in 1991.

Western Seminary’s presidents have often been noteworthy and innovative leaders in theological education, including Dr. Earl D. Radmacher (president from 1965-1989), Dr. Bert Downs (president from 1998-2008), and Dr. Randal Roberts (an alumnus who served the seminary in both faculty and administratively from 1987-2008 and as president from 2008-2021). Our current president, Dr. Chuck Conniry, continues this legacy of doctrinal fidelity and educational innovation. As the school moves toward its 100-year anniversary, it continues to explore new and better ways to fulfill its educational mission.