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Ethos & Mission

Edinburgh Theological Seminary is where the past meets the present, where rigorous theology meets modern world views and where the timeless message of the gospel meets unchanging human need. 

In a largely secular age it might be tempting for churches to become less specific about what they believe and teach; and in a world where so much focus is on the future, what happened in the past might appear less and less relevant. We believe the opposite. If ever the world needed to hear the message of the gospel in all its depth and abiding validity it is now. We believe that the inner longing of modern humanity can only be satisfied as age old questions are asked about who we are, where we came from and what God has done in Jesus Christ.

In today’s largely irreligious world the God Question won’t go away because humanity’s basic God-instinct won’t go away. 

At Edinburgh Theological Seminary, students are uncompromisingly rooted in scriptural doctrine. At the same time, they learn how to engage at the interface between antiquity and modernity. ETS stands unashamedly in Scotland’s greatest tradition. I invite you to train with us, support our vision and join our student body.

IVER MARTIN
PRINCIPAL

Iver Martin

Principal & Lecturer

Our Ethos

  • AVOWEDLY CONFESSIONAL - Sharing the teaching of the Reformation
  • ACADEMICALLY VALIDATED - Training valued by the universities
  • BIBLICALLY REFORMED - Teaching shaped by the word of God
  • PASSIONATELY VOCATIONAL - Preparing God’s people for service
  • ENTHUSIASTICALLY MISSIONAL - Reaching the nations with the Gospel
  • A WARM LEARNING COMMUNITY - Fostering friendships for the future
Play Video

In this video, students, staff and ETS alumni explain more about the seminary and its place in the wider world.

Our Mission

While ETS has grown considerably, it is important that the Seminary continues to consider how it can further develop and use its resources to help the Church in its mission to the world. 

  • To provide quality and wide ranging theological education (through our undergraduate programmes validated by the University of Glasgow) and vocational training to students who intend to go into ministry, missionary work, evangelism and ancillary church work in the Free Church of Scotland and other churches.
  • To facilitate – in conjunction with apprenticeships in local churches – the development of ministry skills and Christian character. These are crucial for both men and women as they engage in authentic ministries.
  • To provide students with a somewhat unique Scottish reformed theological education following in the important tradition of Scottish Presbyterianism.
  • To share our Scottish theological heritage with students from English speaking nations as well as with those of other nations, at the same time gaining enrichment from their backgrounds.​
  • To provide postgraduate research facilities and supervision for the development of students engaging in advanced theological education.
  • To provide taught postgraduate and research facilities in the areas of Scottish Historical Theology, Presbyterian Studies and Missiology.
  • To provide educational facilities in specific areas of mission training: church planting, revitalisation, and cross-cultural evangelism.
  • To provide part-time learning opportunities for a variety of church workers: preachers, elders and others, male and female, who are interested in theology and Biblical studies.
  • To organise and provide in-service training for ministers, missionaries and other Christian professionals.