IllustratIon by fernando Cobello

At BSK – Baptist Seminary of Kentucky – we’re planning to change the name, and we’re doing so transparently. We’ve thrown a wide net because being transparent is part of our DNA, and we’ve asked each of our constituencies for their thoughts.

Why change the name?

First, there’s a very well-known Baptist seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, that is different than us, and there’s constant confusion among people between us that doesn’t do either institution any good.

We need a name that allows us to have our own identity inside the state, and for those outside the state, we need a better identity to describe who we are.

We have become a national seminary over the past few years. Like a lot of schools, we were thrust into it during the pandemic, and now, half of our students live outside Kentucky.

And we’re a progressive Baptist school, but the name doesn’t say that. We’ve had women who don’t think they can attend because they don’t think we support women in ministry, even though we do. And, one of our distinctive qualities is that we care deeply about racial justice.

What’s clear is we’re not changing who we are. We are trying to better describe it.