B.H. Carroll Seminary returns to Arlington church

B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary, which officially becomes part of East Texas Baptist University in late 2024, is making a move from its offices in Irving to the location where it originally began in downtown Arlington.

The seminary’s offices will occupy a floor of First Baptist Church’s Wade Building, a six-story office building adjacent to the church’s main campus.

The move also means B.H. Carroll’s annual Ph.D. colloquies, graduations and other conferences will be held on site for the first time since it left the location for Irving in 2015.

Coming ‘full circle’

Just as the move is bringing the seminary “full circle,” some have described the merger of East Texas Baptist University and B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary as a homecoming in many ways.

Twenty years ago, B.H. Carroll began when Texas Baptist theological educators wanted to create a more accessible model to equip ministers for leadership in the church. As Carroll Seminary merges to become a part of ETBU, it becomes a strategic missional partner with the Baptist General Convention of Texas in educating and equipping ministry leaders for the work of the church, officials noted.

Offering an online graduate theological educational model, Carroll Seminary’s offices have been located in the metroplex since its inception in 2004. With this educational partnership with Texas Baptists, the administrative leadership of both institutions decided the seminary should be centrally located in Tarrant County in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Carroll Seminary will move into the Wade Building at First Baptist Church of Arlington in January 2024. Coming home to its original location, the seminary will host office space for faculty and staff as well as offer opportunities for in-person classes, seminars and conferences.

“From the beginning of our institution, our commitment has been on affordable, achievable, accessible, and accredited theological education,” B.H. Carroll President Gene Wilkes said.

“One of our goals has always been to invest in people, rather than in brick and mortar. This move will allow us to be more efficient with our financial resources and more deeply integrate our services with a partnering church. From there, we will reach out further into the churches across Texas and beyond to recapture our vision for distributed seminary education, which was severely challenged during the COVID pandemic.”

Thomas Sanders, ETBU provost and vice president for academic affairs, noted First Baptist Church in Arlington “has a rich history of creative ministries that seek to live out the Great Commission.”

Pastor Dennis Wiles “has certainly continued that tradition over his tenure and serves as a role model to pastors across the state,” Sanders said. “I can think of no better location in the metroplex than in a building named for former pastor and BGCT executive director Dr. Charles Wade.”