About

The conviction of City Seminary is that every major metropolitan area in the United States should have a theological center where men can be trained and prepared for the gospel ministry without having to relocate to another area.

Although attendance at denominational seminaries will likely continue to be the norm for most candidates for the ministry, the denominational system is not without problems—primarily of a practical nature. The necessity of uprooting one's family, incurring substantial debt, or being separated from one's home church has proven too great a burden for many who are otherwise qualified.

At City Seminary, we want to make seminary education as accessible as possible for the greatest number of students. We believe that God has called us to minister to the churches in the Sacramento area in this way. Our goal is to provide a classical theological seminary education for ministerial candidates and to offer continuing theological education for those already active in the ministry.

Our goal is to minister to all within the believing Church who seek to improve their theological knowledge and skills, while also offering a distinctive Reformed "track" for those more particularly seeking to serve in Reformed and Presbyterian ecclesiastical bodies.

Read more: Mission and Goals

What We Believe

Christianity is more than a religious experience or a sense of the divine; it involves faith in the truth of Scripture and obedience that results from such faith. Truth is communicated to us in a variety of ways in the Bible, but the result is a body of teachings which provide the content of what we believe. The character of any institution of higher learning will be determined by its view of truth and authority, as well as the implications of both. The faculty publicly vows each year to be faithful to the inerrant Word of God and to the standards of Protestant orthodoxy.

Read more: Theological Position

Sola Scriptura; Sola Gratia; Sola Fides; Solus Christus; Soli Deo Gloria

The Protestant Reformation

The sixteenth-century Reformation was a time of great spiritual growth and renewal in the Church. While the forces of Roman Catholicism regrouped during the counter-Reformation, cities and nations went over en masse to the simpler and purer practices of the "reformed" church. The basic principles of the Reformation were summarized in the refrain, "Sola Fides, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus, Sola Scriptura"—Faith alone, Grace alone, Christ alone, Scripture alone.

The Reformers appealed to the authority of Scripture rather than to the traditions of men. They saw Christ alone as their Mediator, not any earthly priesthood. They affirmed salvation by grace, through faith, and denied the prevailing doctrine of works salvation. For centuries, these fundamental doctrines characterized the confession of most Protestants.

Read more: Heritage

The City Seminary Board of Governors is the policy-making body legally responsible for the general supervision, management, and governance of the school. It elects the president, who chairs the board. It is also divided into a number of subcommittees. The voting members of the Board of Governors are elected by the board for four-year terms.

Read more: Board of Governors