Denver Seminary

In 1950, Denver Seminary was founded by members of the newly founded Conservative Baptist Association. This is a group of churches that separated from the Northern Baptist Convention over theological differences stemming from the fundamentalist–modernist controversy conflict earlier in the 20th century. The school was originally known as the Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary and was based in Englewood, Colorado. Carey Thomas became the Seminary's first president.

In 1956, Vernon Grounds was appointed as the second president and remained so until 1979.

In June 1962, the seminary was granted associate membership in the American Association of Theological Schools (now the Association of Theological Schools). Full ATS accreditation was achieved in 1971.

In 1972, full accreditation to the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools was achieved.

In 1982, the seminary changed its name to Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary.

In 1996, Clyde McDowell, the fifth president, introduced a program of training and mentoring for which Denver Seminary has become well known. During his time, the institute became the first seminary ever to receive accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) for its counseling degree program. The institute is also accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.

In 1998, the seminary changed its name to Denver Seminary. This was a reflection of its growing appeal to a wide-spectrum of evangelical students.

In 2002, Bruce Shelly, the Senior Professor of Church History, authored a biography on Grounds titled Transformed by Love:The Vernon Grounds Story. This book gives a comprehensive overview of Denver Seminary's history as it developed from a small denominational school to a major evangelical seminary under Grounds' leadership.