On October 22, 1992, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the establishment of the Gardner-Webb University Divinity School, believing that such an action was an appropriate response for Gardner-Webb University given the needs of the denomination, the changes in theological education, the heritage of the University, and the strength of the University's support. On October 23, 1998, the University's Board of Trustees named the School the M. Christopher White School of Divinity in honor of the University's president. The School of Divinity, one of five schools offering graduate degrees within the academic program of Gardner-Webb University, is affiliated with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. The School of Divinity as an academic unit of Gardner-Webb University is Baptist in origin and commitment, ecumenical in outlook, and has as its mission the preparation of persons for Christian ministries. To achieve this end, the School of Divinity offers courses of study in which, under the leadership of dedicated and competent teachers, students engage in the study of and reflection upon the data, meaning, and implications of the Christian faith, beginning at its biblical base; enter into thoughtful and critical assessments of church history and theology; become involved in the process of spiritual formation personally, socially, and vocationally; and participate in the study and practice of various expressions of Christian mission and ministry. The School of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University is founded upon the affirmation of ultimate commitment and loyalty to the God disclosed most fully and completely in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
