What The Master's Seminary does

The Master's Seminary (TMS) is a private, nonprofit theological seminary founded in 1986 and strategically co-located on the campus of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Los Angeles, California. The institution trains men for pastoral ministry through a doctrinally united faculty of pastor-theologians who simultaneously lead the host church, an integrated church-seminary model the seminary presents as central to its pedagogy. TMS has been institutionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) since 1988 and operates FERPA-compliant educational records policies.

The seminary's product portfolio spans undergraduate to doctoral theological education, including a Bachelor of Theology, Diploma of Theology, Master of Divinity (available residentially and via Distance Education), Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry in Expository Preaching, and Doctor of Philosophy. Specialized academic centers include the Tyndale Center for Bible Translation, the Center for Israeli Studies, and the MacArthur Center for Expository Preaching, the latter named for long-serving Chancellor John MacArthur (1939–2025). The seminary supports its curriculum with a content ecosystem comprising an English and Spanish blog, sermon library, theological journal, the Institute for the Christian Life, and a Turkey & Greece Study Tour.

Commercially, TMS generates revenue through tuition and academic fees, supplemented by donations through its "Ways to Give" and "Annual Report" channels. The institution offers full-tuition scholarships to all qualified students, along with housing scholarships and cost-of-living stipends for residential students, meaning a meaningful share of operating funding must come from charitable contributions. GTM is direct-to-consumer via the website's "Request Info" and "Apply" CTAs, with content marketing, organic social across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Vimeo, and educational resources functioning as top-of-funnel acquisition. Distribution is primarily residential on-campus in Los Angeles with global Distance Education access for the M.Div.

Name

The Master's Seminary

Legal name

The Master's Seminary

Website

https://tms.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Master's Seminary is a private, WASC-accredited theological seminary in Sun Valley, Los Angeles, training men for pastoral ministry through degree programs from bachelor to doctorate, delivered residentially and via distance education under a doctrinally united faculty of pastor-theologians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theological Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bible Colleges (Undergraduate Ministry & Biblical Studies) (EDAHAKAB), Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

Keywords

• Theological education
• Pastoral training
• Seminary degree programs
• Expository preaching
• Biblical studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Sun Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The seminary generates revenue through tuition and academic fees from its degree programs including Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy. The institution offers full-tuition scholarships for qualified students and provides housing scholarships and cost-of-living scholarships to offset expenses for residential students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Master's Seminary provides residential and distance theological education programs — Bachelor of Theology, Diploma of Theology, Master of Divinity, Master of Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy — aimed at training men for pastoral ministry through a doctrinally united faculty of pastor-theologians on the Grace Community Church campus in Sun Valley, Los Angeles. It complements degree work with specialized academic centers in expository preaching, Bible translation, and Israeli studies. Full-tuition scholarships and affordable housing are offered to qualified students.

Product overview

The Master's Seminary is a theological seminary offering a comprehensive portfolio of degree programs including undergraduate (Bachelor of Theology), graduate (Master of Divinity, Master of Theology), and doctoral (Doctor of Ministry, Doctor of Philosophy) levels. The institution also provides a Diploma of Theology certificate. Specialized academic centers include the Center for Israeli Studies, Tyndale Center for Bible Translation, and the MacArthur Center for Expository Preaching. Educational delivery options include residential on-campus programs and Distance Education. The seminary is strategically located on Grace Community Church's campus, training pastors through a united faculty of pastor-theologians.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master of Divinity A graduate degree program designed to produce well-rounded pastors and preachers, preparing students to handle God's Word and shepherd His people. Offered residentially and via distance education.
• Master of Theology An advanced graduate degree program offering focused opportunity in biblical scholarship, equipping students for leadership in pastoral ministry, pastoral training, and academia.
• Doctor of Ministry A modular doctoral program in Expository Preaching designed to refine the faithful pastor's ability to teach and preach the Word of God.
• Doctor of Philosophy A doctoral program that equips pastor-theologians for faithful scholarship in biblical and theological studies.
• Bachelor of Theology An undergraduate theology degree program offered as part of the seminary's academic offerings.
• Diploma of Theology A theological certificate program providing foundational education in biblical studies and theology.
• Center for Israeli Studies A specialized academic center focused on studies related to Israel within the seminary's academic offerings.
• Tyndale Center for Bible Translation A center dedicated to Bible translation studies and scholarship within the seminary's academic programs.
• MacArthur Center for Expository Preaching A center that equips a generation of preachers in the art of expository preaching through education, modeling, and mentorship, named after Chancellor John MacArthur.
• Distance Education Remote education options allowing students to pursue seminary degrees (notably the Master of Divinity) through non-residential means.

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates equipped for pastoral ministry with deep biblical knowledge and expository preaching ability

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Grace Community ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Master's Seminary is strategically located on the campus of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Los Angeles. Students train on the campus of a local church and sit under the men who lead it—the doctrinally united faculty of pastor-theologians. This integration of seminary training with active local church ministry is foundational to TMS's approach.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Liberty University School of Divinity: Large online-enabled evangelical divinity school offering M.Div., D.Min., and Ph.D. through both residential and distance formats, representing a broader, more scale-driven competitor to TMS's specialized model.

Direct peers

• Dallas Theological Seminary: Non-denominational evangelical graduate seminary in Dallas offering M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., and Ph.D. with a comparable emphasis on biblical exposition and pastoral training, making it one of the most direct functional competitors to TMS.
• Westminster Theological Seminary: Philadelphia-based Reformed seminary granting M.Div., M.A.R., and Th.M./Ph.D., sharing TMS's biblical-inerrancy stance and academic rigor for pastoral formation.
• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: Fort Worth-based Baptist seminary with full graduate and doctoral theology programs, comparable in scale, residential model, and pastoral-ministry emphasis to TMS.
• Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary: Multi-site evangelical seminary (Charlotte, Boston, Jacksonville) offering M.Div., Th.M., and D.Min./Ph.D. with a similar pastoral-formation mission and broader evangelical reach.
• Reformed Theological Seminary: Multi-campus Reformed evangelical seminary offering M.Div. and advanced degrees with very similar doctrinal commitments to TMS and a comparable scholarship/residential model.
• Trinity Evangelical Divinity School: Evangelical divinity school within Trinity International University offering M.Div., Th.M., and D.Min. with comparable emphasis on biblical studies and pastoral preparation in the evangelical mainstream.
• Westminster Seminary California: Reformed seminary in Escondido, CA offering M.Div., M.A., and Th.M. with the same confessional/Reformed identity as TMS, competing directly for the same Reformed prospective-student base on the West Coast.
• The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: Largest Southern Baptist seminary offering master's and doctoral theological degrees with a confessional/Reformed-leaning faculty, comparable in scale, program breadth, and pastoral-ministry focus to TMS.

Emerging players

• The Master's University: Sibling undergraduate institution sharing The Master's Seminary's chancellor, doctrinal statement, and Grace Community Church affiliation, offering complementary undergraduate degrees that can feed into TMS's graduate programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mastersseminary
• YouTubeyoutube.com/themastersseminary
• Facebookfacebook.com/mastersseminary
• Instagraminstagram.com/mastersseminary

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Master's Seminary