Washington Theological Consortium

What Washington Theological Consortium does

Washington Theological Consortium is a non-profit consortium of theological schools and seminaries, founded in 1971 in the wake of the 20th-century ecumenical movement. Headquartered at 415 Michigan Avenue NE in Washington, DC, it coordinates cross-registration, library resource sharing, certificate programs, and ecumenical and interfaith dialogue programming across roughly 10–15 member institutions spanning Roman Catholic, mainline Protestant, Evangelical, Historically Black, Orthodox, Islamic, and Jewish traditions in the Greater Washington DC and Mid-Atlantic region. Core offerings include cross-registration access to over 250 courses per semester, five specialized certificate programs (Ecumenism, Muslim-Christian Studies, Ecology and Theology, Criminal Justice and Reconciliation, and Spirituality), shared access to over 2 million library volumes, and an intensive residential Dialogue of Abrahamic Faiths course. Public programming includes the annual Orientale Lumen Conference (co-sponsored since 1997), the Figel Address on Ecumenical Dialogue, the Al-Alwani Lectures on Muslim-Christian Dialogue, and the Interfaith Leadership Forum.

The consortium operates without any proprietary technology platform or software product; cross-registration, library access, and certificate enrollment are administered manually through member institutions. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees (chaired by Robert S. Seiler, Jr.) with a small operational staff led by an Interim Executive Director (Rev. Dr. Stephen Butler Murray, appointed July 1, 2026), an Office Manager, and a Registrar. Revenue is generated through membership dues from member theological schools and seminaries, certificate program tuition paid to home institutions, tiered event registration fees, and charitable donations, supplemented by an annual Consortium Ecumenism Award program. Customer segments include MDiv/Masters/PhD/DMin students at member schools, faculty and administrators seeking collaborative scholarship networks, and a broader public audience engaging through conferences, lectures, and interfaith forums.

Name

Washington Theological Consortium

Legal name

Washington Theological Consortium

Website

https://washtheocon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Washington Theological Consortium is a 55-year-old non-profit consortium of roughly 10–15 theological schools and seminaries in the Greater Washington DC region, coordinating cross-registration, library sharing, certificate programs, and ecumenical and interfaith dialogue across Christian, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Theological Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Interfaith & Ecumenical Theological Colleges (EDAHAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seminaries (Graduate Theology & Ministry) (EDAHAKAA), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Theological education consortium
• Ecumenical dialogue programs
• Interfaith academic collaboration
• Seminary cross-registration
• Religious library access

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues and Institutional Support: Member theological schools and seminaries pay dues to participate in the consortium, enabling cross-registration and shared resources.
2. Certificate Program Fees: Students pay tuition to their home institutions for consortium certificate programs in Ecumenism, Muslim-Christian Studies, Ecology and Theology, Criminal Justice and Reconciliation, and Spirituality.
3. Event Registration Fees: Public events including conferences, lectures, and seminars generate registration fees. The Orientale Lumen conference offers multiple registration tiers with discounts for clergy, faculty, and students.
4. Donations: The consortium relies on financial support from donors to fund operations and special initiatives like the Abrahamic Faiths course scholarship fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Washington Theological Consortium coordinates cross-registration of courses across 10+ member theological schools, providing access to 250+ courses per semester. It offers five specialized certificate programs (Ecumenism, Muslim-Christian Studies, Ecology and Theology, Criminal Justice and Reconciliation, and Spirituality), shared library access to over 2 million volumes, and hosts annual public events including the Orientale Lumen Conference, Figel Address, Al-Alwani Lectures, and the Interfaith Leadership Forum.

Product overview

Washington Theological Consortium is a consortium of theological schools offering a unified platform for ecumenical and interfaith education. The core offerings include cross-registration among member schools (providing access to 250+ courses), five specialized certificate programs (Ecumenism, Muslim-Christian Studies, Ecology and Theology, Criminal Justice and Reconciliation, and Spirituality), and library access to over two million volumes. Public programming includes the Orientale Lumen Conference, Figel Address on Ecumenical Dialogue, and Interfaith Leadership Forum. The Dialogue of Abrahamic Faiths course provides intensive interfaith education for seminarians across Abrahamic traditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Course Cross-Registration

Quantifiable outcome

• 55 years of continuous service promoting ecumenism and interfaith dialogue
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Orientale Lumen FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2026The consortium co-sponsors the Orientale Lumen conference with the Orientale Lumen Foundation. This annual conference, held since 1997, brings together Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, and Roman Catholic Christians for theological discussion and prayer. The 30th conference takes place July 13-15, 2026 at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, DC.
• Museum of the BiblecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020The Museum of the Bible joined as the consortium's first Public Educational Institutional member in July 2020, expanding the consortium's reach to include this major educational institution focused on the Bible and biblical history.
• Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004GSISS, the first Islamic graduate school in the nation, joined the consortium in 2004. Founded by Dr. Taha Al-Alwani, GSISS educated the first Muslim chaplains for the U.S. Marines and generates research on Islamic inculturation in Western societies. The partnership helped transform Christian-Muslim theological education in the region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core): National interfaith leadership and education organization operating in adjacent space to WTC's Interfaith Leadership Forum and Abrahamic Faiths course. Comparable mission of advancing interfaith literacy across faith traditions.
• Interfaith Center of New York: New York-based interfaith organization providing dialogue programming, training, and resources across religious traditions. Comparable in program mix to WTC's public-facing interfaith events and certificate offerings.
• Graduate Theological Union (GTU): A consortium of theological schools in Berkeley offering cross-registration, shared library resources (a 500k+ volume library), and doctoral programs. Closely comparable operating model and interfaith posture to WTC, though on the West Coast.
• Chicago Theological Institute: Midwest consortium of theological schools that coordinates cross-registration and faculty collaboration. Functions as a structural regional parallel to WTC and serves a comparable audience of seminarians.
• Boston Theological Institute: Inter-school theological consortium serving Boston-area seminaries with cross-registration and shared library access. Operates the same consortium model as WTC, making it the closest structural peer.

Others

• Parliament of the World's Religions: Global interfaith convening organization that hosts large-scale conferences and dialogue programming. Comparable in mission to WTC's Orientale Lumen and Interfaith Leadership Forum, though at a much larger and international scale.
• Association of Theological Schools (ATS): Accrediting and membership body for North American theological schools. Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem enabler that sets standards affecting WTC's member institutions.
• The Fund for Theological Education: Foundation supporting emerging theological educators and leaders through fellowships and grants. Operates in an adjacent ecosystem supporting the same seminarian audience WTC serves through cross-registration.
• Council of Independent Colleges: National membership organization for independent higher education institutions. Provides shared services and programming that overlap with the consortium/affiliation model WTC operates for its member theological schools.

Emerging players

• Auburn Theological Seminary: Seminary focused on multifaith leadership development and social justice, with peer-learning networks for emerging religious leaders. Overlaps with WTC's Emerging Religious Leaders Courses and Interfaith Leadership Forum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUBbjn5UyjPhiNkZHeRHscw
• Facebookfacebook.com/washtheocon
• Instagraminstagram.com/washtheocon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-theological-consortium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Washington Theological Consortium