Denver Seminary has closed the largest fundraising campaign in its history, raising $40.5 million in gifts, estate commitments, and pledges. The total is 145 percent of the campaign’s original 23 million in gifts, $5 million in estate commitments). It exceeds that goal by $12.5 million. The Seminary announced the milestone at a celebration event marking the campaign’s conclusion, held July 30 at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Since the campaign began in July 2023, 1,369 donors gave toward the effort. Their gifts endowed four academic chairs, including the Blomberg Chair in New Testament, and funded nine new scholarships while strengthening 55 others, placing more than $4 million directly into the hands of students who otherwise could not have completed their degrees. The campaign also rebuilt the Seminary’s capacity for distance education: 23 new courses developed, 20 redesigned for online delivery, and more than 320 hours of course content created, so students can remain rooted in their communities while they are formed.

The campaign concludes amid a national crisis in ministry preparation and mental health care. Across ATS schools, Master of Divinity enrollment has fallen 14 percent since 2020, even as roughly 122 million Americans live in regions with a shortage of mental health professionals. Both trends point to the same shortage: not enough people formed for the care of souls. The generosity of our donors has positioned Denver Seminary to meet this crisis. Its CACREP-accredited counseling program, anchored in a worshiping and learning community of faith, forms counselors who can attend to the psychological needs of those they serve, alongside pastors trained with lasting hope for healing and renewal.

“Somewhere tonight, a student who had almost given up is one class closer to finishing what they started. Somewhere tonight, a pastor a thousand miles from any classroom is still becoming who God called them to be, because someone rebuilt the course that reached them. And somewhere down the road, a student who has not yet walked through our doors will study under a scholar holding a chair this campaign endowed. Multiply that by 1,369 people who said yes, and you start to see what we are actually celebrating. We did not build this. We watched it built, gift by gift, by people who believed the training of pastors and counselors still matters to the future of the Church. That is what we are grateful for, and it is a trust this Seminary will steward faithfully for generations of students still to come,” said Dr. Mark Husbands, who has served as President of Denver Seminary since January 2025.

Since his arrival at Denver Seminary in January 2025, President Husbands has personally championed the Seminary’s Advancement work. Following the retirement of the previous Vice President in mid-2025, he led the rebuilding of the team and carried the work through the remainder of the campaign, which closed as the largest in the Seminary’s history. Tammy Boyle joined Denver Seminary as its new Vice President of Advancement on July 13, 2026, ready to carry that momentum forward.

“I’ve been struck by the depth of faith behind every gift to this campaign. Donors have shown, in a very tangible way, that theological education still matters for the Church’s future. This was never our story to tell. It was always God’s faithfulness, carried by His people. I’m honored to help carry it forward into whatever He has next for Denver Seminary.”

The celebration brought together donors, alumni, faculty, and friends of the Seminary to mark the occasion and look ahead to the impact this support will have on future generations of gospel-centered leaders.