·The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States came into existence in November of 1782 in Philadelphia, Penn. The Associate Reformed Synod of the South, today called the General Synod, was organized in 1803. One of the most serious problems confronting the Church in the early period of its history was to secure ministers to serve its scattered congregations and carry on missionary work in the rapidly growing population. Since the Church had a deep heritage in Scotland, with a long emphasis upon an educated clergy, the need for a theological seminary was keenly felt. The first attempt to fill this need was made in 1822, when the Synod appointed two pastors to provide theological training for young ministerial candidates. The seminary had no buildings, no books, and no money. When one professor died in 1829 and the other left in 1831 to accept work in Pennsylvania, the Synod began plans for an institution to provide scholastic and theological training of ministerial candidates.

·In 1836, the Synod opened an academy in Due West, S.C., and the following year added a professor of divinity and incorporated the institution under the name of "Clark and Erskine Seminary." The addition of a professor of divinity in 1837 was the beginning of Erskine Theological Seminary. In 1839 Clark and Erskine Seminary was reorganized and the faculty was enlarged to establish the first four-year denominational college in South Carolina.

·The name of the institution was shortened to "Erskine College" about 1843, and in the following years the Seminary functioned as an adjunct of Erskine College. In 1858 the seminary became a separate institution, but continued to operate under the same Board of Trustees as Erskine College. During the War Between the States, the student enrollment was greatly reduced in both the college and seminary, resulting in the sharing of teachers between the two faculties. In 1926, the college and seminary again combined resources and the seminary became the professional school of Erskine College, an arrangement which continues to exist.

·The curriculum reflects a balanced approach to ministry, including the traditional emphases on the Bible, theology and church history, and ministerial functions. Christian values are cultivated throughout, as well as a solid grasp of the realities of the modern world in which ministry takes place. Programs allow individual students to prepare for a wide diversity of ministries. Seminary programs are open to all qualified persons.

·Theological education involves the growth of the whole person. More than to transfer knowledge or certain professional skills, Erskine Seminary seeks to shape both Christian character and spiritual awareness, and to enable persons to share the experiences of others. The climate within which Erskine Seminary carries out her mission is intentionally collegial in spirit, characterized by close faculty-student relationships, small classes, accessible faculty, and regular worship services. The experience of community reinforces the seminary's overall commitment to honesty, rigor, and excellence in theological education.

·Erskine Theological Seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. The Seminary is also accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The Seminary is approved by the United Methodist Church and is a member of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education and the Society for the Advancement of Continuing Education.

·Bowie Divinity Hall, completed in 1985 through the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. W. Parker Bowie, provides classrooms, office space, administrative facilities, a chapel, a lobby, a lounge, an archives room, a media center, and other accommodations for the operation of Erskine Seminary. McQuiston Divinity Hall, erected in 1938 through the generosity of the McQuiston family of Monticello, Ark., serves as a dormitory for men. McCain Library houses both the College and Seminary library collections. A facility of 23,000 square feet, the library has approximately 45,000 volumes in theology and related fields. Seminary students have access to a total of 158,000 volumes as well as valuable periodicals, microfilms, and other informational sources. The McLane Media Center, established in 1989 in honor of Drayton McLane, Sr., has photographic, video editing, and computer graphic equipment.

·Erskine Theological Seminary is owned and operated by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and seeks, under the direction of a Board of Trustees appointed by the denomination, to serve the Church in the field of graduate theological education. The Seminary, while maintaining its integrity as an educational institution, fully subscribes to the confessional standards of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. In particular, this means that the Seminary holds the Holy Scripture to be the Word of God, given by inspiration of God, to be the only perfect rule of faith and practice. Whereas the Seminary further holds that the infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself, it sets forth the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Catechisms as the best concise theological expression of the truth therein. Erskine Seminary is, therefore, strongly committed to the Biblical and Reformed understanding of Christian faith.