The seminary officially named as The Western Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in America was founded in 1866. Western Theological Seminary is evangelical, ecumenical, and Reformed. Western Theological Seminary prepares students for ministry often involving ordination, as well as for further graduate study, chaplaincy, missions, youth ministry, social service ministry, etc. Although WTS is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, it is ecumenical in scope and it educates students from other denominations, including but not limited to: The United Church of Christ, The Christian Reformed Church, The Presbyterian Church and The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Western Theological Seminary offers Master of Divinity fully online. Every new group of distance learners begins each year in early November. The application deadline is August 1. Entrance into this program is annual. Finances are often a major concern for students seeking to achieve a seminary education. Western Theological Seminary encourages their students to consider a variety of options available for financial aid.

The school has full accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). Western's Distance Learning Master of Divinity degree is a cutting edge model that has been praised by their accrediting agency.