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First Baptist Church of Newport News is proud to serve as the home of the Hampton Roads campus of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies.  The mission of the Leland Center is to equip transformational leaders for the emerging church and ministries in multi-ethnic, metropolitan communities.  Diploma and Master's programs are offered.

The John Leland Center is named in honor of the 18th century Virginia Baptist pastor John Leland, whose passion for religious freedom influenced Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other framers to create religious freedom in the United States.  His evangelistic preaching and uncompromising stand against slavery brought hope to the world and a challenge to the church.  Today, the John Leland Center stands as a living memorial to the principles of change and freedom necessary for Christian ministry and education.

In the fall of 1997, while attending a meeting of the Baptist World Alliance, five leaders discovered a mutual burden to meet the educational and training needs for ministry in the evangelical community in the greater Washington, D.C. area.  This vision grew into the John Leland Center.  In the fall of 2003, the John Leland Center began its sixth year, with over 140 students enrolled from all over Virginia. In April of 2002, the center graduated its first class, and in June gained Associate Member status with the Association of Theological Schools, the premier accrediting body for schools of theology in North America.

For more information visit the Leland Center homepage at www.johnlelandcenter.edu or contact First Baptist Church.