Auburn Theological Seminary, located in New York City, teaches students about progressive social issues by offering workshops, providing consulting, and conducting research on faith leadership development.

In 2014, it designed and moved to a new leadership development lab in The Interchurch Center in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City.

It was one of the first seminaries in the country to admit African Americans (Moses A. Hopkins, 1877), Japanese (Naoomi Tamura, 1882) and later, female seminarians (Ida Thorne Parker, 1917).

[1] It obtained a charter from the New York State legislature on 14 April 1820[4] as a post-baccalaureate theological seminary, and it matriculated its first students in 1821.

Katharine Rhodes Henderson was inaugurated as president in 2009, shifting the institution's focus toward training and supporting faith leaders who work in progressive justice organizations and movements.