The Columbia Theological Seminary began here in 1828 when Rev. Thomas Goulding led the effort of the Presbyterian Synod of South Carolina and Georgia to establish a theological seminary. Goulding and the original five students began their studies in Lexington. The Theological Seminary moved to Columbia, South Carolina, in 1830, where it remained under Rev. Goulding's leadership until he left the school in 1834. First named The Theological Seminary of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, the name was officially changed in 1925 to Columbia Theological Seminary. In 1927 it moved to its current location in Decatur, Georgia. Since its founding, the Seminary has produced many ministers, missionaries, and theologians who have been prominent in the social, political, and religious life of the South.