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| Type | Seminary |
|---|---|
| Established | 1846; 179 years ago (1846) |
Religious affiliation | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod |
| President | Jon S. Bruss[1] |
Academic staff | 26[2] |
| Students | 279[3] |
| Location | ,, United States 41°8′21.6″N85°6′32.8″W / 41.139333°N 85.109111°W /41.139333; -85.109111 |
| Campus | Major city, 191 acres (77 ha) |
| Website | www |
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Concordia Theological Seminary is aLutheranseminary inFort Wayne, Indiana. It offers professional, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees affiliated with trainingclergy anddeaconesses for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).
In 1844,Frederick C. D. Wyneken, pastor ofthe Lutheran church inFort Wayne, Indiana, began pastoral training of two young men. Wyneken took a call in 1845 to a congregation inBaltimore, Maryland, and was replaced byWilhelm Sihler, who continued the training. Wyneken had earlier written toWilhelm Loehe in Germany, requesting help in providing pastors for German Lutheran immigrants to the United States, and in August 1846 eleven theological students and their instructor arrived in Fort Wayne, having been sent by Loehe. The seminary was formally organized at that time, with Sihler becoming the first president. Classes were held in the parsonage, and a four-room house was rented for use as a dormitory.[4]
TheLutheran Church–Missouri Synod was organized in 1847, and in response to the new synod's request, Loehe transferred ownership of the seminary to the synod. He continued to support the seminary by sending money, books, and students from Germany. Two years later the seminary purchased 14 acres (5.7 ha) about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Fort Wayne and erected the first building on its new campus.[4]
Within the synod the seminary was referred to as the "practical seminary" because its purpose was to quickly provide pastors for congregations. It provided both pre-seminary and seminary instruction. The pre-seminary course of work was similar to that of a high school, and the seminary classes provided enough theological training to enable the graduates to serve the congregations. However, the seminary did not require knowledge of the Biblical languages (Greek and Hebrew).
To protect its students from thedraft during theAmerican Civil War, the seminary moved, in 1861, to the campus of the synod's academic seminary,Concordia Seminary, inSt. Louis, Missouri. Missouri exempted theological students from the draft, while Indiana did not.[5]C. F. W. Walther, who was already the president of the St. Louis seminary, became president of the practical seminary as well. However, there was friction between the two institutions among both faculty and students, in part due to the differences in academic rigor and purposes. In addition, the growth in enrollment in both seminaries led to overcrowding of the campus.[4]
In 1874, the 29 pre-seminary students of the practical seminary, along with one instructor, were moved to the campus of the formerIllinois State University inSpringfield, Illinois.[4] That campus had been purchased by Trinity Lutheran Church in that city in 1873 to start the Evangelical Lutheran Female College and Normal School, but inability to obtain suitable faculty had stopped those plans.[5] In 1875, the practical seminary itself moved to the Springfield campus, with presidentF. A. Craemer and the pre-seminary instructor serving as the faculty. A third faculty member joined the staff in 1876.[4]
At that time there were no particular entrance requirements. It was not until 1918 that completion of eighth grade was required of prospective students, the same year that an additional year of instruction was added to the pre-seminary course of study. The additional courses made it possible for pastors to obtain teaching certificates in states where pastors were not automatically eligible to teach in parochial schools. However, even in the 1920s the pastors graduating from the seminary generally had, except for the pastoral training, only the equivalent of a high school education.[4]
In view of the relatively low level of academic training provided by the seminary, resolutions to close the seminary were introduced in the 1932 and 1935 synodical conventions; the one in 1935 initially passed by a 266 to 265 vote, but was then reconsidered and defeated, 283 to 256. Nevertheless, the seminary began making changes: Greek was made a required course; new students had to have had at least two years of high school, and accreditation by the state of Illinois was sought.[4]
Starting in 1941, all entering students had to be high school graduates, allowing the seminary to discontinue all high school classes. Academic requirements were further strengthened in subsequent years. Entrance requirements were again raised, first to completion of two years of college, and again to prefer college graduates. Expectations for the faculty were also increased with the aim that all professors would have doctoral degrees. TheAmerican Association of Theological Schools accepted the seminary as a member in the fall of 1968. The Bachelor of Divinity degree which the seminary had awarded its graduates became fully accredited, and was replaced by the Master of Divinity degree in 1973.[4]
The seminary remained in Springfield until the synod reorganized its system of pastoral training and merged the program ofConcordia Senior College of Fort Wayne withConcordia College inAnn Arbor, Michigan. In 1976, the seminary returned to Fort Wayne, where it inherited the Senior College's award-winning campus, designed byEero Saarinen.
Concordia has had 17 presidents.[6][7]
| No. | Name | Term |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilhelm Sihler | 1846–1861 |
| 2 | C. F. W. Walther | 1861–1875 |
| 3 | Friedrich August Crämer[8] | 1875–1891 |
| 4 | Reinhold Pieper[9] | 1891–1914 |
| 5 | Richard Daniel Biedermann | 1914–1921 |
| 6 | Henry Adam Klein[10] | 1922–1935 |
| 7 | Henry B. Hemmeter[11] | 1936–1945 |
| 8 | G. Christian Barth | 1945–1952 |
| 9 | Walter A. Baepler | 1952–1958 |
| 10 | George Beto | 1959–1962 |
| 11 | J. A. O. Preus II | 1962–1969 |
| 12 | Richard J. Schultz | 1970–1974 |
| 13 | Robert D. Preus | 1974–1989[a] |
| – | Norbert H. Mueller[b] | 1989–1992 |
| – | Robert D. Preus[c] | 1992–1993 |
| 14 | David G. Schmiel | 1993–1995 |
| 15 | Dean O. Wenthe | 1996–2011 |
| 16 | Lawrence R. Rast Jr. | 2011–2024 |
| 17 | Jon S. Bruss | 2024–present |
Concordia Theological Seminary is divided into four departments: Exegetical Theology, Historical Theology, Pastoral Ministry and Mission, and Systematic Theology.[12]
The seminary is theologically conservative, emphasizing study of theBible and theBook of Concord. It is a liturgical community following the practice of praying the divine offices each day, includingMatins,Vespers andCompline, as well as celebrating theLord's Supper each week.
The seminary publishes a journal for professional theologians, a magazine for laity and for the seminary community, and books.
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