Concordia Theological Seminary (CTSFW) exists to form servants in Jesus Christ who teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all. We rejoice and give thanks to our Lord and Savior, who continues to bless CTSFW richly through the faithful support of alumni, friends, and donors who have enabled the seminary to carry out this mission for the sake of the church and the world. Listed below are several among the many blessings your seminary has experienced over the past four years:
Planning for the Future • We experience strong leadership with Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., who was unanimously reappointed for his third term as president of CTSFW.
- A key component to that leadership is guiding CTSFW in the development and implementation of the seminary’s strategic plan. The 2021–24 plan has focused on improving campus operations and preparing the seminary for the future. This has included moving multiple data silos to a single Sales force organization to enable collaboration between departments based on real-time shared data and reorganizing the administrative structure as part of succession planning and leadership development. Strategically focusing our time and efforts frees CTSFW to embrace new opportunities and challenges and to build on what it means to be distinctively Lutheran, community-oriented, and committed to excellence.
- In order to think creatively yet in a disciplined manner about the future, CTSFW has engaged in a scenario planning process. This process has enabled the seminary to challenge the status quo and to imagine and rehearse plausible alternative future scenarios.
- CTSFW continues to offer the largest deaconess formation program in the LCMS through our MA in Deaconess Studies program offered both residentially and in a distance mode (consisting of online and intensive on-campus courses).
- CTSFW expanded our graduate programs beyond the Ph D in Missiology to also offer a Ph D in Theological Studies with emphases in Old Testament, New Testament, Doctrine, and Lutheran Confessions. Our first students in the Ph D–TS program are now in the dissertation stage and will be important theological educators in the future for our seminaries and universities and in mission contexts.
Faithful Stewardship • CTSFW paid off all institutional debt at the end of the 2022 fiscal year! CTSFW is committed to faithful and transparent stewardship of all its resources and in all its business practices.
- One hundred percent tuition assistance is guaranteed for all pastoral and dia con al residential students. Ongoing support from districts, congregations, and individual donors is critical to fulfilling this for your future pastors and deaconesses.
- Creation of new scholarships (Regents’, President’s, Provost’s, and the Dr. Rosa J. Young scholarship) for expenses beyond tuition provide support in addition to the 100 percent tuition-assistance guarantee. This is only made possible by our Lord’s gracious provision and the incredible outpouring of support received from His people.
- CTSFW successfully completed CTSFW’s first comprehensive campaign under the theme “Make Known His Deeds!” Exceeding the goal for the campaign, CTSFW raised just over $82 million to support vital day-to-day operations and provide 100 percent tuition assistance to relieve students and their families of the burden of incurring debt.
- The Dean O. Wenthe Chair in Old Testament Theology was established, and Dr. Jeffrey Pulse was appointed as the first holder of this chair.
- CTSFW received full accreditation for all academic programs from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The ac creditors noted that CTSFW’s “mission and [Lutheran] identity permeate, animate, and guide the school and are supported by a strong sense of community.” They also complimented the seminary for “exceptional financial stewardship and generosity of the seminary’s constituency (both local and global) that make it possible for students to graduate with manageable debt.” The next accreditation visit will be in 2030.
Global Impact • CTSFW has partnered with Seminario Luterano El Reforma dor in the Dominican Republic and the LCMS Office of International Mission to provide pastoral and dia con al formation in Spanish for the countries of Latin America.
- Four cohorts of students graduated from CTSFW’s Master of Sacred Theology (STM) extension site operated jointly with the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg, Sweden. This extension site provides the opportunity for advanced theological study for students largely from Scandinavia and eastern Europe.
- CTSFW launched the Lutheran Leadership Development Program (LLDP) in collaboration with the International Lutheran Council, Concordia Publishing House, and the LCMS to provide Lutheran church bodies around the world an opportunity to develop leaders who are competent in both solid confessional Lutheran theology as well as practical skills in leadership and resource management. The LLDP held its first commencement exercises in November 2022, awarding the Certificate in Theology in Lutheran Leadership to four graduates from Ghana, Ethiopia, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Resourcing the Church • Our outstanding faculty has rich pastoral ministry experience as well as the highest academic credentials from such outstanding universities as Vanderbilt, Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Marquette, Harvard, Yale, Durham, and Basel.
- Concordia Theological Quarterly is praised internationally as a very significant journal for fostering confessional Lutheranism.
- CTSFW’s magazine, For the Life of the World, is read by over 25,000 people domestically and internationally.
- Nearly 1,000 people from around the world view CTSFW’s chapel services daily via live stream on social media and the website.
- Between 400 and 600 pastors, church workers, and laity participate in an average of 35 continuing education courses each year. Roughly 750 more participate in CTSFW’s annual on-campus conferences and workshops.
- The successful Christ Academy offerings were expanded with the 2023 launch of the Christ Academy: Family Institute (CAFI), focused on assisting parents, caregivers, pastors, and youth-focused church workers. The goals of CAFI are to help participants raise godly and faithful families and
Students to Serve Christ and His Church • •
- Faithful, caring, mission-minded students from all areas of the United States and around the world exhibit a mission zeal to bring Jesus to a hurting world in need of His saving Word. The seminary is deeply grateful for God’s abundant blessings of stable enrollment and generous support through His people. The seminary will, under God’s grace, continue to faithfully fulfill its mission. Strong recruiting of students has led to stable residential enrollment during a period when many seminaries are experiencing sharp declines. Nevertheless, as our Lord states in Matthew 9:37–38, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” CTSFW continues emphasis on residential pastoral formation through rigorous Master of Divinity and Alternate Route programs. The curriculum is regularly updated to ensure our students are adequately prepared to serve in the unique ministry contexts in which they are placed.
resource them for this task, while also strengthening marriages and families.
CTSFW has served the Synod faithfully by making the blessings of the church available to a world in need of Christ’s salvation. Our seminary’s seal bears the inscription “Preach the Word.” For over 177 years, CTSFW has formed servants who proclaim Christ and Him crucified. Maybe our Lord is calling you to be one of those who will teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all. Or maybe you know someone who you think would serve well but you’re not sure how to encourage them. Get in touch with us. We would love to start that conversation with you. We invite you to get to know CTSFW. Visit our website at ctsfw .edu or our campus, where you will find a vibrant, Christ-centered theological community that engages and resources the church and world, domestically and internationally, with distinctively Lutheran teaching, practice, and worship. Join with CTSFW in bringing the saving Gospel into all the world.