About Concordia Seminary

Vision

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis aspires to be the world leader in Lutheran ministerial formation, scholarship and theological resources centered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mission

Concordia Seminary serves church and world by providing theological education and leadership centered in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for the formation of pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars, and leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Our core values

Faithfulness

to the Scriptures and Confessions

Servanthood

to Christ and His Church

Responsiveness

to the contemporary context of the world

Excellence

in all our endeavors

Strategic Plan 2018-20

The initiatives of Concordia Seminary’s strategic plan will occur in the context of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) shared Lutheran identity. Thus, central to this strategic plan and its execution is the Seminary’s centering concept:

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis will continue to use the rich resources of confessional Lutheranism, including a full and unwavering commitment to the Holy Scripture and a full subscription to the Book of Concord, to prepare men and women in their callings such that their words and lives confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

In pursuit of its mission and guided by its core values and centering concept, Concordia Seminary has adopted four strategic priorities for 2018-20. These priorities were developed with input from and a focus on the needs and desires of LCMS congregations, their members and the church at large.

Concordia Seminary’s strategic priorities guide the daily work of the Seminary’s administration, faculty, staff and other groups charged with implementing the plan’s strategies and initiatives. These strategies span a specific three-year period of time, but in their design, also will set a path for Seminary operations long-term.

Strategic Priority 1: Recruitment

Recruit qualified ministry candidates and leaders in sufficient quantity to meet the demands of the church in today’s world.
The initiatives supporting this priority to identify, recruit and subsequently enroll new students undergird this urgent, eternally important need. Initiatives include developing a culture of recruitment throughout the Seminary and enacting conducive financial aid policies.

Strategic Priority 2: Ministerial Formation

Prepare pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and leaders to faithfully serve the church of the 21st century so that its congregations and institutions can boldly bring the Gospel to people.
As called by Christ in the Great Commission, the initiatives of this priority serve the Seminary’s mission to prepare those who will go on to preach and teach. Initiatives include leveraging the Master of Divinity curriculum for effective formation for ministry and continuing to improve all educational programs.

Strategic Priority 3: Resources

Provide continuing education and catechetical resources for church workers and laity to foster lifelong maturation of the faith, discipleship and skill for life and church in the world.
Given the Seminary’s role as an institution of learning, the initiatives of this priority support ongoing education. Initiatives include ensuring the development of a variety of resources that are widely accessible.

Strategic Priority 4: Funding

Grow financial resources to sustain the mission of providing theological education for the formation of pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and leaders for the LCMS.
As sources of financial support for the Seminary evolve as a result of changing patterns in charitable giving, the initiatives of this priority focus on sustainability and fiscal dependability. Initiatives include extending the milestone Generations Campaign under the theme of Generations 20/20.

Collaboration

It would be impossible for Concordia Seminary to fulfill its mission without significant collaboration with its LCMS partners in ministry. Concordia Seminary strives to model churchmanship in collaborating with the LCMS for common cause with partners and constituencies, and to seek efficiencies in fulfilling the mission and goals of the Seminary.

Throughout the development of this strategic plan, we identified opportunities for collaboration with LCMS ministries in accomplishing these initiatives. Our efforts to achieve the priorities of this strategic plan go hand in hand with our efforts to collaborate within and across the church.

Measurement

Concordia Seminary is committed to the implementation of these priorities and the supporting initiatives, and will provide regular updates to its Board of Regents so as to assess and measure its progress.

Acknowledgements

Concordia Seminary acknowledges with deep appreciation the members of its Strategic Planning Committee, its Board of Regents and its faculty, who have served together to identify and develop this strategic plan. Concordia Seminary is committed to the implementation of these priorities and the supporting initiatives, and will provide regular updates to its Board of Regents as to its progress.

Our History

Concordia Seminary was founded in 1839 in Perry County, Mo., by a group of emigrants from Germany. In 1849, the preparatory division and the school of theology of the young institution moved to St. Louis and relocated to South Jefferson Avenue and Winnebago Street. The preparatory division moved to Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1861. In 1926, the campus moved to its current 72-acre site in suburban Clayton.

Today, Concordia Seminary is one of two private seminaries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) providing men for the holy ministry of Word and Sacrament in the LCMS, preparing women through its Deaconess Studies program and offering advanced degree programs to qualified students of theology. It also serves as a center for theological research, scholarship and continuing education of the clergy. Since its inception, Concordia Seminary has provided more than 12,500 professional workers for the church.

1839

A group of German immigrants built a small log cabin and founded Concordia Seminary (originally known as “The Log Cabin College”) in Altenburg, Mo., part of Perry County.

1850

The community of Altenburg generously agreed to give its school to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, which moved the Seminary to a building on South Jefferson Avenue in St. Louis.

1883

To accommodate its growing student population, the Seminary replaced the original South Jefferson Avenue building with a large Gothic structure complete with 136-foot-high steeple, a library, dormitories and a gymnasium.

1926

Concordia Seminary’s campus moved to its current 72-acre site in suburban Clayton, Mo. Nearly 75,000 people attended the dedication ceremony.

1956

Concordia Seminary enrollment reached an all-time high. New building projects throughout the 1950s and 1960s resulted in new structures designed in the “ultra plain” architecture of the day.

1966

Construction was completed on Luther Tower, which rises 120 feet over Walther Arch. The 49-bell carillon was installed in 1970.

1992

The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus was dedicated with more than 1,700 guests in attendance.

Today

Faculty and staff continue to build on the rich heritage of the Seminary’s storied history, and are committed to providing sound theological education and vibrant leadership development to future generations of church workers.