One way to frame the many decisions before us—to navigate the significant institutional shifts Luther Seminary will traverse in the coming months and years as we prepare to move into a new future—is to consider how we have been strengthened by the rich history of the immigrants who founded our predecessor schools and how they met new generation of leaders and learners, just as we do today.

This requires us to ask a big question: Why does the church need Luther Seminary in this moment of fluidity and change across the whole church?

One response is that the church needs Luther Seminary in this moment because we are committed to change and adaptation for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ to educate leaders for Christian communities. The changes in learning, leadership, and membership the church is experiencing are not easily addressed. But we are confident through the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will find where God is guiding us. At Luther Seminary, we have for years dedicated academic and financial resources to discussing these challenges and adapting the delivery of our mission to meet the needs of learners and to serve the church in new ways.

We are bringing an expansive view of our mission to this time of transition and are imagining ways to offer more face-to-face learning, not less. We have launched a lay school for ministry, the Faith+Lead academy, and a variety of certificate and fellowship programs, even as we have continued to invest in robust degree programs.

Our educational mission is rooted in relationships and trust, not buildings or a specific location. Thinking about how to serve the needs of every learner—from residential to distributed students, from Faith+Lead learners to global partners—is what sustains us. Guided by our faculty of leading scholars, we seek to faithfully fulfill this mission over the long term.

While any move from a particular and historic location brings a measure of sadness, we see the many decisions before us as opportunities to faithfully align our educational mission with the deep leadership needs of the church. We are grateful to you for your support of this seminary, and we thank God for the gifts of discernment, wisdom, and learning.

Peace,

Robin Steinke
President

Read other installments in our series on why the church needs Luther Seminary in this moment:
A New Chapter for Luther Seminary – June 2025
Expanding Our Mission – July 2025