Dear Friends,
This fall marks the 150th year of Luther Seminary’s mission to educate leaders for Christian communities.
The world has changed significantly during the past century and a half. We’ve moved from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy to a service economy. Cultural trends continue to evolve. Technology has advanced at rates unprecedented in human history.
In the church, we’ve seen similar shifts. Church bodies have formed, dissolved, and merged. Ecumenism has flourished and waned. We are asking new questions: What does it mean to cultivate Christian identity and practice in an increasingly secular age? How do we prepare leaders who can connect people enduring the stresses and strains of an overly scheduled, overworked life, with Jesus, the giver of life? In what ways can we continue to rediscover the Holy Spirit’s movement in this time and place?
In this edition of Story, see how God is using Luther Seminary students, faculty, staff, and alumni to respond to challenges in our contemporary culture. Get an inside look at the new digital learning hub we’ve launched for rostered and lay leaders across the church. Plus, look back on the robust legacy of Luther Seminary with an excerpt from Professor Mark Granquist’s new book, “A History of Luther Seminary: 1869–2019”.
There is no question that the next century and a half will be just as disruptive as the previous century and a half has been. But we trust in the promise of Jesus Christ to abide with us! Luther Seminary will continue to bear witness to the gospel by preparing leaders who are ready to discover what God has in store for the church and world—just as we’ve always done.
Peace,
Robin J. Steinke
President