Collection › LCMS Convention Workbook (St. Louis, Missouri) › 2019 · 67th Convention, Tampa › Page 82

LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 82

Scan: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS

R4.2

Concordia Theological Seminary,
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Concordia Theological Seminary 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.
Among the many blessings your seminary has experienced over
the past three years:
••

Strong leadership with Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr. serving in his second term as president of CTSFW.

••

A key component to that leadership is a laser focus
and commitment to implement the seminary’s
strategic plan. This triennium has focused on
fully aligning the seminary’s budget to the plan
and engaging the full seminary community in its
implementation. This has freed CTSFW to embrace
new opportunities and challenges and build on what
it means to be distinctively Lutheran, communityoriented, and committed to excellence.

••

100 percent tuition guarantee for all pastoral and
diaconal residential students. This would not have
been possible without our Lord’s gracious provision
and the incredible, outpouring of support received
from His people.
Doubling of the seminary’s endowment. The
student aid endowment at CTSFW has more than
doubled since President Rast first took office. “We
as a seminary and as a church must continue to do all
we can to reduce the burden on our students so they
can enter the ministry to which God has called them
unencumbered by overwhelming material concerns.
Your partnership in this is essential, and we thank you
for it, as well as for all your ongoing support of our
future pastors and deaconesses.” (President Lawrence
R. Rast Jr.)
Financial health and transparent stewardship of
resources. CTSFW is committed to transparency,
equality, and consistency in all business practices.
This has led the independent auditor to remark:
“The Seminary’s overall financial health is strong and
thriving as reflected by their Composite Financial
Index score and when compared to other Christian
higher education institutions. The Seminary has stable
operating results and a healthy balance sheet and is
currently positioned to deploy its resources to achieve
its mission and be financially sustainable over the longterm.” (Adam Smith, BKD, 2018)
Faithful, caring, mission-minded students from all
areas of the United States and around the world. Our
students 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

2019 Convention Workbook

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. CTSFW
looks forward to partnering with the Synod and CUS
to identify and encourage future church workers.

••

Continued 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.

••

Development of a PhD in Theological Studies degree
in addition to the strong PhD in Missiology program
that draws students from around the globe.

••

Continued growth in the number of deaconesses
formed for service through both residential and distance tracks (the distance track is a combination of
online courses and campus intensive courses).

••

A reworking of the contextual learning experience
in an effort to provide consistent opportunities for
pastoral ministry formation in the fieldwork and
vicarage contexts. A wide variety of summer vicarage experiences are available in addition to targeted
module learning experiences.

••

Continued growth in the Doctor of Ministry program
that combines academic and pastoral excellence,
distance and residential learning components, yet is
very affordable.

••

Partnership with Seminario Luterano El Reformador
in the Dominican Republic and the Office of International Mission to provide pastoral and diaconal
formation in Spanish for the countries of Latin
America.

••

The establishment of the Wakefield-Kroemer Director’s Chair in Library and Information Services and
the appointment of Prof. Robert Roethemeyer as the
first holder of this chair.

••

Development of a 25-year deferred maintenance
schedule. The students and the seminary community are already benefiting from updates to the two
lectures halls, the classrooms, heating and cooling
systems, lighting, and railings.

••

Completion of furnishing and room dedications of
the Wayne and Barbara Kroemer Library.

••

Expanded financial education and counseling for
students has resulted in a decrease in the amount of
educational loans taken out by CTSFW students.

••

An outstanding faculty with rich pastoral ministry
experience as well as the highest academic credentials
from such outstanding universities as Harvard, Yale,
Michigan, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Wisconsin,
Durham, Marquette, and Basel.

••

Significant leadership from CTSFW on the LCMS
Commission on Theology and Church Relations (the