In roughly a decade, over 50 percent of our clergy in the North American Lutheran Church will retire. And while there are interested candidates coming to the NALC from various places, the fact that seminary education remains a complicated and expensive procedure inhibits many more men and women from coming forward. Here at the North American Lutheran Seminary, we are trying to change that fact.
Our mission at the NALS is to form the NALC’s future leaders in such a way that they reflect the values of our church—Christ-centered, mission-driven, traditionally grounded, and congregationally focused—all while saving them from substantial amounts of student-loan debt. We do this by collaborating with Trinity School for Ministry, by sharing resources across the denomination, and by focusing on the essentials of seminary education.
Every member of the NALC, from the bishop to the janitor to the 10-year-old girl on the altar guild, is able to play a part in helping us provide authentically Lutheran, spiritually formative, and academically rigorous degree programs. This help can come in the form of prayer or conversation—or by participating in our latest fundraising campaign.
Since 2014, the month of May has been designated by the NALC as a time for congregations and individuals to make generous gifts to the seminary. Your financial support along with that of other individuals, families, and congregations has allowed us to raise nearly $50,000 from over 100 unique donors. These gifts will not only serve to support our current students and initiatives but will also enable us to continue offering robust scholarships and allow us to innovate with distance learning in partnership with undergraduate institutions across North America. Thank you, from each one of us at the NALS—students, staff, and faculty. Your financial help and your prayers are not only going to support us. They are supporting the future of our church.
Jesus sent out the call for more laborers. With the help of our ministry partners—with your help—we are continuing to prepare faithful pastors for the harvest.