the WELS college for men going to seminary was absorbed
by Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm.
Northwestern Prep in Watertown got the remnants of Prairie,
the little prep that couldn't.
The word is out that Michigan Lutheran Seminary will be de-funded due to the financial meltdown in WELS.
Luther Prep is the next to go, probably fairly soon.
WELS will no longer form its budget based on huge pledges from a few people, but on the basic giving of the members. The pledge from a rich Canadian was rescinded when he had a meeting with his accountant. That blew up the current and future budgets.
The two preps are the source of most students at Martin Luther College, so that may fold in the future. Parochial schools are fading fast, so the need for MLC is much smaller. MLC was once the school for the Minnesota Synod, which joined Wisconsin, left Wisconsin, and joined again.
Bethany College and its one man seminary, Mankato, seems flush with funds. So is Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, which started a pastoral prep track some time ago. As one friend told me, "I'll bet you didn't see that one coming!"
Feel free to comment if some of these facts are off-target.
