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| "Brett, I know what you're thinking - 25 years of ELCA, two seminaries merge, and more on the ropes. Gloating does not become you." |
Church Council approves concept of merger
The ELCA Church Council approved April 6 the concept of a merger between California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.
Council members authorized its Executive Committee to "engage in further discussions and document review with CLU and with PLTS, as necessary, for the purpose of finalizing the proposed merger."
They also asked the committee "to bring a recommended action regarding the merger and the final documents to implement it at a special Church Council meeting at a time to be determined."
Through a similar merger in July 2012, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., became the School of Theology of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.
"An ELCA seminary can be fully an ELCA seminary while merged into a church college," Jonathan Strandjord, ELCA program director for seminaries, told council members.
Both CLU and PLTS see the proposed merger "as an opportunity to advance God's mission as well as [introduce] cost-efficiencies," he added.
Strandjord said mergers between seminaries and colleges or universities could enable dual degree programs, where a student could earn, for example, a master's of divinity degree with a master's in business administration, education, nonprofit management or social work. Or they could enter a "3+4" degree program of three years of focused undergraduate study and four years of seminary to earn a bachelor's degree and a divinity degree, he said.
Council members authorized its Executive Committee to "engage in further discussions and document review with CLU and with PLTS, as necessary, for the purpose of finalizing the proposed merger."
They also asked the committee "to bring a recommended action regarding the merger and the final documents to implement it at a special Church Council meeting at a time to be determined."
Through a similar merger in July 2012, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., became the School of Theology of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.
"An ELCA seminary can be fully an ELCA seminary while merged into a church college," Jonathan Strandjord, ELCA program director for seminaries, told council members.
Both CLU and PLTS see the proposed merger "as an opportunity to advance God's mission as well as [introduce] cost-efficiencies," he added.
Strandjord said mergers between seminaries and colleges or universities could enable dual degree programs, where a student could earn, for example, a master's of divinity degree with a master's in business administration, education, nonprofit management or social work. Or they could enter a "3+4" degree program of three years of focused undergraduate study and four years of seminary to earn a bachelor's degree and a divinity degree, he said.
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GJ - Strange how the lavender mafia has alienated the denomination, lost perhaps 20% of the members, and closed (merged) two seminaries already. They send their missions people to Fuller Seminary, too, who have the same winning strategy as WELS and LCMS - trust everything but the Word of God.
I imagine they will sell their billion dollar campus, overlooking the ocean, so more Lefty billionaires can squat in their mansions and worry aloud about the poor. The college will have a rush of new cash and the professors will have even less work.
Here is the seminary websty. Ted Peters admitted in print that Jesus probably did rise from the dead, so this is a confessional Lutheran seminary, as WELS defines it.
