WEBVTT

1
00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:07.900
Welcome to Mission Works

2
00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:09.600
Thanks to Donors.

3
00:00:09.600 --> 00:00:10.900
I'm Dale Meyer.

4
00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:15.400
Today's topic is our Sem among sems.

5
00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:20.800
There are some 280 accredited seminaries and institutions of

6
00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:23.400
theological learning in North America.

7
00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:28.800
How do we compare to others? With us is Dr.

8
00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:33.700
Daniel Aleshire longtime executive director of The Association of

9
00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:34.700
Theological Schools.

10
00:00:34.700 --> 00:00:36.500
Welcome Dan

11
00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:38.700
and please tell our donors

12
00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:40.900
what is the ATS?

13
00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:48.600
The Association of Theological Schools began early in the twentieth

14
00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:53.300
century as a place where theological schools to get together to

15
00:00:53.300 --> 00:00:57.400
discuss their issues to look at the work and character of theological

16
00:00:57.400 --> 00:00:57.700
education.

17
00:00:57.700 --> 00:01:04.099
It grew into an accrediting agency by the mid part of last century and

18
00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:08.800
it has continued to provide a way to conduct research related to

19
00:01:08.800 --> 00:01:13.300
theological education to provide education for theological, education

20
00:01:13.300 --> 00:01:18.500
leaders, and to administer program of accreditation of theological

21
00:01:18.500 --> 00:01:18.800
schools.

22
00:01:18.800 --> 00:01:22.600
I know for my 15 years as president here in St.

23
00:01:22.600 --> 00:01:27.700
Louis that it the ATS is good and it just a phenomenal blessing in so, so

24
00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:33.600
many ways and you especially Dan have blessed me and guided me is I

25
00:01:33.600 --> 00:01:34.500
learned my job.

26
00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:41.700
Are all ATS schools alike or maybe I'm actually asking is Concordia

27
00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:42.400
different?

28
00:01:43.800 --> 00:01:48.000
Concordia Seminary is is unique.

29
00:01:49.000 --> 00:01:54.000
It's unique and it's it's deep connection to the Lutheran

30
00:01:54.000 --> 00:01:55.100
Church-Missouri Synod.

31
00:01:55.100 --> 00:02:02.900
And it's, if it's student constituency that's LCMS. Its unique in the

32
00:02:02.900 --> 00:02:08.300
among Protestant seminaries of the percentage of students who are who

33
00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:12.400
are residential and so that there is a community of worship and

34
00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:13.000
engagement.

35
00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:19.100
It doesn't exist in a lot of other theological schools. It's unique in

36
00:02:19.100 --> 00:02:20.200
terms of its size.

37
00:02:20.200 --> 00:02:28.200
It's larger than most other Protestant seminaries in the United States

38
00:02:28.200 --> 00:02:37.600
and Canada. Its unique in its capacity, to do an educational mission

39
00:02:37.600 --> 00:02:41.900
that is uniquely suited to the needs of the Lutheran

40
00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:42.800
Church-Missouri Synod.

41
00:02:43.500 --> 00:02:49.800
Most Protestant seminaries may have a home denomination to which they

42
00:02:49.800 --> 00:02:52.400
are affiliated and which they are seeking to be faithful to.

43
00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:57.600
But while they're being faithful to that need to provide education for

44
00:02:57.600 --> 00:03:02.700
folks from 15, other denominational families and try to do that with

45
00:03:02.700 --> 00:03:03.100
integrity.

46
00:03:03.100 --> 00:03:10.600
That's very hard work and it provides for a general way of educating

47
00:03:10.600 --> 00:03:12.000
for Ministry

48
00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:17.300
but in a school that's so tightly related to a denomination

49
00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:22.400
you have the capacity of of educating in a very particular way for a

50
00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:24.300
particular community of Christians.

51
00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:29.900
I have to confess that I've been naive most of my life and it was not

52
00:03:29.900 --> 00:03:31.100
until I became president

53
00:03:31.100 --> 00:03:36.000
that I came to realize how unique Concordia Seminary is

54
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.500
so thank you for that. We're speaking in this program to our

55
00:03:40.500 --> 00:03:40.800
donors.

56
00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:43.400
Is financial support a challenge

57
00:03:43.500 --> 00:03:49.500
 for ATS schools? The long history Dale, is that most Protestant

58
00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:54.800
seminaries were for the most part funded by their Church bodies that

59
00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:56.500
they're sponsoring Church body.

60
00:03:56.500 --> 00:03:59.900
What's happened over the last 50 years

61
00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:05.300
is that the percentage of the operating budget funded by the church

62
00:04:05.300 --> 00:04:10.000
body has declined on a straight linear path.

63
00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:14.900
And to the point that in many Protestant denominations there's

64
00:04:14.900 --> 00:04:21.600
virtually little or no dominate Church funding for the for the

65
00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:25.000
institution. That means as a education has gotten more expensive

66
00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:31.100
the seminaries have had to look elsewhere for for income, for for the

67
00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:31.400
revenue

68
00:04:31.400 --> 00:04:37.800
they need to accomplish their mission. And the the most valuable

69
00:04:37.800 --> 00:04:43.400
resource the schools, have our people of faith who are committed to

70
00:04:43.400 --> 00:04:46.900
education of religious leaders and the advancement of their community

71
00:04:46.900 --> 00:04:49.700
of faith, the donors to theological schools.

72
00:04:49.700 --> 00:04:55.300
The donors have not only replaced that the contribution of donors

73
00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:59.600
have, not only replaced what the church used to give and doesn't

74
00:04:59.600 --> 00:04:59.900
anymore.

75
00:04:59.900 --> 00:05:05.500
They have exceeded the amount that the church ever as a percentage of

76
00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:10.700
operating budget of most theological schools. The schools don't exist

77
00:05:10.700 --> 00:05:17.200
without the support of individual donors who through long-term gifts through

78
00:05:17.200 --> 00:05:22.300
legacies through current and active gifts support, the work of these schools.

79
00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:27.900
I have to have to verify that from my own experience here. Concordia

80
00:05:27.900 --> 00:05:28.600
Seminary St.

81
00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:32.900
Louis's annual revenue is about 90%

82
00:05:32.900 --> 00:05:37.200
depended upon donations, that might be through endowments, through an

83
00:05:37.200 --> 00:05:40.700
immediate cash gifts, whatever, 90%.

84
00:05:40.700 --> 00:05:43.400
And as a result of that donors

85
00:05:43.400 --> 00:05:49.500
we guarantee tuition. You call it free, but it's not really free

86
00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:54.800
tuition at $26.000 or so a year for a student's tuition is paid

87
00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:56.300
because of your generous support.

88
00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:59.300
So, I thank you very much.

89
00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:00.100
Mission Works

90
00:06:00.100 --> 00:06:04.500
Thanks, Donors is a title our program and how true this is. One last

91
00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:05.100
question, Dan.

92
00:06:06.900 --> 00:06:11.400
Why are you hopeful about the future of theological education in the

93
00:06:11.400 --> 00:06:12.000
United States?

94
00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:19.500
I'm hopeful because I believe deeply in the goodness of the gospel of

95
00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:25.900
Jesus Christ. And that this Christian way of being in the world is as

96
00:06:25.900 --> 00:06:30.200
wonderful a way for human beings to relate to one another and the

97
00:06:30.200 --> 00:06:37.100
world around them, that is a source of human flourishing from the abundance

98
00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:38.400
and goodness of God.

99
00:06:39.900 --> 00:06:45.500
And I don't think God is going to like you and me retire anytime soon.

100
00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:54.300
And the spirit will be active and it will call communities of faith and they may

101
00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:56.300
be changing in the way they do

102
00:06:56.300 --> 00:06:58.100
the work, the way they order the work.

103
00:06:58.100 --> 00:07:03.000
But those communities are going to look individuals for leadership for

104
00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:06.800
teaching, for guidance, and they're going to need to be those

105
00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:07.400
environments

106
00:07:07.400 --> 00:07:12.200
that provide the education for those believers, it's always been that

107
00:07:12.200 --> 00:07:14.700
way at the life of of the Christian church.

108
00:07:14.700 --> 00:07:21.100
There have been different modules at different times so I am absolutely

109
00:07:21.100 --> 00:07:25.800
hopeful that that the gospel is going to continue to do its

110
00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:31.000
good work among us. And communities of faith are going to look to persons

111
00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:37.000
to lead them to guide them to teach them. Thank you Doctor

112
00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:39.900
Aleshire it is a great time to be

113
00:07:39.900 --> 00:07:41.700
the church and here it is

114
00:07:41.700 --> 00:07:44.200
a great time to be associated with Concordia

115
00:07:44.200 --> 00:07:50.500
Seminary. Thanks to our Lord and his generosity but also, thanks to

116
00:07:50.500 --> 00:07:53.100
you our donors. Mission Works

117
00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:55.000
Thanks to Donors.