Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
| Type | Private seminary |
|---|---|
| Established | 1863 |
| Affiliation | Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod |
| President | Rev. Paul Wendland |
|
Academic staff
|
17 |
| Students | 125 (approx) |
| Location | Mequon, Wisconsin, United States |
| Colors | no official colors |
| Website | www.wls.wels.net |
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary is a post-secondary school that trains individuals to become pastors for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). It is located in Mequon, Wisconsin,.
The campus consists of 22 buildings, including a library that has over 58,000 volumes and a collection of rare pre-18th century theological books.
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary has been located in several different places throughout its history.
The origins of the school date to 1863, when the main sources of clergy in the Wisconsin Synod were the mission societies in Germany. As the Wisconsin Synod moved to a more conservative and confessional theological stance, the theological character of clergy from the German mission societies came into question. Furthermore, it became more and more difficult to provide pastors in adequate numbers. To alleviate these problems the Wisconsin Synod formed the Theological School of the Wisconsin Synod in Watertown, Wisconsin. The first students met in the professor's home. In 1864 the Wisconsin Synod in convention resolved to provide a permanent building for the seminary. 5 acres (20,000 m2) of Watertown land were purchased for $600.00. Ground was broken on July 22, 1864, on what is now the campus of Luther Preparatory School. The building was dedicated on September 14, 1865. The third floor of the building was used for the seminary classes, and the first two levels were used for the synod's college, Northwestern College.
Because of small enrollments and an increasing desire to enter into fellowship with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, the school merged with Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod's Concordia Seminary in 1870. As part of the merger, it was agreed that the Missouri Synod should actively participate in Northwestern College by providing a professor for the school, and assisting the school with financial support. Wisconsin was to send students to St. Louis, provide a professor, and contribute financial support for Concordia. Each synod was to retain management of its own institution. Six Wisconsin Synod students began study in St. Louis in March, 1870.
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