The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) has chosen to partner with Trinity School for Ministry to create a “Seminary Center” for the training of future NALC pastors. In a nearly unanimous vote on August 8, 2013, the Convocation of the NALC took action to establish a new North American Lutheran Seminary (NALS). This seminary will not be a degree granting institution, rather, it will partner with existing accredited seminaries to provide sound theological education for NALC students. Trinity will soon welcome a new NALS Seminary Director to its Ambridge, PA campus to oversee the formation of NALC students, whether at Trinity or at one of the Houses of Study that will be developed throughout North America.
Lutheran students will earn a degree from Trinity School for Ministry, taking the core courses required in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) curriculum. For some courses they will take Lutheran alternatives taught by NALC professors to ensure a solid foundation in confessional Lutheranism.
This is no surprise in one sense, but it’s very encouraging nonetheless. I believe that there have been growing numbers of Lutheran students at TSM preparing for ministry in the new NALC, since unfortunately there are no safe, reliably orthodox Lutheran seminaries left in the ELCA. Of course, there are the two big LC-MS seminaries in St. Louis and Ft. Wayne for those Lutherans who are able or willing to be trained at those fine Missouri Synod schools. But for those future NALC ministers who are pro-WO or non-inerrantists, TSM is a splendid alternative.
Personally, I’m delighted that this alliance has been established, and that many of the future clergy of the ACNA and the NALC will be trained together in Ambridge. That’s tremendous, and very promising indeed. That’s true ecumenism, as opposed to the pseudo-ecumenism practised by TEC and the ELCA which amounts to, “[i]Since nobody believes that old-fashioned religion stuff anymore, why not join forces and disbelieve together?[/i]”
David Handy+