I want to inform all of you about the growth and development of the Institute of Lutheran Theology. I have not been updating my blog regularly because I am pretty busy with ILT these days. If you have not been to our webpage for awhile, please take a look. We are growing with celerity and probity.
The Institute of Lutheran Theology was blessed to take in more than $760,000 in cash donations last year, and had revenue of over $1,000,000. It has now achieved these levels with respect to the most recent American Theological School (ATS) listings:
- ILT expended more than 28 other ATS accredited institutions in 2014.
- ILT had a headcount greater than 29 other ATS accredited institutions in 2014.
- ILT had a full-time equivalency of students (FTE's) higher than 23 accredited institutions in 2014.
- ILT is now larger than three of the four Canadian Lutheran seminaries.
The Institute of Lutheran Theology has a permanent staff of 14 (11 full-time) with a faculty of 16 (7 permanent and 9 adjunct). It has awarded four masters of divinity degrees, four masters of religion degrees, and 12 ministry certificates. Its library has grown to 40,000 volumes available to faculty, students and friends.
Our staff and faculty have eight members from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), six from the North American Lutheran Church (NALC), four from Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMS), three from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), two from the Augsburg Lutheran Churches (ALC), and one each from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC). On our Board we have the senior justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and the former President of the American Academy of Religion. It is comprised of five LCMC members, two from the ELCA, one from the NALC, one from the LCMS, and one from the Canadian Association of Lutheran Churches (CALC). It is remarkable to bring together Lutherans from many so many Lutheran church bodies to build one institution. Soli Deo gloria et honor!!!
Because we believe that laypeople are quite capable of thinking theologically, we provide these resources for congregations and interested Christians of all kinds:
- Table Talk. This devotional bulletin insert by Pastor Tim Swenson is used by scores of congregations around the country and ILT hopes that more of you know about this and use it. The masters are distributed without charge or a small fee for mailing bulk copies. You may click here to see examples of this product.
- Word at Work Magazine. A seasonal magazine with articles on subjects of interest for all Lutherans, it is distributed free of charge and is also available online here. Register online to join the 4,000 households already on the mailing list.
- Word at Work Classes. No longer do we charge for these excellent video products. Go to this page to see what they have to offer. ILT is currently featuring Dr. Forell’s last lectures on Luther. Other things of interest include Dr. Buddy Mendez’s class on communication and relationships, Pastor Scott Grorud’s confirmation class, and Pastor Moe Redding’s class on discipleship.
- Word at Work Events. If you go here you see that ILT is happy to come to congregations and do theological lectures on various topics. For instance, the Academic Dean, Dr. Jon Sorum just did a series on “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: Facing the Crisis in the Church” in Mesa, Arizona, last week. Dr. Paul Hinlicky is just one of many ILT professors willing to do these events.
- Weekly ILT Chapel (and daily sermons from the ILT community). Go here to view past and present chapels.
Grounded in Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, ILT boldly asserts the reality of God and the causal linkage between God and His creation. It believes that God really was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor. 5:19), and it believes that this truth can be effectively related to the contemporary intellectual and cultural horizon.
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