Moving day! See enlargement and caption

PHILADELPHIA (September 2000)-- With 75 new enrollees, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia welcomed the largest entering class in its 137-year history this month.

The new class features seminarians who are recent college graduates but also students with widely diverse backgrounds. For example, one has taught biochemistry on the college level. Another has been an art director for a series of community-based newspapers. Another has been a clinical research associate in the field of medicine. One has enjoyed a 20-year career as an opera singer and disc jockey for a classical music station.

Forty of the new seminarians are on a traditional candidacy track to become professional church leaders. Thirty-six of these students are studying for an M.Div. (Master of Divinity), which leads toward ordination. Four are MAR (Master of Arts in Religion), leading toward a rostered position in educational ministry.

Of the rest, 13 are studying evenings and Saturdays in the Seminary's 20-year-old Urban Theological Institute. Such students matriculate part-time while holding regular jobs and seek to expand their credentials as pastors, counselors or outreach coordinators. The UTI has an Afro-centric focus on theology.

The remaining 22 seminarians include international, affiliated, alternate route and special students, plus students working on their Lutheran Year, a program for Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) seminarians who have not attended an ELCA seminary to be immersed in a Lutheran seminary community. The Seminary is affiliated with the ELCA, a denomination with 11,000 congregations in the United States and some 5.2 million members.

The new class is made up of 60 percent women. Fifteen of the new seminarians are African American. One is from the Philippines and one is from Korea. Age wise the new class is split, with about one-half of the seminarians in their 20s or 30s and the other half being in their 40s and 50s. While most are on a traditional Lutheran study track, the class also reflects the increasing ecumenical diversity the Seminary has known in recent years. The seminarians come from 18 of the ELCA's 65 synods (geographic jurisdictions). The class also includes students from several Baptist traditions, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Church of God in Christ, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

The class enjoys geographic diversity with seminarians from Washington state, Virginia, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Carolina in addition entering students from the Northeastern United States.

"We're obviously excited about the numbers - good numbers we have been enjoying in recent years," says the Rev. Rick Summy, an ELCA pastor who serves as the Seminary's Director of Admissions. "Success probably breeds success," he says. "But a big factor is the hospitality of the school, the way current students greet prospective students." He said the quality of the Seminary's faculty, campus worship life, and sense of community are qualities attractive to visitors.

"I think, frankly, that being a Seminary in a metropolitan area that's culturally diverse is a strength for us," Summy said. "And we are known both for being strongly grounded in our Lutheran tradition and being ecumenically minded. Our enrollment is a good sign for the church right now because clearly more people are coming and it makes for an exciting educational climate."

He said the student body also reflects the challenges of modern life. Many seminarians feel pressure to study part-time because they cannot afford the expense of full-time academics away from the workplace. He said that along with an increase in part-time students, the Seminary is handling queries from individuals contemplating a part-time professional role in the church, or even studying so that they may be more effective volunteers or leaders in their churches as opposed to becoming professional leaders.

On a related note, the Seminary's Graduate School (Advanced Level Degrees Program) has registered 32 new matriculants this fall. These students are professional leaders interested in expanded credentials, either a Master of Sacred Theology degree (STM) or a Doctor of Ministry degree (D.Min.). This program of study at the Seminary is nearly fully subscribed, said Dr. Margaret Krych, the Seminary's Associate Dean and director of the Program. "I think the numbers reflect that congregations and professional leaders alike appreciate more than ever the value of lifelong learning," Krych said. "The numbers also reflect the respect people have for our program."