Concordia Theological Seminary commenced its historic 100th academic year with a solemn inaugural service on June 23, 2024. The event, held at the seminary’s chapel, was attended by distinguished leaders and clergy from the IELC, faculty, students and their families.
The opening service was led by Rev. P. H. S. Nandakumar, the seminary chaplain. The Rev. Dr. P. R. Selvaraj, Principal of Concordia Theological Seminary, delivered God’s word, reflecting on God’s faithfulness in enabling the institution to train and nurture pastors, deaconesses, and leaders of faith to serve the Church in India close to a century.
This historical moment also witnessed the inauguration of the one-year Pre-seminary Course by Rev. Dr. J. Priestly Balasingh, President of the India Evangelical Lutheran Church. This course is an updated format of the past one-year Bible course, which was unfortunately discontinued a decade ago. This course aims not only to train lay evangelists but also to serve as a bridge course in preparing students for regular Bachelor of Divinity (BD) courses.
Concordia Theological Seminary once again is blessed with a healthy and vibrant student population of one hundred and five. Among them are 79 students from the India Evangelical Lutheran Church and 26 students from various other denominations.
The academic retreat for this year was held on June 27, 2024. The sessions were led by Rev. Dr. Daniel Jastram (LCMS, Asia Lutheran Resource Coordinator). The theme for the retreat was “Lutheran Pedagogy and Praxis: 100 Years of Lutheran Legacy of CTSN,” and Dr. Jastram led two sessions entitled “Lutheran Compass for Navigation I & II.”
As we look to the future, Concordia Theological Seminary renews its commitment to nurturing servant leaders for the church in India. We are deeply grateful for the steadfast support we receive from the LCMS leadership, IELC church leaders, clergy, laity and all our friends, as we strive to fulfill God’s call.