Concordia Seminary 4.62

Concordia Seminary is located in Clayton, Missouri, an inner-ring suburb on the western border of St. Louis, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The current president of the seminary is the Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer.Concordia Seminary is the third oldest Lutheran seminary (Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, established in 1826, being the oldest, and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary founded in 1830, being the second oldest), and one of the largest Seminaries in the United States. Founded in 1839, the seminary initially resided in Perry County, Missouri. In 1849 it was moved to St. Louis, and in 1926 the current campus was built. Concordia shares the duty of clerical training for the LCMS with Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana.The St. Louis institution was at one time considered the "theoretical" (i.e., academic) seminary of the LCMS while Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne was considered the "practical" seminary, although those distinctions are no longer widely recognized. Concordia Seminary currently offers a Master of Divinity degree leading to ordination, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Sacred Theology, Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The seminary is considered theologically conservative. It does not train women for ordination, and also promotes historical-grammatical interpretation of the Bible. It is an accredited member of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.