Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) is a theological seminary of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...

(ELCA) and located in Columbia,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. It offers theological degrees. In 2012, it merged with Lenoir-Rhyne University, also affiliated with the ELCA. Although Lenoir-Rhyne is based in

Hickory, North Carolina Hickory is a city located primarily in Catawba County, with formal boundaries extending into Burke and Caldwell counties. The city lies in the U.S. state of North Carolina. At the time of the 2020 census, Hickory's population was 43,490. Hickor ...

, LTSS operates as a satellite campus in Columbia.

History

LTSS was founded in 1830 to help serve the needs of educating pastors for Lutheran Churches in the South. Rev. John Bachman was the first to call for the formation of a seminary, and LTSS owes much of its existence to his impassioned call for a place to educate future pastors. Originally, the campus was located in

Pomaria, South Carolina Pomaria is a town in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 179 at the 2010 census. History Pomaria was first settled in the mid 18th century by German, Swiss, and Dutch immigrants escaping the poverty and harsh condit ...

. The first class graduated in 1834 and consisted of one person, Fredrick F. Harris. Harris was not awarded a degree, but was later ordained and thus is considered to be the first "graduate" of the seminary. The first people receiving degrees were William Berly, Elijah Hawkins, and P.A. Strobel, all of whom graduated in 1836. In 1834, the school was relocated to

Lexington, South Carolina Lexington is the largest town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the state capital, Columbia. The population was 23,568 at the 2020 Census, and it is the second-largest municipality in th ...

, where it remained from 1834 to 1856. A surviving building from that period is the Hazelius House. The seminary maintained continuous enrollment until the time of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, when the entire student body, at this time consisting of exactly three students, left the school to join the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. Only one, Jefferson A. Sligh, survived the conflict, and though he never returned to complete his degree, he was eventually ordained by the

South Carolina Synod South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

. The seminary was again closed in 1865 due to a lack of students, but was reopened the following year. In 1868 the seminary was again relocated, this time to

Walhalla, South Carolina Walhalla is a city in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. Designated in 1868 as the county seat, it lies within the area of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, an area of transition between mountains ...

. The move was temporary as in 1872 the seminary was moved once again to

Salem, Virginia Salem is an independent city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,346. It is the county seat of Roanoke County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combin ...

, where it would remain until 1884. LTSS was again moved in 1885, this time to

Newberry, South Carolina Newberry is a city in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States, in the Piedmont northwest of Columbia. The charter was adopted in 1894. The population was 10,277 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Newberry County; at one time it ...

, to the campus of

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. It has 1,250 students. Accreditation Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award ...

, a four-year college sponsored by the South Carolina Synod. In 1903, LTSS was moved to Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, near Charleston, and was moved once more to Columbia, South Carolina, in 1911 where it remains today. Its first building, Beam Hall, was built on the highest point in Columbia, Seminary Ridge.

Accreditation

Lenoir-Rhyne University is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

(SACS). LTSS has the further accreditation of its program from the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The associ ...

. In 2021, the ATS reaccredited seminary programs for a ten-year term.

Student body

LTSS is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The student body is predominantly ELCA, with a significant number of United Methodists and Baptists. LTSS has a long history of being ecumenically committed. In the last two decades, the number of students and faculty from other Christian denominations has grown to nearly half of the student body. The seminary has both Baptist studies and Methodist studies course concentrations available.

Academics

LTSS awards three degrees: the

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

(M.Div.), the

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Christian Ministry (M.A.C.M.), and the Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) The majority of students at LTSS are enrolled in a program of study leading to the M.Div. degree as it is required by the ELCA for ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. Some students enrolled in the M.A.C.M. program are ELCA candidates for ordination as a Minister of Word and Service.

References

External links

* {{authority control Seminaries and theological colleges in South Carolina Educational institutions established in 1830 Lutheran seminaries Education in Columbia, South Carolina Buildings and structures in Columbia, South Carolina 1830 establishments in South Carolina