Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University is an
Evangelical Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
seminary in
Columbus, Ohio.
History
In 1830, the German Theological Seminary of the Ohio Synod, later known as the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary (ELTS), was founded to meet the need for educating pastors in the Ohio region. It generally used the
German language
German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...
in its education and materials for its first few decades. It began in
Canton, Ohio, but soon moved to
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
, the state capital, and located in the suburban neighborhood of
Bexley
Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...
. It was operated by the
Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio and Other States (known in short as the Joint Synod of Ohio), which also used the German language. The Joint Synod existed from 1818 until its merger in 1930 with two other smaller German-language regional synods (the
Iowa Synod and the
Buffalo Synod into the first denomination known as the
American Lutheran Church
The American Lutheran Church (TALC) was a Christian Protestant denomination in the United States and Canada that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters were in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon its formation in 1960, The ALC designated Augsburg ...
. During these decades, the seminary was run as the theological department of the nearby
Capital University, which itself had been part of the seminary until separated into a separate institution in 1850. The seminary was, as a result, occasionally was mistakenly known as "Capital Seminary". In 1960, the American Lutheran Church merged with other Lutheran churches to form
The American Lutheran Church (ALC), the second denomination with that name.
With the growing closeness and theological friendships during the mid-20th century between major American Lutheran traditions, the decision was made in 1974 that the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary and nearby
Hamma Divinity School
Wittenberg University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students representing 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americ ...
should consolidate. Hamma dated to 1845 as the Theological Department of
Wittenberg College
Wittenberg University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students representing 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americ ...
, in
Springfield, Ohio, and was associated with the regional Ohio Synod jurisdiction of the
General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion
The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly, is the legislative body of the Church of ...
. The General Synod merged into the
United Lutheran Church in America
The United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA) was established in 1918 in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation after negotiations among several American Lutheran national synods resulted in the merger of three German-l ...
(ULCA) in 1917–1918, and the ULCA in turn merged in 1962 with several other Lutheran denominations into the
Lutheran Church in America
The Lutheran Church in America (LCA) was an American and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press.
The LCA's immigrant heritage came mostly fr ...
(LCA).
The merged institution, renamed as Trinity Lutheran Seminary, opened its doors on September 1, 1978. For the decade from 1978 until the merger creating the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988, Trinity was owned and operated jointly by the ALC and the LCA. At the time they were two of the three largest Lutheran bodies in the United States.
[''History and Tradition'' (Wittenberg University ) ]
On January 1, 2018, Trinity once again became a part of the university that it founded in 1850, Capital University, to become Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University.
Academics
Trinity Lutheran Seminary is accredited and its degree programs are approved by the
and by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Trinity offers First Professional degrees of Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Theological Studies (MTS), Master of Arts in Church Music (MACM), and Master of Arts in Youth and Family Ministry (MAYFM), Master of Arts in Christian Education (MACE), and the graduate degree of Master of Sacred Theology (STM).
See also
*
Nelson Wesley Trout
*
List of ELCA seminaries
*
Bexley Hall
References
External links
Official website
{{authority control
Seminaries and theological colleges in Ohio
Universities and colleges in Columbus, Ohio
Bexley, Ohio
Educational institutions established in 1830
Lutheran seminaries
1830 establishments in Ohio
Lutheran buildings and structures in North America