The Martin Luther Institute of Sacred Studies

Entrance Requirements

Students enrolling in the Martin Luther Institute of Sacred Studies are placed in accordance with their previous education and experience as well as their educational goals.

A student whose goal is the public ministry is normally expected to have at least two years of appropriate college training with two years of acceptable college work or the equivalent in an inflected language. If a student has a language deficiency it may be possible under certain circumstances to remove this while in residence on the MLISS campus. While Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek are considered pre-seminary courses the difficulty in obtaining these courses elsewhere is recognized and normally may be studied during the semesters at the Seminary.
It is assumed that all full time students entering the Martin Luther Institute of Sacred Studies hope to serve congregations affiliated with the LCR in some professional capacity. A statement of intent is included in the application form.

A candidate for entrance into MLISS is normally expected to have been a member of an LCR or affiliated congregation for at least one year. Those who have not belonged to LCR or affiliated congregations for at least one year are to be referred to the Commission on Colloquies.

Graduation Requirements

The seminary program normally takes six semesters to complete.

People interested in parochial school teaching and parish work will find many of the courses in the “Seminary” curriculum helpful and appropriate for their needs. Other courses may be offered upon request. In general such students are expected at present to obtain courses of a purely secular nature and such as are necessary to fulfill state licensing requirements elsewhere. Only such courses as are directly connected with the religious aspect of parochial school and parish work are normally available. The program is at present flexible and hopefully can fulfill the needs of the individual.

NOTE: If in the judgment of the faculty the enrollment of a student becomes detri­mental to the best interests of the institute said student may, upon approval of the regents, be dismissed.

The Institute is not obligated to obtain gainful professional employment for students during their period of study. However, during its short history, the school, through pastors and congregations in fellowship with it, has been able to obtain summer work of a religious nature for all students desiring such work.
Furthermore, it encourages pastors and congregations in fellowship to request the services of its students for specific purposes and occasions during the academic year.
The school welcomes correspondence with all congregations within the LCR fellowship who are seeking parish workers or parochial school teachers as well as with individuals willing to do this type of work.

Students interested in summer school, evening, and Saturday instruction will be considered if the demand is sufficient, the facilities are adequate, and the instruc­tional staff is available. The individual is encouraged to inquire about his or her specific wishes.

Some of the courses offered may be taken for credit by correspondence.