Dr. Dale A. Meyer, president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., expressed concern for those affected by the recent announcement that Concordia University, Portland, Ore. (CUP) would be closing at the end of this academic year and issued the following statement:

“Lutherans have always placed the highest importance on education and, since its inception, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) has considered its schools, universities and seminaries to be of the highest priority,” Rast said. “Concordia University, Portland was founded in 1905 as an academy to meet regional needs for pastors and school teachers for the LCMS. The need for theologically sound, faithful and caring pastors and teachers is as true today as it was then. We lift our prayers to the Lord of the church that He would continue to provide laborers for the harvest. And we thank the members of the LCMS for their ongoing partnership in supporting our seminaries and schools.”

“Regardless of the reasons behind the decision, the closure of a long-standing institution has far-reaching consequences and is riddled with emotion,” Meyer said. “We are seeing significant changes and challenges across the higher education industry. Though experts have been predicting mergers and closures of this nature for some time, the experience is not any easier when it hits home. Dr. Rast and I would like to express our prayerful support for the faculty, staff and students of CUP as they begin to plan a path forward.”

Presidents Rast and Meyer further stated, “The challenges facing our church’s seminaries, universities and schools are many, but our Lord is faithful and He will see us through these current and future challenges just as He has in the past.”

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit csl.edu.

About Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW) is an institution of theological higher education of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) whose central purpose is to prepare men for the pastoral ministry, as well as men and women for other service in the church, through programs offering an understanding of the Christian faith that is Christ centered, biblically based, confessionally Lutheran and evangelically active. To learn more, visit ctsfw.edu.