Registration is now open for Online Greek: Part I for the fall semester of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis’ 2023-24 academic year. The registration fee is $1,200, and the deadline to register is Aug. 4. The class size is limited to 15 students.

The course is designed to serve three groups of prospective students: those who have completed the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) Program and are continuing on with the Specific Ministry Pastor to General Pastor Certification (SMP-GPC) Program, and those who have applied for the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or for the Residential Alternate Route (RAR) programs. The course prepares these students to take the Entry Level Competency Exam (ELCE) in Greek, an entrance requirement. 

If space is available in the course after SMP-GPC, M.Div. and RAR students have enrolled, anyone wishing to learn Greek also may register. The course has no prerequisites and is not for credit, but a solid understanding of English grammar is essential to success.

The course will be taught by Dr. James W. Voelz, the Dr. Jack Dean Kingsbury Professor of New Testament Theology. This is his ninth time teaching the online Greek course. Voelz is a preeminent Greek scholar who has taught the language for more than 45 years. He is the author of What Does This Mean? Principles of Biblical Interpretation in the Post-Modern World, Fundamental Greek Grammar, and Mark 1:1–8:26 and Mark 8:27–16:8 in the Concordia Commentary series.

“I am happy to say that, in recent years, more and more of the students for this online experience are SMP pastors who want to move toward General Pastor Certification, and it seems to work extremely well for them,” said Voelz. “While no credit is given, the course provides a full Greek experience, so that the pass rate of students taking an Entry Level Competency Examination is quite remarkable. This success applies to all who continue with the sessions until the middle of May, whether they are SMP pastors, applicants to a seminary M.Div. program, or simply interested lay men or women.”

The schedule for the course consists of live online tutoring sessions from 3-5 p.m. (CT) on Thursdays. The first class is slated for Aug. 31. Students should plan to commit eight hours of study each week for the course. Registration for Part II, which will be taught during the spring semester, will be available in October.

Students are required to use the following textbooks:

• Fundamental Greek Grammar, 4th Revised Edition (Concordia Publishing House, 2019)
• Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Edition (German Bible Society, 2012)

In addition to the online course, residential Greek courses are offered in the summer term and fall semester. RAR students are encouraged to enroll in either the summer residential course or the fall online course because they are ineligible to take the fall residential course.

For more information about the Seminary’s Greek courses, contact Rev. Tom Schlund, admissions officer, at 314-505-7221 or schlundt@csl.edu. To request an application, contact Gina Matzenbacher, administrative assistant in the Registrar’s office, at 314-505-7107 or matzenbacherg@csl.edu.

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.