Concordia Theological Seminary has a very unique view of how we approach theology. In times past within the history of the Christian Church, seminary preparation for the Holy Ministry had everything to do with God and His divine revelation and activity as the prime motivator in theology and community. Thus the Trinity was first about the Gospel, how God comes to us that we may know that we have life and salvation. Therefore all theology was missiological by nature.

It was this understanding of theology that confesses the true God (Jn. 17:3; Rom. 10:10) who brings us into communion with Him in Holy Baptism, and thus we are brought into communion with one another (I Cor. 12:13). In other words, all theology was (and is) living and dynamic, not merely a collection of doctrine but engendered as a distinctive community with God and His divine activity as center.

But within history, seminary life moved from this sense into the world of academia. Theology became a discipline to be studied rather than simply a communitive life shaped by the God who comes to us. With this new posture, seminaries began to divide this theological discipline into four departments of study, namely exegetical (biblical studies), systematic (doctrine), historical, and practical studies. These divisions have been extremely helpful in studying theology; however one might ask, "Is God divided in four disciplines?"

This sense of "categories" resulted in students who ask me, regarding the departments, how many counseling or mission classes we offer and the like. While we do have necessary classes bearing the name "counseling" and "missions," CTS believes that all theology has to do with life, even in view of crisis counseling and the Missio Dei (missions).

While retaining high standards of academics, CTS wishes to retain this sense of community centered in God in Christ Jesus. CTS has made great efforts in preparing men for the Holy Ministry and women for the significant role of deaconess in view of this dynamic sense of community. This is why the center of our community is in worship and why there is significant interaction between professors and students in and outside of class. It reflects the life of a congregation.

Christ Academy College images this sense of community. It is our effort to bring college men together not only to study theology, but to establish a sense of community of college men who are seeking the office of the Holy Ministry.

CTS wants to support your fine education with other opportunities for theological lectures. But theology, as mentioned before, is not simply a matter of education but also depicts a community that finds its center in Christ. The goal was an event that would not inhibit your studies at your respective schools. The Admission office is able to provide travel assistance, please contact Rev. John Dreyer at CACollege@ctsfw.edu. If you are several hundred miles away from CTS and will be flying, I encourage you to get your plane tickets very soon in order for you to secure a good price. You can arrive at any time. If you have to leave after a particular class that you can't miss and arrive late at the seminary, no problem.

Also the main event is only two full days, namely, a Friday and Saturday, so it will not conflict with a number of school days. Your room and board will be provided free of charge to help alleviate any additional financial burden. As an extra bonus, we have designed a Christ Academy College golf shirt to honor the occasion.

Here is the tentative schedule: I encourage people to arrive Wednesday night if possible (February 13, 2008). This way Thursday can be a relaxed day of orientation, going into Fort Wayne, attending classes, chapel, and the like. Please plan on coming in on Thursday for sure, even if it is late that night! Friday we will attend lectures by various professors the entire day. They will move their classes to a lecture hall. There will be a social hour that evening with an evening event. Saturday we will have a lecture that will pertain to the question, "How do we engage our society today as faithful Lutherans?" Sunday we will go to one of Missouri Synod's historical churches and have events that will go on until that evening. Sunday evening you are welcome to drive or fly back to your school or feel free to stay and visit and depart Monday or Tuesday. So, for your reference, the dates included are February 14-17, 2008.

Please sign up as soon as you can! So far we are looking at a number of participants from the various Concordia Universities and from other schools. All you need to do is e-mail me at: CACollege@ctsfw.edu. You can let me know that you are coming in your first e-mail, but then when you have further information, please e-mail me again and indicate when you are arriving and leaving, flight information, and the school you are attending. Please consider this event even if you are coming to visit the seminary at another time!

The Rev. John Dreyer is an Admission Counselor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.