If God is for us . . .

Dear Friends and Supporters of Concordia Theological Seminary,

Over the last several months, I’ve been sharing the significant initiatives we’re undertaking at the Seminary to advance our mission with congregations and individuals across the country, and the response of the Church has been overwhelmingly positive.

I’ve been trying to capture in words what it is that we’re aiming for, and one concept that keeps sticking in my mind is “a culture steeped in Lutheranism.” It’s a culture on our campus that emanates from font, altar, and pulpit and steeps us all, especially our students, in God’s Word and the treasures that for centuries have so richly taught that Word in the evangelical Lutheran church. It’s a culture that promotes the vigorous teaching and preaching of God’s Word to the faithful and the lost alike, and lives in the optimism of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to take us to Himself in heaven.

This deep-rooted Lutheran culture operates firmly in the biblical mold: it stakes its future on the past, and backs into the future with its eyes on the past. Here, I give just one example, but you can see this all over the Scriptures.

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all [backward glance], how will he not also with him graciously give us all things [forward glance]? … For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come … will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord [forward glance]” (Rom. 8:31–32, 38–39).

Suspended between Christ’s cross and return, we live in great confidence, mining the things we’ve received so that we can “tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done” (Psalm 78:4).

Thank you for your prayers and your voice of support. Thank you for sending us your sons to study for the pastorate and your daughters for deaconess mercy work. Thank you for your gifts. This all helps ensure that what we’ve all received from the Lord Jesus Christ might be vigorously taught and proclaimed in church and world.

In the same Jesus Christ, Lord of the Church,J.S. Bruss
President
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne

February

Dr. Bruss and a group of fellow travelers on the CTSFW tour of Lisbon and Spain took a break for a photo on the uphill climb to Saint George’s Castle (Castelo de São Jorge), located on the highest hill in Lisbon, Portugal. The next CTSFW tour is Egypt & the Great Nile Cruise, November 14–24, 2026.

March

STM Program Director Dr. Naomichi Masaki delivered a plaque and letter of thanks to Provost Charles Gieschen and President Bruss from Rev. Awoke Chefa Bedasso, president of the Ethiopian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC), for the solid theological education that CTSFW and the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg, Sweden, provided to Rev. Eyob Dinku Tadesse, rector of Asella Lutheran Theological Seminary of the EELC, through the STM–Gothenburg program.

LWML Public Relations Director Debbie Yocky, President Bruss, LWML President Eden Keefe, and LWML Executive Director Deaconess Kim Trombley, met for lunch March 19, the day before the LWML hosted a dinner at CTSFW for second-year students and families.

April

President Bruss and Admission Counselor Rev. Jeff Kazmierski attended a gathering of “Appetizers and Theologianizers” on the campus of Concordia, St. Paul, on April 10. Students attending the event received copies of the Book of Concord, compliments of LCEF.

President Bruss greeted attendees at the Confessio Conference at Concordia, St. Paul, April 14, providing a brief update on seminary activities. He also participated in a roundtable discussion with Rev. Dr. Harold Senkbeil, executive director emeritus of DOXOLOGY, and Rev. Dr. Lucas Woodford, president of the LCMS Minnesota South District.

Banner image: Davin Stafford, Jakob Nath, Rev. Jeff Kazmierski, Dr. Jon Bruss, Rev. David Kind, Vicar Jarrod Thomas, and Joe Vallin after the Divine Service April 12 at University Lutheran Chapel (ULC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.