| The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1864 |
| Type | Seminary |
| President | Rev. Dr. Philip D. W. Krey |
| Academic staff | 37 |
| Postgraduates | 423 |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Campus | 14-acre (57,000 m2) |
| Affiliations | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
| Website | http://www.ltsp.edu/ |
The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) is one of eight seminaries associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), located in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA). It was founded in 1864 but traces its roots further back to the first Lutheran establishment in Philadelphia founded by Henry Melchior Muhlenberg in 1748.[1] The seminary offers degree courses for a Master of Divinity (MDiv), a Master of Arts in Religion (MAR), a MAR Concentration in Public Leadership, a Master of Sacred Theology (STM), a Doctor of Ministry (DMin), and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). It has an enrollment of 420, with a full-time equivalent enrollment of 239. It has 19 full-time and 18 adjunct faculty members. Students come from a number of Christian traditions in addition to ELCA Lutheran, including Episcopalian, African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Methodist, Church of God in Christ and Mennonite. The President of LTSP is The Rev. Dr. Philip D. W. Krey.[2]
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The background of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia dates back to the founding of the Pennsylvania Ministerium in 1748 by Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the first organized Lutheran church body in North America.[1] LTSP was founded in 1864, partly in response to the theology of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, which was perceived as being too committed to American cultural accommodation rather than confessional Lutheran orthodoxy. This was mirrored by the withdrawal of the Pennsylvania Ministerium from the General Synod, and the formation of the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America in 1867.[3] The rivalry between the schools has continued to this day, although it is now principally manifested in annual flag football games.
The seminary moved to its Mt. Airy location in 1888, and built the first seminary building on campus, Old Dorm, now incorporated into the facade of The Brossman Center, in 1889. The Graduate School was established in 1913. In 1938 the school became accredited by the American Association of Theological Schools (ATS). The Urban Theological Institute (UTI), celebrating its 30th year in 2010, was established in to provide accredited Saturdays and evening program for African American church leaders.The UTI now oversees the Black Church programs in the MDiv, MAR and DMin areas, s offers certificate programs for church leaders, and sponsors lectures on topics relating to the Black Church as well as the renowned annual Preaching with Power series each March. Many church leaders, Lutheran and non-Lutheran, have been graduates of or faculty members of LTSP, including H. George Anderson, former ELCA Presiding Bishop and Frank Griswold, former Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Lutheran Church theologian Theodore Emanuel Schmauk was President of the Board of Directors from 1908 until 1920 and in charge of the Department of Ethics, Apologetics and Pedagogy from 1911 until 1920. Additionally the presidents of four Lutheran seminaries have been faculty members at LTSP.[4]
LTSP offers as first professional degrees the MDiv (Master of Divinity), the MAR (Master of Arts in Religion), and a new degree, the MAPL (Master of Arts in Public Leadership)[5]. LTSP also offers as second professional degrees the STM (Master of Sacred Theology), DMin (Doctor of Ministry) and PhD (Doctor of Philosophy):[6] The seminary is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada[2] and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools . In 2006, LTSP awarded 46 degrees to Lutherans and 20 to non Lutherans. In comparison to the other seven seminaries of the ELCA, LTSP graduated the most second professional degree students and by far the most non-Lutheran students.[7].
The school has a 14-acre (57,000 m2) campus in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. (The site was formerly Mount Airy, the estate of William Allen, a prominent man of colonial-era Pennsylvania; the neighborhood gets its name from Allen's estate.) The oldest building on campus is the Refectory, built in 1792, now used as the dining hall. The Krauth Memorial Library, with 198,000 volumes, includes material dating back to the 16th century, including 18th century work Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, known as the Father of American Lutheranism. The 300th year of Muhlenberg's birth will be celebrated in 2011. The library 100th anniversary of scholarship and service fell during the 2008-2009 academic year, and the facility includes the original glass flooring and metal shelving in the main space. Also notable in the library is the Doberstein window. It is also part of the one library under three roofs of the Eastern Cluster of Lutheran Seminaries, which includes LTSP, the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. The Cluster libraries share a single catalog and allow users to select materials from any of the libraries. The Schaeffer-Ashmead Chapel, renovated in 2004, is the campus worship center, and is adjacent to the William Allen Plaza, completed in 2009 as a public space that is used by both the seminary and Mt. Airy communities. A peace pole was donated by the class of 2010 and erected on the plaza. There is also a bronze statue of Muhlenberg dedicated in 1917 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of his arrival in America. This statue was originally commissioned to stand on public land in Fairmount Park. Due to anti-German sentiment during the first World War, the City of Philadelphia sought out a less prominent location for the statue and gladly donated it to the seminary. An annual tradition at the seminary is for first-year students to decorate the statue early in the fall semester and at other times during the academic year.
The Brossman Center opened in the fall of 2005 and contains state-of-the-art classrooms, offices for student services staff including the admissions office and office of the registrar, as well as meeting rooms, and a large flexible space named Benbow Hall, which is used as assembly and lecture space, and for community gatherings and banquets. The Brossman Center has become a hub of activity in Northwest Philadelphia, hosting candidate nights, community forums and meetings, and celebrations of community groups, as well as private weddings and celebrations. The undercroft of The Brossman Center includes the Northeast Regional Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as well as compact storage for materials from the Krauth Memorial Library collection. The rest of the administrative and faculty offices, along with the Amphitheatre and gym, are in Hagan Hall. Wiedemann Hall contains student housing and the LTSP Books & Gifts store, and also houses the offices of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA and offices of East Mt. Airy Neighbors. Other students and faculty members live in "perimeter housing," single-family homes and homes split into apartments which are spread along the north and east sides of the campus, along with two properties across Germantown Avenue from the campus main entrance.
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