Preparing Shepherds for 75 Years

Rev. Gaylin Schmeling, pictured in Good Shepherd Chapel, has been President of the Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary since 1997.

BY GAYLIN SCHMELING WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM LANCE SCHWARTZ

Tucked away on the Minnesota River bluff about a block from the Bethany College campus is a beautiful building that some close to Bethany might be surprised to know exists. The absence of awareness is not for a lack of activity at the building; however, the facility is situated on a dead end cul de sac on the edge of campus that sees little traffic which might explain its anonymity. The offices for the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) - the church body that owns and operates Bethany are housed in the facility, and the primary tenant of the building is the Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary (BLTS). This is the seminary of the ELS which has been preparing pastors for seventy-five years and continues to provide graduate-level theological education today. In this anniversary year for Bethany Theological Seminary, we take a look at the history of the institution.

Seminary Leaders and Professors

When the Seminary first opened in 1946, it was a department of the College, and the College president oversaw the operations of the school. The 1974 convention of the ELS resolved that the Seminary presidency be separated from the College presidency, and the seminary then became a separate institution. Until this time, the College presidents, S. C. Ylvisaker, B. W. Teigen, and Raymond Branstad also served as president of the Seminary. As a department of the College, the President certainly had input regarding the Seminary's business, but the Seminary daily operation was overseen by the "Dean of the Seminary." These deans included Norman A. Madson and Milton Otto. The first president of the newly-separated Seminary was Theodore A. Aaberg who was forced to resign due to health issues a few years later. Professor Glenn Reichwald served as acting president for the 197980 school year until Wilhelm W. Petersen was installed as the new president. Upon his retirement in 1997 the current president, Gaylin Schmeling, was called to serve.

Over the years several men served as professors in the Seminary including Adolph Harstad, Rudolph Honsey, Brian Klebig, Thomas Kuster, Juul Madson, John Moldstad, Nicholas Proksch, Glenn Reichwald, Timothy Schmeling, Michael Smith, and Erling Teigen.

A book documenting the history of the Seminary is available through the Bethany Bookstore.

Until 1978, the Seminary had no permanent home on the campus; it was provided quarters by the College. The 1976 ELS Convention adopted a recommendation from the Board of Regents to authorize a special thank offering known as "Gratitude for Grace" for the purpose of higher education. It set a goal of $600,000, two-fifths of which was to be allocated to the Seminary. Pledges quickly exceeded that goal and at the next convention, groundbreaking occurred for the Seminary building just across the street from the College at 447 North Division Street (the present College building named Milton Tweit Hall). The Seminary building was dedicated on Synod Sunday, June 18, 1978. The building was a sturdy, one-story brick and stone structure containing two classrooms, a library, five offices, and additional work and storage space.

On June 15, 1997, a new Seminary building was dedicated to the Glory of God. The building provided ample space for the synodical offices and archives. A beautiful worship space inside the building is named the Good Shepherd Chapel because of the stained-glass window that predominates the worship area.

Seminary students in class from the 1950s.

Bethany Archives Photo

Classroom in 2019

Bethany Archives Photo

Current Seminary and ELS Offices building.

Bethany Archives Photo

BLTS awards two different degrees. First and foremost, BLTS exists to train Lutheran pastors for parish ministry in the ELS and affiliated synods. Therefore, it offers a four-year course of study culminating in the master of divinity (M.Div.) which is the basic degree for most clergy in North America. Secondly, BLTS offers a master of arts (M.A.) in Lutheran Theological Studies for people who do not wish to enter the public ministry but are interested in a deeper study of Lutheran history and theology. The curriculum centers on the four basic divisions of theology: biblical theology, a study of the Bible in its original languages; systematic theology, a study of the doctrines gleaned from the Bible; historical theology, the study of the history of the Church in relation to the collected doctrines thereof; and practical theology, the study of everyday functions of the pastoral office like preaching, teaching, and counseling.

The Seminary desires to instill in each student a love for God's Word and a love for souls. Having reached this important milestone of seventy-five years, the Seminary, by God's grace, intends to continue this vital work of preparing shepherds to proclaim salvation in Christ the crucified.

Original Seminary building dedicated in 1978.

Bethany Archives Photo