Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
Established	1950
Type	Seminary
President	Rev. Dr. Phyllis Anderson
Faculty	9
Postgraduates	115
Location	Berkeley, California
Campus	9 Acres
Affiliations	Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Website	http://www.plts.edu/

Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) is a seminary based in Berkeley, California. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is a member school of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary was founded in 1950 and held its first classes in 1952. As one of eight seminaries training ministers and educators for the ELCA, PLTS was preceded by a school called the Pacific Lutheran Seminary, which was located first in Portland, Oregon, and then in Seattle, Washington, from 1910 to 1934.

At present, PLTS has fifteen professors and offers Master's and Doctoral Degree programs in Theology, Ministry, Education, and other forms of Christian service. The seminary is partnered with Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, to serve all of Regions I, II, and III an ELCA designation that covers thirteen synods and the western U.S. In 1989 PLTS opened a satellite school in Manhattan Beach, California, which in 1992 moved to the Claremont School of Theology.

PLTS was founded to meet the missional needs of the Lutheran Church in the west fifty years ago. It originated from local initiative, not from central planning. PLTS's strength has always been greatest when remembering that they exist to serve churches in their mission. There is a sense of adventure about the place for which they do not apologize.

PLTS was a founding member of the Graduate Theological Union. This joint venture has developed into one of the most exciting locations for ecumenical and interfaith study in the world. PLTS is proud of our Lutheran heritage, and strongly committed to renewing it. But they do that in open, public encounter with the eight other seminaries, the dozens of centers and institutes, and the distinguished University of California at Berkeley.

PLTS has a faculty highly respected for their scholarship and their teaching. They have an especially strong capacity to present our Lutheran heritage in a way that looks to the present and future needs of our church. Ten of them are members of the Core Doctoral Faculty of the Graduate Theological Union, which keeps their research focused and their lectures sharp, and invites students into an expansive conversation with that larger faculty.

PLTS treasures their partnership with eleven supporting synods and with the national units of the ELCA, and several major foundations. With them PLTS has worked to develop a highly-praised Theological Education for Emerging Ministries program. With their help PLTS has recently added programs working with high-school youth and in congregational studies. PLTS is more than a training school; it is a research and development center for emerging issues in the life of the church.

When you stand on the PLTS hill, you will see spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, Tilden Park, trees and sky and the twinkling planet Venus in the evening and morning. Deer wander the campus and occasionally we are visited by a magnificent blue heron. All are privileged to work in such surroundings. But the view also reminds one of the rich multi-cultural resources of the region, its strong cultural and recreational possibilities, and the variety of religious expressions here on the Pacific Rim. If you visit PLTS, you will come to love their campus, but you will not get stuck on it.

Notable current faculty at PLTS include Ted Peters, Professor of Systematic Theology; Martha Ellen Stortz, Professor of Historical Theology and Ethics; Jane Elizabeth Strohl, Professor of Reformation History and Theology, and David Balch, Professor of New Testament. President: The Rev. Dr. Phyllis Anderson; Vice President: The Rev. Jack Niemi; Dean of Students: Cheryl Heuer; Seminary Pastor: The Rev. Greg Schaefer

[edit] External links

• Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
• Graduate Theological Union
• ELCA Seminaries and Extension Centers

Seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Luther Seminary • Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago • Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg • Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia • Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary • Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary • Trinity Lutheran Seminary • Wartburg Theological Seminary