How many Lutheran deaconess programs are there in the United States?
• There are three that prepare a student to be rostered in the LCMS: a. Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Illinois has a program leading to a bachelor’s degree in theology, Deaconess Certification with or without a Master of Arts in Religion for women who already have their bachelors degree, and Deaconess Colloquy for women who have graduated from a non-LCMS deaconess program. b. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, have graduate level programs for deaconess certification. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, partners with The Hispanic Institute of Theology to provide deaconess certification for Spanish-speaking women. • There are two other Lutheran deaconess programs: a. The Lutheran Deaconess Association (LDA), Valparaiso, Indiana, has been training deaconesses since 1919. The LDA is not directly affiliated with a church body, but it has strong historic ties with the LCMS. Deaconesses trained through the LDA must comple
