CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) and McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, are sharing a $505,000 grant from The Teagle Foundation of New York to investigate ways of combining administrative tasks, technology and facilities.
LSTC is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). McCormick is one of 11 seminaries related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
The grant will be used to hire consultants to help the seminaries develop a comprehensive business plan, to purchase shared administrative and academic computer systems, and to pay architects' fees in connection with a space-utilization study.
For more than two decades the seminaries have shared classroom space and combined library holdings on the LSTC campus. They pooled matching grants from The Lilly Foundation of Indianapolis to enhance teaching and learning technology.
Current discussions include the construction of a McCormick facility on the LSTC campus. A joint committee of both seminaries' boards is analyzing how each institution could share resources while enriching the academic experience, and maintaining their unique institutional identities and mission. In May both boards resolved to negotiate a final agreement that will be submitted for approval in the fall.
In 1998 the ELCA entered into full communion with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ. That relationship enables the seminaries to work closely in preparing lay and ordained leaders of the churches.
"The weight of this historic agreement between the Lutheran and Reformed churches leads McCormick and LSTC to deepen their current working collaboration and become for both denominations a leading manifestation of this new moment in Lutheran-Reformed relationships," said the Rev. James Kenneth Echols, LSTC president.
The Rev. Cynthia McCall Campbell, McCormick president, said the ecumenical moment beckons the seminaries "to explore ways to enhance theological education with long-term benefits to both institutions."
The seminaries requested the grant under Teagle's Collaborative Ventures Program which encourages colleges, universities and seminaries to find innovative ways to work together to make more effective use of their resources.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
