Luther Seminary to pilot two-year M.Div.
The M.Div.X program hopes to train innovative church leaders—with no student debt, says seminary president Robin J. Steinke.
Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, has received a $21.4 million donation for a five-year pilot of an accelerated Master of Divinity program.
Students in the program, M.Div.X for short, will finish their degree in 24 months, studying full-time year-round. The congregational internship will occur throughout the two years, rather than in a separate year as is currently required by the school. And students will not have summers off—a custom that was based on an agrarian calendar, according to Robin J. Steinke, Luther president.
Dean Buntrock, the founder and former CEO of Waste Management, Inc., and a supporter of Lutheran higher education, made the donation, which will cover full tuition and some living expenses for students, costs for a year of planning, and resources to add faculty and staff.
