The insider may so accommodate himself to his surroundings that he becomes oblivious to problems an outsider immediately notices. Conversely, familiarity may lead the insider to become so fixated on weaknesses that he fails to recognize strengths.
One of the reasons Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS) decided to pursue accreditation was a desire to have outside eyes look at its overall program. The seminary’s governing board and the faculty, desiring to improve in their synod-assigned work of preparing men for service as pastors in WELS, sought out an accrediting agency to provide an objective assessment of the seminary’s work.
The seminary applied for, and was granted, associate membership in the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in 2018. At present more than 270 graduate schools of theology across North America hold membership in ATS. The association, with headquarters in Pittsburgh, aims to “promote the improvement and enhancement of theological schools to the benefit of communities of faith and the broader public.
The primary way ATS promotes excellence in theological education is through the accreditation process. When ATS granted WLS associate membership in 2018, the expectation was that WLS would complete the accreditation process within five years. Unfortunately, a pandemic delayed the completion of a readiness report, the first step in the process for a school seeking initial accreditation. A committee chaired by Dr. Kenneth Cherney, Jr., completed the readiness report in spring 2021, a year later than originally anticipated. That readiness report received approval from ATS and WLS was granted permission to move forward with the next step in the accreditation process: a self-study.
Before “outsiders” could ever assess the work being done at WLS, the “insiders” had a lot of work to do. The faculty and governing board needed to take a hard look at the seminary’s program on their own, evaluating the work being done in light of the association’s ten standards, which “articulate principles of quality for graduate theological education that all schools meet in various ways.” The recently revised standards, adopted by ATS in 2020, moved away from a focus on specific best practices every accredited school should have to a principles-based approach, which allows schools to meet the standards in different ways according to their institutional context.
Three subcommittees, consisting of seminary professors, met regularly to consider how WLS met the standards and where there were opportunities to improve. Discussion of issues took place both in small groups and in “plenary faculty meetings. The conversations raised during the process proved helpful and led to the identification of concrete steps to be taken toward improvement. The many hours of self-study culminated in a self-study report that arrived at the ATS offices on December 1, 2023.
The self-study report and supplemental materials referenced in the report were then shared with a visitation team appointed by Dr. Stephen Graham, director of accreditation with the Commission on Accrediting and the seminary’s liaison with ATS. The four members of the visitation team, all of whom serve at other ATS seminaries and participated in the visit as volunteers, thoroughly reviewed the report and the supplemental materials in preparation for their on-site visit.
The visitation team arrived on campus on April 16 for two full days of meetings and conversations with administrators, governing board members, professors, students, and members of the staff. They asked thoughtful questions that demonstrated their careful preparation. Their goal was to evaluate what had been written in the self-study report, to see if reality matched what they had read.
Before leaving campus on April 18, the visitation team shared a brief report. The team offered glowing comments about what they had observed. They encouraged seminary leaders not to take for granted the distinctive strengths WLS enjoys, things not found in every seminary. First, they noted “the clarity and extraordinary affirmation and ownership of the school’s mission by semi- nary personnel and the WELS.” The synod’s confidence in the seminary and the seminary’s commitment to carrying out the task assigned by the synod stood out to them as special blessings to be treasured.
A second distinctive strength they observed was the seminary’s solid financial situation. Generous support of the seminary from the synod in the form of annual subsidy of nearly $900k and from a large group of individuals who give regularly to the seminary enables the support of a beautiful campus and well-maintained facilities. The visitation team noted with approval the generous tuition assistance students receive and the investment made in the professional development of professors as they pursue advanced degrees.
The third distinctive strength the team noted was a “strong sense of joyful community and shared purpose throughout the seminary with a very high level of student satisfaction.” The members of the team came away impressed with the students they met. The Lord has blessed WLS with students that are extremely well-prepared for their studies because of “the excellent work done by Martin Luther College, not just academically, but spiritually. The Holy Spirit continues to form students through the living and active Word of God at the center of life together in a residential seminary. Daily face-to- face interaction between professors and students plays a crucial role in the formation of gospel-oriented pastors.
The fourth distinctive strength the “outsiders” observed was the “deep commitment to the model of ‘pastors training pastors.’” The seminary’s current tagline, “Pastors forming pastors to proclaim God’s praise,” isn’t just a tagline. Students, faculty, and staff all clearly understand that WLS exists to prepare pastors for service in WELS. The visitation team expressed appreciation for the governing board’s commitment to calling professors who have significant experience in pastoral ministry. Men who know and love the work of pastoral ministry are well equipped to encourage and prepare future pastors. Members of the visitation team even suggested that this was a practice WLS might encourage other ATS institutions to implement.
Based on their visit, the team officially recommended that the ATS Board of Commissioners grant an initial accreditation of seven years, the maximum number of years that can be granted for an initial accreditation. Members of the visitation team explained that their recommendation should be viewed as strong approval of the program. At the same time, they also required the submission of two reports to address areas needing improvement or further information. The first report, due April 2026, should address evaluation of institutional outcomes, including a review and evaluation of organizational structures, review of workloads, and updating of position descriptions. The second report, due November 2027, is to provide a simple, systematic, and sustainable evaluation of student learning outcomes. The visitation team made it clear that additional reports are regularly required; that only two were required, they emphasized, should be considered commendation of the work being done.
The ATS Board of Commissioners met in early June to consider the visitation team’s report. They concurred with the recommendation and granted an initial accreditation for a period of seven years, with the next comprehensive evaluation visit in spring 2031. God be praised!
The accreditation process has revealed opportunities to strengthen the seminary’s program. It has also surfaced reasons to thank the Lord for blessings that “outsiders” have observed and highlighted.
Earle Treptow serves as president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and teaches courses in systematic theology.