Martin Luther College
Pictured above: Richard Gurgel, president of Martin Luther College, installs Nathan Savage as a tutor for the college. Savage graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in May 2022.
Parker Brown, a senior preseminary student from Conroe, Texas, preaching at MLC’s evening chapel.
Martin Luther College (MLC), New Ulm, Minn.:
- prepares men for pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary;
- prepares men and women for service as teachers and staff ministers in the synod’s churches, schools, and other institutions;
- prepares men and women for other church ministries, both full- and part-time, responding to the needs of WELS;
- prepares international students for ministry in partnership with WELS mission fields; and
- provides programs of continuing education that meet the ministerial needs of WELS.
On July 1, 2022, Martin Luther College launched a new strategic plan to direct the college’s work for years to come. Richard Gurgel, president of MLC, explains that Pursuing Excellence Under the Cross has three foundational beliefs and four key initiatives.
Foundational beliefs:
- We pursue excellence not as slaves but as loved children under Christ’s cross.
- We pursue excellence by offering him our best with the unique talents given to each of us.
- We pursue excellence under our cross by dying to mediocrity and rising with the courage to risk all for the gospel.
Key initiatives:
- We embrace our family’s identity as a Lutheran college dedicated to preparing gospel ministers for our synod and its mission fields.
- We empower our family’s formation as we help everyone grow spiritually and academically while also supporting emotional and physical health.
- We expand our family’s reach as we reflect the multicultural reality of the Church before Christ in eternity.
- We endow our family’s home as we make MLC more affordable while providing an excellent college experience.
For more information, visit mlc-wels.edu.
Did you know?
In 2022–23, Martin Luther College awarded a total of almost $1.25 million to its students through the Congregational Partner Grant Program. This program encourages congregations to support members who attend MLC. MLC then matches up to $1,200/student ($1,325 in 2023–24) in the form of a grant to offset tuition costs. For more information, visit mlc-wels.edu/cpgp.
Enrollment
In 2022–23, Martin Luther College is serving 629 undergraduates, representing 29 states and 5 countries as well as 897 continuing education students.
Evangelism Day
Nov. 9, 2022, was Evangelism Day at MLC. Twenty-six electives offered students the opportunity to learn more about evangelism strategies in the United States and around the world. Pictured is Jim Rademan, director of WELS Lutheran Schools, presenting on the topic “Blessings, opportunities, and challenges . . . a look at WELS schools in 2022 and beyond.”
Cultural Engagement Center
Paul Wang, a Chinese international student at MLC, reading books about the Mid-Autumn Festival to students at the MLC Early Childhood Learning Center in September 2022.
Class of 2022
One hundred seventy students graduated from Martin Luther College on May 14, 2022. Pictured is Richard Gurgel, college president, presenting a diploma to Emily Flatau, who received an assignment to serve as an early childhood education teacher at Resurrection, Aurora, Ill.
