The Amalgamation

The amalgamation of Dr. Martin Luther College (DMLC) and Northwestern College (NWC)

The History of the Amalgamation

In this presentation, Pastor Nathanael Jensen describes why the decision to amalgamate the two colleges was highly debated and many felt very strongly for or against it. Most of the disputes centered on the impact which such a merger might have on the preseminary program and the training of the synod’s future pastors. The presentation used historical discussions and debates to explore what impact the amalgamation has had on the pre-seminary program.

 

“For 130 years, the pre-seminary training for prospective WELS pastoral candidates took place at Northwestern College in Watertown, WI. In 1995, the pre-seminary program moved to New Ulm, MN, as Northwestern College amalgamated with Dr. Martin Luther College—the WELS training college for the teaching ministry—and became Martin Luther College. The decision to amalgamate these two ministerial education colleges was highly debated, and the disputes centered on the impact which such a merger might have upon the pre-seminary program and its students, the synod’s future pastors. This paper seeks to begin an open and amicable discussion of the amalgamation by exploring the historical discussions of the potential positive and negative impacts of the amalgamation on the pastor track and assessing whether, to what extent, and why they have or have not transpired over the past twenty-five years.”

Reference:
A DIVIDED DECISION BLESSED BY THE LORD: THE IMPACT OF THE AMALGAMATION ON THE WELS PRE-SEMINARY PROGRAM – SUBMITTED TO PROF. JOHN BRENNER IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF DIVINITY – BY NATHANAEL JENSEN MARCH 8, 2019