About Us

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Our mission is to establish students in the eternal and inerrant Word of God for a life of faith in Jesus Christ and faithful service in His Kingdom.

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Core Values

 

Institutional Objectives

Our objectives are that graduates of the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary will:

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of Scripture, subscribing to its inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy without reservation, confessing its authority and demonstrating the ability to accurately interpret it.

Grow in spiritual maturity informed by the Law and motivated and empowered by the Gospel.

Understand the function of the local congregation and the place of the individual believer in its fellowship and ministry as guided by the AFLC Fundamental Principles.

Participate in making disciples of all nations, especially through involvement in the local congregation.
 
 

Biblical Foundations Statement

The Bible

We bear witness that the Bible is the only authentic and infallible source of God’s revelation to mankind, and that it is the only inerrant and completely adequate source and norm of Christian doctrine and life. We hold that the Bible is inerrant in its original manuscripts, and as a whole and in all its parts, the Word of God under all circumstances regardless of one’s attitude toward it. (AFLC “Declaration of Faith”)

Isaiah 40:8; John 5:39; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; John 14:26; John 15:26,27; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 1:1,2; 2 Peter 1:20,21; Revelation 22:18,19.

Biblical Foundations Statement

Philosophy of Education

The Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary, in fellowship with the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, are committed to lifting up the standard of God’s infallible and inerrant Word, the Scriptures. The Bible College and Seminary are without reservation:

Conservative

In teaching the Word of God, the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary employs the historical-grammatical method of interpretation with the presupposition of faith in the internal testimony of Scripture regarding its complete veracity. The Bible College and Seminary believes in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments.

Confessional

They subscribe without reservation to the ancient ecumenical creeds (Apostolic, Nicene, and Athanasian) and the sixteenth-century documents of the Lutheran Reformation (Luther’s Small Catechism and the Unaltered Augsburg Confession). The Bible College and Seminary regards these creeds and confessions as faithful expositions of the truths of Scripture and seeks to foster in students a fuller understanding and appreciation of the distinctives of orthodox Lutheranism.

Congregational

In consonance with the Word of God, the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary affirms the local church as “the right form of the Kingdom of God on earth,” and aims to equip students for effective service in and through local congregations through classroom instruction and practical training. It is in dependence on the Holy Spirit’s work through the Means of Grace—Word and Sacraments—that the teaching and equipping of students at the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary is carried forward.

    The Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary equips and teaches students in dependence on the Holy Spirit’s work through the Means of Grace. The classes concentrate on the exposition and application of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, through which God saves and sanctifies by the ministry of the Holy Spirit. One important application of the Gospel is love for one another, with the result that graduates display an obvious love for the congregation.

    The Bible College and Seminary seek to achieve academic excellence in their students. This is an important purpose in the Bible College and Seminary program outcomes. However, the goals in training at the Bible College and Seminary are not complete with mere intellectual understanding of the doctrines and practices of God’s Word, the Lutheran Confessions and AFLC distinctives. The Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary are intent on seeing that the personal life of each graduate is conformed more and more to the image of Christ; informed, motivated and empowered by the Holy Spirit through faithful application of the Law and the Gospel. Homes, congregations, and the world need godly spiritual leaders. This passion drives the Word-centered emphasis of both the Bible College and Seminary. Both formal and informal instruction encourages students to deepen their personal devotional life and express their faith through active participation in local congregations, which provide opportunities for spiritual nourishment, worship and service.

    History

    The Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary is a ministry of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (AFLC), which began in 1962. Immediately after the AFLC was formed, there was a desire to start a seminary and Bible school for the purpose of training pastors and equipping the laity.

    After prayerful consideration, the AFLC proceeded to establish a theological seminary committed to historic Lutheran theology. The Free Lutheran Seminary opened its doors in September, 1964. The founding of the seminary grew out of the need for biblically-trained pastors and Christian workers in the tradition of orthodox Lutheran Pietism. Dr. Iver B. Olson served as the first dean of the seminary, beginning in 1965, followed by Rev. Amos O. Dyrud (1971 to 1981). Dr. Francis W. Monseth became the dean in 1981, and served until his death in 2013. Rev. Robert L. Lee served as interim dean from 2013 until 2015, when Rev. Wade Mobley was called to be the first president of the AFLC Schools and also dean of the seminary. In June 2017, Dr. James Molstre began as dean of the seminary while Mobley continued as president of the schools.

    The Free Lutheran Bible College began in 1966 with 13 students. Patterned after the former Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis (founded in 1919), the school’s primary goal was to see God transform young people through the teaching of His Word. It was of primary concern among the founders of the AFLC to establish young Christians in the Word of God before college and help believers be equipped for life and ministry in local congregations and communities. Rev. John Strand was the first FLBC dean, followed by Rev. Richard Snipstead (1968 to 1974), Rev. Ken Moland (1975 to 1984), Rev. Donald Greven (1985 to 1996), Rev. James L. Johnson (1996 to 2006), Rev. Joel Rolf (2006 to 2018), Rev. Wade Mobley (2018-2019), and Rev. Adam Osier (2019-Present).

    Both the Bible College and Seminary have experienced growth and development over the decades. Today, the Bible College enrollment averages about 100 students each year, with a vision for continued growth. Each year, the seminary student body consists of approximately 10-25 students training for pastoral ministry. The faculty includes 5 full-time instructors who teach in both programs – and several adjunct professors.

    In 2018, the Free Lutheran Schools became a member of the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), and was awarded Reaffirmation Status as a Category III institution by the TRACS Accreditation Commission on April 24, 2023; this status is effective for a period of up to 5 years. TRACS is recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDOE), the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).