Completed SLC Classroom Facilitates Incredible New Learning Opportunities at FLBCS

Many have already enjoyed taking part in events held in the classroom space of the new Student Life Center on the the campus of Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary. In January, FLBCS held its very first Seminary Symposium. The event greatly benefited from some newly installed technology and furnishings. Thanks to generous donors, this classroom will host learning events and produce learning resources for pastors, lay leaders, and congregations.

Photos by Ruth Gunderson

Free Lutheran Seminary Symposium

The first annual Free Lutheran Seminary Symposium focused on the topic of patristics, discussing such church fathers as Origen and early Christian apologist John of Damascus. Presenters argued that study of the early church and its founders is a key ingredient in understanding scripture.

One of the event’s speakers, Pastor Matthew Ballmann of Trinity San Antonio described it this way: “We don’t just come up with [theological] meaning on our own, but it’s done within the greater community, the rule of faith…[we do] this by interacting with the theological insights and understanding of Christians past and present.”

You can watch the 2023 Free Lutheran Seminary Symposium in its entirety here.

Immediately afterward, the Georg Sverdrup Society Forum highlighted a number of historic “Ministries of Mercy” in the Lutheran Free Church. You can watch the recording of that event here.

Numerous faculty, seminary students, pastors, and lay leaders from various AFLC congregations were in attendance. Others participated in these two events via livestream.

The Room

While the classroom itself was completed almost a year ago, it has only recently reached its final form. The newly furnished classroom features desks for nearly 90 students and the ability to record a high-quality video livestream via integrated technology. The classroom can also be split into two individual classrooms, should future class offerings necessitate. Sound systems are built in, allowing for classes and events to operate with plug-and-play ease of use.

President Wade Mobley says of the space, “The large classroom in the Student Life Center was always envisioned to be our largest, most technologically-advanced setting. Thanks to generous donors, especially Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Stanley, ND, we are able to host not-for-credit training opportunities including material from both FLBCS and other AFLC ministries. These events can be livestreamed and archived, bringing content to congregations far from Plymouth, MN.”

The Vision

While FLBCS will remain an in-person learning and discipleship experience, it recognizes the potential for further training through online means. Many pastors and lay leaders who cannot make the long trip to Minnesota in person have participated in such events as Summer Institute of Theology and Spotlight conferences through livestreamed and archived video.

In addition to serving AFLC congregations, livestreamed video allows FLBCS to share, in great quality, its Word-centeric heritage and values with the Church at large.

FLBCS would like to thank all that have given financially, and otherwise supported the building of the Student Life Center. The institution looks forward to providing an ever-increasing quality of Bible education for its students, as well as providing excellent online learning resources for AFLC congregations and beyond.

If you would like to participate in future in-person or live-streamed events at FLBCS, please sign up for our email newsletter to stay informed about upcoming events and opportunities. You can find past events and learning resources at https://flbc.edu/conferences.

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