Dear Praying Friends of Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary:

I have been working on two projects today, one a message, another my report to the Annual Conference. The message is from Psalm 72 around the theme of the hymn “Jesus Shall Reign Where’re the Sun.” I’ll be preaching at the year-end chapel on April 18, so you can watch then, or in archived video if you want. Psalm 72: includes this ending in v. 18-19: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

We need to spend much more time thanking God for His wonderful existence, not just His provision and guidance. God is good, and He is good to us, and He is good through us. Christ is our Treasure, and we His recovered sheep. I’m especially aware of this as I reflect on the deep, rich mercies of Christ to FLBCS for these past 60 years. I wrote on this for the Annual Conference (on campus this June). You can find an excerpt of my report at the end (or on the back side) of this intercessor letter.

As you pray:

• Thank God for a great year at FLBCS.
• Thank God for a call for our one graduating seminarian this year, Scott Olson to Bagley, MN.
• Thank God for 45 students finishing their second year at FLBC. They have finished well.
• Thank God for His financial provision– a record LOW number of students are behind financially.
• Thank God for the faithful ministry of Pastor Jerry and Rebecca Moan, who return to parish life/ministry after 29 years at FLBCS.
• Thank God for Pastors Jason Gudim and Jarrod Hylden, who will join the faculty next year.
• Pray for incoming students for FLBC. We are on pace for about 60 students to start next fall. That’s a lot for one program, but we have room for more, and we’d like to meet a few more.
• Pray for incoming FLS students. We have one for next fall, plus a few “maybes.” We also have a large class anticipated for fall of 2025.
• Pray for healthy congregations in the AFLC, and continued campus ties to those congregations in the metro area.
• Pray for the right employees for a handful of positions serving at FLBCS.
• Pray for a good start to our first cohort of BA students in the fall of 2024.
• Pray for a good, safe, beneficial choir trip and companion tour to Scandinavia in May.
• Pray for a great Annual Conference on campus in June, where people, congregations, and ministries come to be recharged and encouraged.

There is more, of course, but this is a start. And if you lift up to the Lord these items at FLBCS even once this month, it’s a benefit. Read on if you want some more, but for now, I am.

Praying with you,

Pastor Wade Mobley
President, Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary

2024 Annual Report Excerpt:

When I talk to leaders of other colleges and seminaries, I am reminded of what a special place we have. Sometimes we need others to give us a perspective check:

• We started last year with 110 students in an undergraduate Bible and Ministry program. It is the largest specifically Bible and Ministry program that I know of.
• The Seminary this year contained one student for every 14 congregations. That doesn’t seem like much, but it far exceeds other denominations.
• Our incoming student undergraduate enrollment ranked 29th of 155 in the Association for Biblical Higher Education, even though we only have one program to attract students.
• The Bible Institute movement is almost gone, with such institutions either closing or becoming broad-focus colleges or universities with several emphases. One similar institution recently had 29 incoming students and 22 programs. This isn’t a winning formula.
• Our price point is far less that other private Christian colleges and less than most public college options. Remember to compare tuition, room, board, and fees, not just what a billboard says.
• We receive no federal or state financial aid, which is a help for– but no guarantee of– missional freedom.
• Donors give us more money per student than any institution I know of, and that does not even include capital campaign gifts and estates/endowments. You support us generously.

All of this is true, even though the one undergraduate program we offer doesn’t even come with a recognizable degree (though it will as of fall 2024).

All of this is truly remarkable, and something for which we should give God thanks more readily than we do. What makes FLBC work is our exceedingly narrow focus on Bible and Ministry. Instead of offering a broad range of degree and/or career path options, we provide foundational study in what matters most: Learning God’s Word and how to apply God’s Word to God’s World, leaving our students ready for everything that happens in their life, their family, their congregation, and their community.

What makes FLS work is our commitment to serving congregations by teaching future pastors to be servant leaders who excel at public and private ministry of the word, equipping their congregations for maturity and stability in Jesus Christ. Our in-person, on-campus approach maximizes teaching effectiveness, extending our instruction outside of the classroom.