“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act” (Psalm 37:5, ESV).

Last week I received a package in the mail addressed to “The Lutheran Bible College.” Inside were a diploma and three yearbooks from the Lutheran Bible Institute (LBI), Minneapolis, from the early 1950s. It was quite unsolicited and very interesting. I found myself looking over the pictures and reading inscriptions from students to the original owner. I wondered how 20-year-olds in the 1950s could look like they were 60—styles change! But more than that, I wondered, “Where did they go after Bible school, and how did LBI prepare them for the decades ahead?” I imagine those graduates serving in their congregations, families, and communities, and I wonder how it went.

The Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary is not LBI, but we would not exist without the Bible Institute movement of the mid-20th century. At one time there were hundreds of these places to get a foundation in God’s Word, but we are one of a handful that remain. You can get accredited degrees at FLBC now, including our first-ever cohort of students graduating from our bachelor of arts in Bible and Ministry. But the vast majority of our students will use FLBC as a springboard to whatever comes next. 

Those two years of study will lead to … our students don’t even know yet. Right now they are Bible students. This is a Bible place. The pastors we train are ministers of God’s Word— the Bible. When you commit your way to the Lord, you can always trust in Him. He will act. Even if you don’t know every outcome. God is just that good. You can trust Him at His Word.

Thank you for attending, encouraging, and investing in the ministry of God’s Word through the Free Lutheran Bible College & Seminary. 

Dr. Wade Mobley [FLBCS President]