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2023-2026 Strategic Plan

A three-year rolling strategic plan developed by the FLBCS Board of Trustees.  

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    Purpose of This Plan

    The mission of FLBCS is: Establishing students in the eternal and inerrant Word of God for a life of faith in Jesus Christ and faithful service in His Kingdom.

    The goal of this strategic plan is to provide increased quality of Bible education to FLBCS students, while standing strong against physical and spiritual pressures to the institution and its mission. Please refer to the FAQ's section for answers to commonly asked questions about this plan.

    The entire goal of strategic planning is to envision how best to fulfill the Free Lutheran Bible College and Seminary mission of establishing students in the eternal and inerrant Word of God for a life of faith in Jesus Christ and faithful service in His kingdom.

    FLBCS has been pursuing a third-generation strategic plan over the past six months. The need for this plan was realized through concluding our previous strategic plan while at the same time benefiting from board governance training over the prior 18 months. One of the key takeaways from that training was the need for a board-initiated strategic planning process that involved broad input from those affiliated with FLBCS.

    This version of our strategic plan uses a format that we are likely to maintain. The plan is a three-year rolling plan, with “year one” consisting of more than one year, concluded at the end of the fiscal year on July 31, 2024. The plan will be evaluated and updated through a set process every year. In this way FLBCS will always operate in “year one” of its strategic plan. Plans thus updated never become stale or disconnected from reality.

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    We promise that at Free Lutheran Bible College you will learn from great teachers to love Scripture and the Author of it. They will care for you, walk with you, and introduce you to the truth of the Bible. Here you will find a warm, encouraging community of people like you who want to know and follow Jesus more deeply. You will learn in great facilities on a beautiful campus that provides places to study, think, pray, and reflect. Here you will find a sure foundation for your life and be prepared for a lifetime of service in your congregation and calling.

    We promise that at Free Lutheran Seminary you will be mentored by professors who will care for you and prepare you to shepherd God’s people and preach the Word in the congregation with impact. Here you will be immersed in the Word of God and historic Lutheran doctrine and find fellowship with peers in a community that will pray for you, care for you, walk with you, and encourage you. You will leave here with ministry opportunities, little to no seminary student debt, and the confidence to fulfill God’s calling on your life and vocation. 

    Strategic Goals

    The full Strategic Plan document can be found here. Please refer to the FAQ's section for answers to commonly asked questions about this plan.

    Goal #1 Standing Firm

    By June 2026 FLBCS will be successfully standing against the increased pressures of conformity and compromise.

    FLBCS is committed to carrying out its historic mission with integrity and excellence. Pressure to conform and compromise, either to the prevailing culture or to internal error, will always be present. FLBCS will identify the source of these pressures and respond with polices and practices to address them. 

    Goal #2 Financial Strength

    By June 2026 FLBCS will be operating with a balanced budget and have established a $10M endowment and a 9-month operating reserve.

    Financial security is a big part of missional integrity. FLBCS views expenditures as investments and income as stewardship. The strategic plan focuses FLBCS on operating with a balanced budget, maintaining a strategic reserve, managing debt, growing an endowment, and serving donors as they give to the mission of the Bible College and Seminary. 

    Goal #3 Increased Enrollment

    By June 2026 FLBCS will have increased enrollment in the Bible College to 160 while maintaining its theological integrity and campus culture.

    The current campus facilities can hold 40+ seminarians and 160 Bible College students. Additional space can be made available for a total of over 340 students if demand exists. The strategic plan emphasizes the need to maximize the number of students benefiting from our program in Bible and Ministry, moving Bible College enrollment toward the current 160-student maximum within three years. These students will study Bible and Ministry while maintaining the current culture with theological integrity. 

    Goal #4 Enhanced Offerings

    By June 2026 FLBCS will be offering an AA and BA in Bible and Ministry and will graduate its first BA cohort.

    As part of this strategic plan FLBCS will build out its current program in Bible and Ministry to offer an AA in Bible and Ministry to most students and a BA in Bible and Ministry to some students. With the help of other AFLC ministries FLBCS hopes to offer several congregation-focused emphases like pre-seminary, youth/family ministry, worship ministry, cross-cultural ministry, and church planting. If all goes as planned, and subject to accreditation, the first cohort will begin in the fall of 2024, with the first graduate coming as soon as spring 2025.

    Goal #5 External Focus

    By June 2026 FLBCS will be implementing at least three new outreach emphases and practices that are employing the values and skills of its students and graduates to impact the AFLC.

    Realizing that the FLBCS campus can become a bubble within a large city, the strategic plan emphasizes the need to engage students in congregational life and ministry within the community. FLBCS will pursue initiatives that are more than service projects, giving students the opportunity to share the gospel by word and deed through at least three new practices. 
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    Strategic Narrative

    (Where we aim to be by Spring 2026)

    At graduation 2026, leaders share about the state of the school with parents and financial partners. They report that enrollment has surpassed 160 thanks in part to the new AA and BA in Bible and Ministry. Both have outperformed expectations. They share the good news that for a second year in a row the school has operated with a balanced budget, and they announce that the total endowment of FLBCS has passed $10 million.

    Other leaders from the AFLC share stories of how FLBCS students are impacting congregations across the denomination. Student leaders give passioned talks about how the school has prepared them for life and ministry because of its unwavering theological stance and the school culture that is standing firm in the face of increased pressure and hostility from the world.

    Finally, the presentation concludes by announcing that as a result of its financial strength, vision and unequivocal commitment to its values, donors are giving more, students are enrolling more and AFLC congregations are flourishing. 

    Strategic Plan FAQs

    This list will be updated as new questions materialize.

    Strategic Goal 1: Successfully standing against the increased pressures of conformity and compromise

    Strategic Goal 2: Operating with a balanced budget and have established a $10M endowment and a 9-month operating reserve

    Strategic Goal 3: Increased enrollment in the Bible College to 160 while maintaining its theological integrity and campus culture

    Strategic Goal 4: Offer a BA and AA in Bible and Ministry

    Strategic Goal 5: Implement at least three new outreach emphases and practices, employing the values and skills of students and graduates to impact the AFLC