Faith & Ministry

A grounded, lived experience of God’s grace.

Our university’s mission compels and equips us to be a distinctly different, Christ-centered university as we continue to serve more and more learners. It drives us to deliver excellent academics and career-preparation while also remaining faithful to the deep and enlivening Christian faith and ethos that guides this university. Not all Christian colleges and universities can operate in this middle-space — in the tension between secular learning and Christian faith — but the Lutheran ethos at Concordia St. Paul enables us to not just achieve this balance – but to excel at it.

A distinctly Lutheran ethos is not some lofty, intellectual goal, but it is a grounded, lived experience of God’s grace reaching and renewing all people. This is what Concordia’s Mission of doing all things in the context of the Christian gospel mean.

Read our Mission Statement.

Read our Lutheran Convictions that Inform Intellectual Inquiry.

Christ is honored; all are welcome.

Our promise statement of being a university where “Christ is honored, and all are welcome” gives us a framework for creating a welcoming, relational, and purpose-driven context for learning so that all students discover and engage their purpose for life, career, and service.

With prayer and humility, it guides us as we walk together in community, listen to, and learn from one another, and see one another as God’s image-bearers. Living our promise means intentional efforts framed around the Concordia Promise that leads us to:

Foster a culture of vocation that develops each person’s God-given potential for making a positive impact, now and in the future.

“… empower you to discover and engage your purpose for life, career, and service …”

Foster a culture of respect that seeks to value differences, reconcile conflicts, and affirm each member of the CSP community as a beloved child of God.

“… in a dynamic, multicultural, urban environment …”

Foster a culture of community, showing unconditional love and serving others as Christ served us.

“… where Christ is honored, all are welcome …”

Foster a culture of Christian thought and inquiry, linking principal beliefs of Lutheran theology to everyday life and equipping for vocational service, wherever God calls. 

“… and Lutheran convictions inform intellectual inquiry and academic pursuits.”

Read our Promise Statement.

Read our All Are Welcome University Pledge

Read our Lutheran Convictions that Inform Intellectual Inquiry.

Living Our Faith.

Equipping, caring, welcoming, and worshiping.

Integral to our thriving community is CSP Ministry, a Christ-centered ministry serving Concordia St. Paul in three main ministry areas: equipping, caring, and welcoming. Formal opportunities such as daily chapel, evening chapel, 908, devotions, and Bible study are blended with a ministry of compassion and presence, preparing the entire CSP community to be sent into the world as a blessing to others.

The team of staff and student leaders may be the public faces of CSP Ministry, but CSP Ministry is made up of any faculty, staff, or student who is a believer in Jesus, called to the light of Christ.

Learn more about CSP Ministry and opportunities to serve.

Explore the Solus Christus Fellowship Program.

Connecting faith, learning, and life together.

Solus Christus Fellows is a program where student cohorts meet weekly and engage in thoughtful discussions of readings that deepen their faith, build community, and help them to live well in their various God-given callings in life. In addition to weekly cohort meetings, students are invited to attend multiple social events throughout the school year.

Click here to learn more.

The Beautiful Feet Conference is held annually on a Concordia University campus, rotating from campus to campus throughout the Concordia University System. Taking its name from Isaiah 52:7, it is a conference planned by students for students with a focus on outreach and missions.

For the past several years, a group of 20-30 CSP students travel to the conference, along with Faith & Ministry faculty and staff. It has become a highlight of each academic year as the students grow in their understanding of servant-hearted vocation.

Throughout the academic year, various departments and colleges host convocations and lectures. Of particular note for Faith & Ministry are the Poehler Lecture, the Vern Gundermann Reformation Heritage Lecture, and the Hoffmann Institute Lecture.

Take a moment to visit the page and be enlightened through these inspiring presentations.

2023-2024 CSP Convocations & Lectures

The Office of Church Relations is led by Jane Wilke, Director. In this role, Jane works to build and encourage relationships between Concordia St. Paul and congregations throughout the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Church Relations works closely with many departments on campus in providing opportunities and actively communicating the numerous ways CSP lives its mission as a Christ-centered, Lutheran university.

If you are interested in scheduling a Concordia Sunday in your congregation, arranging a confirmation class or youth group visit, or having your pastor circuit meeting on campus, please reach out to Jane at [email protected]