Community Life
BEYOND TEXTBOOKS
A theological seminary is more than an educational institution. It is also a community of Christians gathering in the name of Jesus to praise the Lord and to be empowered for mission. Stewardship of seminary education involves seeking the maximum possible involvement in the various dimensions of the seminary experience: academics, worship, ministry in context, community life, and special programs. Spouses and families are a valuable part of the Trinity community. Families are invited and encouraged to participate in daily worship and special events, to use the library and bookstore, and to become involved in support groups and special events.
WORSHIP
Worship stands at the center of the day’s activities with worship services in mid-morning when most students and faculty are on campus. Additional opportunities for morning, noon and early evening worship vary from year to year. Without such daily opportunities for corporate and private worship, the study of God’s truth becomes a hollow enterprise. Faculty and students share in the responsibility of planning and conducting daily worship under the direction of the Worship Life Coordinator. Special worship events are also held to give families an opportunity to worship and enjoy fellowship together. Our heritage invites us to employ traditional forms of the historic liturgy. It also invites us to newness and contemporary expression. Both forms aim at helping to foster a dynamic worship life at Trinity Lutheran Seminary.
LIFE TOGETHER
Life Together is the organization of Trinity Lutheran Seminary that has responsibility for the non-academic aspects of seminary life. Life Together draws its membership widely from students, faculty, and staff. Its work is carried out through regular meetings, through an Executive Committee, and through committees created each year in response to community concerns, gifts and interests. The president of the student body serves as president of Life Together, and the Pastor to the Community serves as consultant. Student officers are elected each September: presidents and vice presidents of the student body, of the Junior, Middler, and Senior M.Div. classes, and of M.T.S./M.A. students. Each president is a member of Life Together and gives leadership to community life at Trinity. The vice presidents and the Pastor to the Community serve as the Special Needs Committee, which designates recipients of offerings from the weekly eucharists.
THE INTEGRATIVE GROUP (I-GROUP)
Integrative Groups provide a supportive small group for fellowship, nurture, care for each other in life crisis situations, for worship planning, and for academic planning of individual programs. M.Div., M.T.S., M.A., S.T.M., and other residential students participate in weekly meetings along with a faculty member. Each I-Group is expected to develop its own style in response to individual needs and resources of the group, to choose its own pattern of activities and to elect a convener, a representative to Life Together, and a worship coordinator.
Student Diversity
In fall 2009, full time students made up about two-thirds of Trinity’s student body. Of the full time students:
61% were male
39% were female
Using ethnic categories reported to the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics:
88% were white
5% were black or African American
3% were Asian
3% were international students
1% were of Hispanic/Latino background
Of the part time students:
57% were male
43% were female
Using the same ethnic categories as above:
74% were white
20% were black or African American
2% were of Hispanic/Latino background
2% were Asian
2% were international students
Trinity House
Trinity House located at 597 Sheridan Avenue, just across from the library, is available for individual and group usage by the seminary community. It is WIFI connected, has a TV, a DVD or video, comes stocked with some games, and has a furnished kitchen for making a meal or baking a cake. The living and dining rooms provide a space for entertaining guests, especially for those living in smaller efficiency dorm units. It is also ideal for I-group gatherings, committee meetings, film discussions or other conversations in a homey atmosphere. The space can be reserved by completing a form in the pastor's office, or at the information desk. Open hours are also posted by the house coordinator.
PASTORAL CARE AND PERSONAL GROWTH
Extensive resources are offered each year in support of the personal growth of the whole person. The resources are outlined in the Community Life Handbook distributed each fall. Opportunities include Trinity’s daily worship life, spiritual direction retreats, individual confession and forgiveness, personal growth workshops, support groups, and Life Together committees. Pastoral care from local clergy and pastoral counseling from skilled professionals are available to students, families and staff.
COMPLAINTS
In the interests of good order and Christian charity (see Matthew 18:15-17), complaints should if at all possible be directed first to the person most immediately responsible for the situation that gave rise to the complaint. If the issue cannot be resolved at that point, the complaint may be brought to the officer of the seminary most directly responsible for the area of concern:
- Academic Dean
- Pastor to the Community
- President
He/she will attempt to resolve the matter according to seminary policy, and will advise the complainant on further steps to be taken if that proves necessary.
CONDUCT
Each student is expected to observe standards of conduct consistent with respect for the law, the fulfillment of contractual obligations, consideration for the rights of others, and a high level of personal integrity. The seminary reserves the right to suspend or dismiss at any time, in accordance with established procedures, any student whose conduct is judged unacceptable in the light of the policies published in the Community Life Handbook.
The community is committed to work toward justice and inclusiveness. Language and actions that are inclusive of all races, genders, and physical abilities are expected in worship, classes, assignments and conversation.
Trinity is smoke-free, i.e., smoking is prohibited except in designated areas. Trinity is drug-free, i.e., the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of chemical substances is prohibited.
HUMAN RIGHTS
It is a policy of Trinity Lutheran Seminary to provide equal opportunity for all qualified persons. The seminary does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or physical ability in administration of educational policies and financial aid programs. Trinity Lutheran Seminary is an equal opportunity employer and follows an affirmative action policy in the recruitment and hiring of faculty and staff. Policy statements concerning sexual harassment appear in the Faculty Handbook and the Community Life Handbook.
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
The seminary’s main building including library, the conference center, and one efficiency apartment building are accessible for wheelchair users. Two efficiency apartments are accessible by elevator and meet ADA requirements for the bathrooms. Each has its own washer and dryer.
Students who intend to request accommodation for a learning disability should submit the medical certification of the learning disability. Trinity currently provides adaptive technologies for computer aided assistance for the visually impaired and those with reading disabilities by converting paper documents into electronic text. The software capabilties include electronic reading with “follow along highlighting," enlarging the text for those with low vision, and changing colors to reduce eye strain. A writing tutor is available to all students. More specialized tutoring can be arranged for students with learning disabilities.
Other appropriate accommodations for physical disabilities or learning disabilities, to the extent that resources permit, can be made as the need arises.
MUSIC PROGRAM
The Seminary Choir and the Liturgical Choir are open to students, faculty, staff, and their spouses and children. Although the choirs exist primarily to enhance the worship and musical life of the seminary, the Seminary Choir also sings for special events. Other vocal and instrumental groups are organized each year in response to student interest.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PROGRAM
In recent years students have come from Korea, Latvia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Australia. The international community includes both pastors and laypersons, most of whom are completing requirements for the Master of Sacred Theology or Master of Theological Studies degree. These students are a valued part of the seminary community, contributing a continuing witness to the global nature of the Christian Church.
Career Services
Trinity graduates serve in a variety of roles and positions both within congregations and other settings. Graduates serve as pastors, youth and family ministers, educators, musicians, directors of advocacy, mission developers, college and seminary professors, camp counselors, bishops and other church leadership positions and more.
As a courtesy to the Trinity community, student ministry positions are posted on a regular basis by the Pastor to the Community and the Director of the M.A. in Church Music program. Openings are generally in the areas of Youth Ministry, Church Music, or Christian Education, plus some miscellaneous openings in congregations or service agencies.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America call process for rostered positions within the church includes assignment to regions and synods, as part of the process by which ELCA candidates find a placement. Other students also work with their judicatories.
PUBLICATIONS
- Community Life Handbook, which contains seminary policies and information about life and resources at Trinity, is revised and distributed to students each fall.
- For the Living of These Days, a weekly in-house newsletter, includes a calendar and listing of events and announcements.
- Obserflections, a special newsletter by interns for interns and the seminary community, is published three times each year.
- Te Deum, an official seminary magazine, is published for graduates and friends, as well as the on-campus seminary community.
- Trinity Seminary Review serves as a forum for discussing pertinent questions of theology and ministry. It features articles and book reviews written by faculty, alumni, and selected guest authors.