Voltaire famously asserted that to converse with him, one first had to define his terms. Voltaire was right—definitions matter.
They play a foundational role in the life of a university, especially one that claims to carry out a particular mission or role in society. Without a clearly defined purpose, a university will struggle to find its way and compete successfully in the landscape of higher education.
At Concordia University Wisconsin, we continually return to our purpose and ask: What does it mean to be a Christian university? The answer has many aspects. A university may live out a historic association with a particular denomination. It may align itself with a specific set of theological doctrinal statements. It may participate in a formal governance relationship with a church body or religious group.
All of these characteristics contribute to a definition of Concordia’s work as a Christian university. We are a university of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, a network of universities that stretch across our country. These attributes shape us deeply—but they are not exhaustive. To understand what makes Concordia distinct, we must look at how we live out our faith in our daily work.
Our identity as a Lutheran university begins with Christ. Members of our community encounter the person and work of Christ in our classrooms, laboratories, residence halls, and fieldhouse. His love and truth are the foundation for every relationship within our university. He holds all things together.
Second, because Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, His love is the foundation for all relationships within our university. He is the Truth that creates and maintains the integrity of our university. At Concordia, simply put, He holds all things together.
Third, we promote excellence among all our faculty, staff, and students, as we encourage them to develop fully all the good gifts that our Lord has graciously bestowed on them.
Finally, we focus on service. As a university, we do all we can to give our students the world– a strong Christian faith, the highest forms of human knowledge, impactful, professional experiences, and lasting personal mentoring. As students go out into the world and find various forms of success, we trust that, in their many vocations, our students will pour out all of those good gifts into the lives and needs of their neighbor. That is how our alumni lead their best lives.
As a Christian university, we also take seriously the call to live in community with charity and humility. We are a place where people can agree and disagree, discuss difficult issues, and do so in ways that reflect mutual respect. We have placed the highest value on the Eighth Commandment and follow the teaching of our Church’s catechism, which exhorts the individual to
not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation,
but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.
That commitment shapes how we teach, learn, and engage—even when we encounter viewpoints or ideas that challenge us. Our goal is not uniformity of opinion, but unity in Christ and charity toward one another.
At the conclusion of one of the historic Lutheran eucharistic liturgies, the congregation implores God – as a result of His saving action in the sacrament – to strengthen His people “in faith toward Him and in fervent love toward one another.” That prayer captures the essence of what we at Concordia desire to instill in our students. We do everything possible to promote the transformative power of the Christian faith in our students’ lives. Likewise, we emphasize our essential commitment to love those that our Lord brings into our lives. Those priorities transcend the politics, debates, and divisions of our day and serve as the enduring foundation for our work as a Lutheran university.
We are not a perfect institution. No educational institution is. Yet, I invite all to find out more about our university. Come to our campus. Visit our chapel. Listen to our faculty. Study their research. Most importantly, meet our students. Join us in learning how to promote and live out faithfulness and curiosity and kindness and civil discourse in these gray and latter days.
I am quick to find comfort in the great work that our Lord continues to carry out among our students. They have a bright future ahead. As a result of the education they are receiving at this Christian university, they are learning to live a life defined by faith toward God and love for their neighbors. That is an education that gives us true joy in the present moment and hope for a future, an end that is no end.
As we mark Reformation Day, we are reminded that the Reformation was not only an event in history but an ongoing call to center our lives on Christ alone. At Concordia, that calling continues to guide our work each day—to form students who live with courage, compassion, and conviction in a world that needs all three.
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Concordia University Wisconsin is a Lutheran higher education community committed to helping students develop in mind, body, and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world.