Concordia Bible Institute (CBI) has served Concordia University Wisconsin and the surrounding areas since 2000, strengthening biblical literacy through podcasts, seminars, and now study guides.
CBI was founded by a generous benefactor who wanted to promote biblical literacy. Dr. John Saleska, a longtime college and seminary professor, served as CBI’s first director until Dr. Brian German joined the CUW faculty in 2014 and became CBI’s current director.
According to Dr. German, Dr. Saleska offered on-campus Bible studies along with weekly podcasts. Since Dr. German has joined, he has continued on-campus Bible studies, now produces two weekly podcasts, and conducts “on the road” seminars at local congregations.
Dr. German points to their mission statement, which inspires others to confess the saving truth of Christ: “The Concordia Bible Institute provides Christ-centered Bible instruction from distinguished experts who teach ‘Christ In Every Word’ of the Old and New Testaments, to strengthen faith and spread belief in the one true God.”
CBI has a small yet loyal audience in southeastern Wisconsin who listen to podcasts and attend local seminars. Within the past year, CBI has made a big push to expand its online audience.
Since August, CBI’s YouTube channel has grown from 10 to 230+ subscribers. They have joined various platforms and begun consistent posting on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, with some videos reaching over 2,000 views.
Student worker Srujana Challuri is a computer science graduate student who joined the CBI team in August. She applies her skills to develop CBI’s digital presence and generate study guides from every podcast Dr. German has recorded.
According to Challuri, she developed a Python script to fetch podcast transcripts and then created structured study guides with the help of artificial intelligence.
While CBI processes the implications of these study guides, these resources could help pastors to have a few extra Bible studies on hand or content for student-led Bible studies on campuses across the synod.
The CBI team hopes to see CUW students and laity utilize CBI resources, such as weekly recorded podcasts or study guides.
Dr. German and Challuri encourage CUW students, staff, and faculty to subscribe to CBI’s YouTube channel and follow them on social media platforms.
For their next step, CBI is considering a dedicated website for accessibility and organization of the study guides.
— Melena Weber serves as Student Editor for The Beacon. She is a junior studying Mass Communications and Hospitality & Event Business. She is the Membership Coordinator for Campus Activities Board and the Student Engagement Intern for Concordia Crew.