Back to School 2023
Back to School 2023
Classes resumed at ILT on Monday August 21. This is the beginning of ILT’s 13th fall semester. Much has changed for ILT students and faculty over the last 13 years. The inclusion of additional and expanded programs gives students many more options when it comes to completing their educational goals. Students now can complete undergraduate degrees as well as seminary and post graduate programs.
While registration is not closed and the head count number may still change some, here is what we can say about the student body at the end of the first week of classes.
Christ School of Theology
The Christ School of Theology is ILT’s Seminary and Graduate School. This semester there are 94 students taking courses at the Christ School of Theology. Thirty-two (32) are students who are working toward some ministry degree or certification. These students are working in congregational ministry or chaplaincy. Some are Master of Divinity students, some are taking the set of Lutheran classes, and some are going to serve in military chaplaincy. Fifty-six (56) of these students are working on graduate work after their master’s degree. These students are working on STM, Doctor of Ministry, and Ph.D. programs.
Christ College
Christ College is ILT’s Undergraduate School. This semester there are 30 students at Christ College. These students are taking classes toward an associate or baccalaureate degree, a certificate, or as continuing education. There are currently 16 A.A. and B.A. students, four of whom are on the pre-seminary track and planning to become pastors. There are also 10 Pastoral Ministry Students who are taking classes while they serve their home congregations.
Partnership with ILT
We will say more about the student numbers when they are finalized after census day. Our continued growth is important, because the mission of ILT is to provide training for pastors and teachers of the church. We are doing this, and we continue to grow. This growth, however, means that ILT needs more partners to support the financial needs of the students. One of the major issues for students is the cost of education. We keep tuition as low as possible and we make every effort to ensure that our students do not graduate with debt. To this day, no student has gone into debt to pay tuition.
This is where we need your help. ILT has a financial aid fund to support our financially challenged students and congregations. Please consider becoming an ILT partner and supporting your future pastor by donating to this fund. Currently, about $70,000 of tuition is paid out of this fund every semester. This means we need to raise about $140,000 a year to support these students. Your contributions will go to ensure that there are pastors in the future and that those pastors do not live under the unnecessary burden of student debt.
Click on the buttons below for more information about how you can support our students or please contact Joel Williams by emailing him at jwilliams@ilt.edu.