Seventy-three students and three honorees were celebrated and recognized this evening at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis as part of the school’s 2025 Commencement exercises.

Of the graduates recognized, 41 earned a Master of Divinity degree, 16 earned a Master of Arts degree and one earned a Master of Sacred Theology degree. Additionally, seven graduates earned a Doctor of Ministry degree and five earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree. The Seminary also recognized three students who will earn a pastoral certificate upon completion of the Residential Alternate Route Program.

Find the full list of students and their degrees and certificates in the Commencement program at csl.edu/commencement.

The festivities began May 16 with the morning’s Theological Diploma Service in the Seminary’s Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus. During the service, students eligible to receive a call as pastor or deaconess in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) received their theological diplomas. Dr. James W. Voelz, graduate professor of Exegetical Theology and the Dr. Jack Dean Kingsbury Professor of New Testament Theology, preached the sermon.

“You have the privilege of proclaiming the present salvation and the future hope to bring God’s blessings to everyone whom you meet and everyone whom you serve. What greater calling could there be?” said Voelz. “Go then, with God’s salvation brought into this world from the future in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, go with our Lord’s strong promise of a final consummation while all blessings will be ours and evil and death will be done away with – yes, go!”

Severe weather struck the campus a few hours after the Theological Diploma service ended, resulting in widespread tree damage and debris across campus and causing the Commencement exercises to be rescheduled to Saturday, May 17.

Rev. Matthew Anker, president of Lutheran Mission – Australia, delivered the Commencement address.

“While today rightly focusses on what you have achieved in these hallowed halls over the past years, what lies ahead is not about you,” said Anker, addressing the students. “It is about Jesus at work in and through you for the salvation of those you are called to serve. So give thanks to God for what you have accomplished by His grace over these past years. Celebrate your success and anticipate your future with thanksgiving. But don’t fall into the trap of making it all about you. Serve in such a way that Christ is front and center. Rely on the authority of His Word and not your own ingenuity. Drink deeply at the fountain of His Word that in gratitude you may live each day as His forgiven child. And as you live the forgiven life of one graced by Jesus, you will naturally decrease, Christ will increase and He will bring light and life to those you serve in His name.”

During the Commencement ceremony, faculty members presented the Distinguished Alumnus Award to Dr. Gregory Seltz of Washington, D.C..; an honorary Doctor of Letters to Dr. Christopher W. Mitchell of St. Louis, Mo.; and an honorary Doctor of Divinity to Anker. More information about each honoree is available at csl.edu/commencement.

Seminary President Dr. Thomas J. Egger expressed gratitude for Voelz as he recognized the acclaimed professor’s planned retirement at the end of the academic year.

Voelz taught at both seminaries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) for a combined total of 50 years. First called to the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary (then) in Springfield, Ill., in 1975, Voelz moved with that institution to Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1976, where he taught through 1989. In that same year, Voelz joined the faculty of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he has since served.

At the end of the Commencement exercises, Egger referred to the Seminary’s 2024-25 academic theme, “Let Us Fix Our Eyes On Jesus,” which is drawn especially from Heb. 12:2 and Ps. 141:8, as he addressed the students.

“Graduates, you have been redeemed by Jesus Christ. He has gone before us — into shame, into death, into resurrection and into eternal joy,” said Egger. “Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. Keep your eyes fixed on Him, even as His eyes will continually watch over you. He Himself will lead you forth as you proclaim the Gospel. He will lead you forth, at times into shame, even into death, but also into resurrection and eternal joy.”

Egger closed the 186th academic year, and the assembly concordantly recited the Lord’s Prayer. The graduates departed as the clarion brass played the recessional hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” (LSB 790).

This year’s graduates join more than 7,000 called leaders of the LCMS around the world and more than 13,000 individuals who have received degrees from Concordia Seminary in the school’s history.

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit csl.edu.