Under the theme, “Christ the Living Stone – A Lasting Legacy, a Firm Future,” Concordia Seminary, St. Louis celebrated a centennial of operations on its Clayton, Mo., campus with a Service of Vespers and campus community supper Sunday, April 26, 2026. The campus community, along with representatives from The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), gathered for an afternoon of fellowship and camaraderie. The Seminary, which was founded in 1839, began construction on its present day campus in 1924 and formally dedicated the campus in 1926.
“The Concordia Seminary campus is one of the jewels of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. It is a joy to mark the 100th year of shared life and study on these grounds with representatives from across our church body present for the celebration,” said Seminary President Dr. Thomas J. Egger [1]. “The Lord has blessed us richly here, planting and cultivating His Word in the hearts of His servants and sending them forth to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We give thanks for these acres and buildings and homes and for the sacrifices our forefathers made to establish them for us. And we dedicate ourselves to passing along a beautiful and improved campus to the next generations, designed for the Lord’s ongoing work.”
The celebration honored the vision and dedication of the Seminary’s original planning committee, designers and builders – and all graduates who have been formed on this campus over these past 100 years and sent out share the Gospel with the world.
“For a century, God has provided a home for Concordia Seminary in Clayton,” said Dr. David J. Peter [2], professor of Practical Theology and dean of faculty, during his sermon in the afternoon service. “Its ground and facilities offer a beautiful and functional setting in which thousands of pastors and other church leaders have been and continue to be formed. This Clayton campus of our Seminary is a fruitful sending site for messengers of the Gospel who serve the Church and the world.”
The Seminary will continue celebrating its campus’ centenary anniversary throughout the year, highlighting the lasting impact of the campus’s 100 years of ministerial formation in Clayton and looking ahead to the Seminary’s next century of service to the church and beyond.
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) [3]. To learn more, visit csl.edu [4].