About Us
Wartburg Theological Seminary
Wartburg Theological Seminary forms grace-filled leaders with a passion for Christ, compassion for the world, and hope for the future. We are rooted in the historical Lutheran tradition, and the contemporary global Lutheran witness.
Our thriving residential community is located along the historic limestone bluffs of Dubuque, Iowa, and our dynamic online learning pathways make a worship-centered theological education fully accessible to students near and far.
We listen to the Holy Spirit and each other, asking tough questions and embracing difficult conversations.
Weekly practices of spiritual formation invite us to wonder at God’s ongoing transformation in our lives and in the world, calling us to ministries of reconciliation, healing and wholeness.
We lead boldly, in communities on the margins, in rural congregations, and in churches large and small, faithfully serving a rapidly changing world created for communion with God and in need of personal and social healing.
Wartburg Seminary forms our students in classrooms that utilize three modalities in one learning community: residential, asynchronous and synchronous zoom students all study together in the same classes. Though our “home” is the Castle, the technology within these brick walls enables us all to be together wherever we are.
Students both on and off campus grow together in worship-centered community and critical theological reflection.
From our castle overlooking the Mississippi River, our community reaches across the country and around the world.
Our identity has been shaped by missionaries from Germany, Namibia’s struggle for independence, the growth of the Lutheran church in Papua New Guinea, and the wisdom of leaders from Madagascar, Tanzania, and India–to name just a few of our global partners.
Our students have a perspective both local and global, as they dare to hope, question, and believe in a loving God who is continually doing a new thing.
As a Reconciling in Christ seminary, Wartburg Theological Seminary seeks to offer hospitality and welcome to all who enter our academic programs.
Following Jesus Christ, whose reconciling love bridged barriers and made strangers friends, we seek to welcome and learn from one another’s particularity, including but not limited to race, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, physical ability, social status, and theological diversity.
Wartburg Seminary’s core curriculum is grounded in twelve pastoral-diaconal practices that shape faithful, wise, and compassionate leaders to support the flourishing of the church and the world.
These practices ground every student in gospel-centered formation and care for the neighbor and the stranger.
Since 1854, Wartburg Theological Seminary has been rooted in a legacy of faith, excellence, and innovation in theological education.
From its early beginnings in Dubuque to its vibrant presence today, Wartburg has shaped generations of leaders grounded in faith, wisdom, and love for God’s people.