About Concordia St. Paul

The mission of Concordia University, St. Paul, a university of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod, is to prepare students for thoughtful and informed living, for dedicated service to God and humanity, for enlightened care of God’s creation, all within the context of the Christian Gospel.

The vision of Concordia University, St. Paul is to be a Christ-centered, nationally prominent Lutheran university known for excellence and innovation that fosters success for all students.

Concordia University, St. Paul empowers students to discover and engage their purpose for life, career and service through a dynamic and multicultural environment where Christ is honored, all are welcome, and Lutheran convictions inform intellectual inquiry and academic pursuits.

What does the Promise Statement Mean?

Concordia University, St. Paul empowers you to:

discover and engage your purpose for life, career, and service

• We believe that a purpose for living is greater than just a job, but is built upon a sense of calling that contributes to a deep level of personal fulfillment in all aspects of life.
• We affirm the notion of vocation, in which God calls and guides individuals throughout their lifetimes.
• We believe that one’s purpose necessarily includes a passion for life-long learning beyond the attainment of an academic degree.
• We provide resources both within and outside the classroom to help students discover and begin to pursue their purpose.

in a dynamic and multicultural environment

• We embrace our urban location, and celebrate the ever-changing, or dynamic, quality of our location, which has long been a place for new immigrants to become established in the United States.
• We rejoice that God has created human beings of all races and ethnicities in his image.
• We confess the brokenness that has often occurred among people because of race, creed, color, and ethnicity, and our part in it.
• We foster opportunities for all of us in this academic community to learn from and appreciate each other.

where Christ is honored, all are welcome,

• We honor Jesus as the Christ, whose atoning sacrifice on the cross allowed salvation to occur for all who believe and are baptized.
• We strive to live together in peace, love, and harmony as brothers and sisters in the human family.
• We love all our students regardless of age, race, color, disability, gender, familial status, sexual orientation, religion, national and ethnic origin.
• We conduct worship on our campus in the Christian context, shaped and informed by Lutheran traditions of music and the arts.
• We affirm the biblical teaching of God’s love for all people in Christ, even when we do not live out his perfect intent for any and every part of our lives.

and Lutheran convictions inform intellectual inquiry and academic pursuits.

• We affirm the central biblical teaching that God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
• We affirm the Bible as the Word of God and the sole rule and norm of all doctrine.
• We affirm the biblical teaching that God’s creative intent is for sexuality to be expressed between one man and one woman in a marriage relationship.
• We aspire for all our students to learn from each other’s religious traditions.
• We regard the academic disciplines as good gifts for understanding how God’s creation works; as such, we pursue them, within the context of the Christian Gospel, through critical thought, lively discussion, and informed action.

If you have further questions about The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s beliefs and positions, please read the Beliefs and Practices FAQ Page