For the fourth straight year, Concordia University Ann Arbor’s total church work population has increased, demonstrating promising forward momentum.
Within the Concordia University System, Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor continues to serve the most Lutheran students and the largest population of church work students for the LCMS, according to the fall 2023 CUS report.
CUWAA is a proud member of the Concordia University System (CUS). This nationwide network of Concordias consists of six members – with locations in Ann Arbor, California, Chicagoland, Mequon, Minnesota, and Nebraska. While each institution of higher education is independently governed and operated (outside of CUW and CUAA), all hold a shared fidelity to the teachings of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Together, these Concordias are continuing the good work of raising up future leaders for the LCMS and beyond.
Each fall, the CUS releases an enrollment report for its member institutions. The fall 2023 report shows that CUAA’s total church work population (undergraduate and rostered graduate enrollees) is at 69, an increase from last year’s census count. Meanwhile, Concordia’s Mequon campus alone serves the most undergraduate students who are pursuing degrees in church work fields and the greatest number of rostered church workers at the graduate level.
Church work highlights
CUAA
- The sole Family Life Ministry program in the CUS
- The only STEPS program (a paid internship program for undergraduate church workers)
- A 10:1 church work student-to-faculty ratio
- 4 church work-specific scholarships
- 63 church work endowments (awarded annually)
- $200,000 awarded to church workers in 23-24
- $26,000 – average aid awarded
CUW
- The largest pre-seminary population in the CUS
- The sole Director of Church Ministry (DCM) program in the CUS (CUW’s DCM program enrolls more students than any equivalent program in the system)
- 124 rostered church workers at the graduate level, twice as much as the next-largest population
- 4 church work-specific scholarships
- 97 church work endowments (awarded annually)
- $804,000 awarded to church workers in 23-24
- $26,000 – average aid awarded
Lutheran learners
The fall 2023 CUS report also shows the vibrancy of CUWAA’s efforts to prepare future Lutheran leaders for the world, whether as a church worker or through a non-rostered vocation.
CUW and CUAA together enroll 1,917 students at the undergraduate and graduate levels who are declared Lutheran (any denomination).
Other highlights include:
CUAA
- 90% of the undergraduate population declared Christian (largest in the CUS)
- 20% of the total population declared Lutheran (third-largest in the CUS)
CUW
- 1,099 Lutheran students at the undergraduate level (largest in the CUS)
- 541 Lutheran students at the graduate level (largest in the CUS)
Want in?
We invite you to explore whether God is calling you to join the ranks of CUWAA alumni who serve Christ as church workers throughout the world. Each campus offers more than a dozen majors that distinctly prepare learners for church work. Explore your options by clicking below.