By President Rich Gurgel NWC ’81, WLS ’86
“Grounded.” That means different things to different people at different moments.
An adolescent grounded by Mom or Dad isn’t delighted with the concept. Grounded at that moment feels like being shackled at home when they want to be out having fun with friends.
But being grounded can be beautiful when it means an individual or institution is firmly planted in core beliefs that give purpose and direction to whatever they do. Being grounded provides a compass and sense of direction.
MLC is
By God’s grace, this college is grounded in the best sense of the word. We are deeply rooted in our core convictions about who we are, firmly fixed in our identity as God’s forgiven children through a crucified and risen Lord Jesus, and securely established in our mission.
The first key initiative of our strategic plan, Pursuing Excellence Under the Cross, declares this:
We Embrace Our Family’s Identity:
We pursue excellence under the cross as we delight without apology in being a confessional Lutheran family whose defining mission is to equip and support the current and future generations of faithful pastors, educators, and staff ministers.
However, being grounded in the comfort and power of Jesus’ forgiving and saving grace does not make us lethargic, nor does it leave us shackled by fear. Being grounded does not hinder us from taking bold steps to be the college we need to be at this moment.
Being grounded unleashes energy and strength to live our faith in bold and courageous ways. That’s how Martin Luther, in his famous preface to Romans, described the impact of being grounded in faith in Jesus: “Faith is a living, daring confidence in the grace of God, of such assurance that it would risk a thousand deaths. This confidence and knowledge of divine grace makes a person happy, bold, and full of gladness in his relation to God and all creatures.”
When we are grounded in Jesus’ grace, we are compelled to be bold for Christ, no matter our vocation in life. Being grounded gives us the strength to take bold steps in how we carry out our mission. Being grounded gives us courage to make the most of each opportunity God gives us.
That’s the theme of this edition of MLC InFocus. We hope you’ll see on page after page that we are firmly grounded in our unchanging mission and boldly growing in many different ways—including these:
- Expanding preseminary minors
- Adding an associate degree in ECE
- Taking the next steps in our online APPLE program
- Exploring new staff ministry options
- Upgrading our facilities
- Beginning innovative recruitment efforts
It’s exciting! Please join us in asking God to keep this campus grounded and growing as we live out our mission as the WELS College of Ministry—through Jesus’ powerful grace.
