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Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology

Academics > Programs > Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology

The Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT) offers a specialized program of preparation for men who want to serve as pastors and women who want to serve as deaconesses in immigrant and ethnic minority communities in North America. Students who successfully complete the program receive the Certificate of Vocation that enables men to receive a call into the ministry of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and women to be commissioned to serve in deaconess ministry.

The EIIT Program is a certificate program; it does not lead to an academic degree. Students wishing to earn a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or Master of Arts (M.A.) should consult Concordia Seminary about entrance requirements and procedures for those programs.

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Admissions Requirements

EIIT only admits students with the advice and consent of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) district in which the student lives and works. All prospective students are encouraged to contact Enrollment (Admissions Officer Caitlin Dinger at 314-505-7222 or dingerc@csl.edu) for assistance with the admission process. Since successful applicants to the EIIT Program are placed as vicars/interns in Lutheran congregations, the following documentation must be submitted to be considered for admission. Prospective students are strongly advised to consult Enrollment when they are ready to begin the process. The following documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and the mentor/supervisor:
  • Application form and personal short answers form
  • $100 application fee (paid with check or over the phone through credit card)
  • Official transcripts (high school, college, university and seminary)
  • Background Check Authorization Form
The following documentation should be completed with the assistance of the applicant’s mentor/supervisor:
  • Letter of recommendation from the applicant’s pastor
  • Letter of recommendation from the applicant’s own immigrant ministry (by church leader on behalf of the congregation/ministry)
  • Vicarage/Internship Application (completed by pastor and congregation that receive online access to the document from the applicant’s LCMS district office)
The following documentation should be submitted from the applicant’s LCMS district:
  • EIIT Partnership Covenant (completed and signed by all participating parties)
  • District Interview (scheduled and conducted with district committee)
  • Letter of recommendation from the LCMS District President (including name of designated mentor/supervisor for applicant)
  • Vicarage/Internship Application (signature approval by district president)
The following documentation should be completed with assistance from Concordia Seminary’s Enrollment and EIIT offices:
  • Entry Level Competency Exams (ELCEs) (competency tests in Old Testament, New Testament and Christian Doctrine [Luther’s Small Catechism])
  • Duolingo English Test (to demonstrate applicant’s level of English proficiency; contact a Concordia Seminary Admissions Officer for information)
The application period closes on Feb. 28 for the following academic year.

Entry Level Competency Exams

Prospective students must take the Old Testament, New Testament and Christian Doctrine exams and pass each with a score of 70 percent or higher. Each exam may be taken more than once. The primary study resources for the Entry Level Competency Exams (ELCEs) are the Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism. All questions are based on these two sources. Lists of Old and New Testament passages that may help a student to prepare and the book, What the Bible and Lutherans Teach, are available from Enrollment (Admissions Officer Caitlin Dinger at 314-505-7222 or dingerc@csl.edu). In addition, applicants must take the Duolingo English Test to demonstrate their current level of English proficiency. Information about the exam is readily available at englishtest.duolingo.com. Arrangements for taking the exam can be made by contacting Enrollment.

Curriculum

The EIIT Program consists of 24 courses: 20 half-semester courses and four short Winterim courses. Each year of courses consists of five half-semester courses and one short Winterim course. The EIIT Program courses are taught online in the English language. No residency on the St. Louis campus is required. The program is designed to be completed in four years.

Courses

PASTORAL FORMATION 24 COURSES
PRA441 Introduction to Pastoral Ministry
EXE441 Reading the Bible Faithfully
PRA455 Lutheran Worship [Short Course]
EXE442 Faithfully Reading the Gospels
PRA442 Pastor as Preacher
PRA443 Care in the Congregation
EXE443 Faithfully Reading the Epistles of Paul
SYS441 The Christian Faith
HIS455 Missouri Synod Fellowship [Short Course]
PRA444 Teaching the Christian Faith
PRA445 Witness and Evangelism
PRA446 Servant Leadership
SYS442 Confessing the Faith Today
HIS441 Christians Engage the World
PRA456 Witness and Evangelism Practicum [Short Course]
EXE444 Faithfully Reading the Old Testament
SYS443 Means of Grace
PRA447 Worship and the Word
PRA448 Contextualized Counseling
EXE445 Basic New Testament Theology
PRA457 Church Administration [Short Course]
HIS442 The Lutheran Church: Then and Now
HIS443 Lutherans and Other Denominations
PRA449 The Lutheran Pastor
The curriculum listed in this chart is for students who started the EIIT Program after fall 2018. For more information about application deadlines, term dates, class procedures, etc., please see the EIIT section of Concordia Seminary’s Academic Catalog.

Vicarage

Students in the EIIT Program are assigned as vicars in their locations of service upon admission to the program.

Deaconess Studies

The Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology (EIIT) offers a specialized program for women in mission and ministry in first generation ethnic immigrant, non-English language dominant and other culture specific contexts in North America. The program leads to commissioning as a deaconess in the LCMS.

Students take online courses and as part of their formation and work in a ministry setting under the supervision of a local pastoral mentor. Students are assigned as deaconess interns in their locations of service upon admission to the program (a concurrent internship) and will complete the program in approximately four years.

Apply
Admissions
Financial Aid
Tuition and Fees
Call Process
Academic Catalog

Admissions Requirements

EIIT only admits students with the advice and consent of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) district in which the student lives and works. All prospective students are encouraged to contact Enrollment (Admissions Officer Caitlin Dinger at 314-505-7222 or dingerc@csl.edu) for assistance with the admission process. Since successful applicants to the EIIT Program are placed as vicars/interns in Lutheran congregations, the following documentation must be submitted to be considered for admission. Prospective students are strongly advised to consult Enrollment when they are ready to begin the process. The following documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and the mentor/supervisor:
  • Application form and personal short answers form
  • $100 application fee (paid with check or over the phone through credit card)
  • Official transcripts (high school, college, university and seminary)
  • Background Check Authorization Form
The following documentation should be completed with the assistance of the applicant’s mentor/supervisor:
  • Letter of recommendation from the applicant’s pastor
  • Letter of recommendation from the applicant’s own immigrant ministry (by church leader on behalf of the congregation/ministry)
  • Vicarage/Internship Application (completed by pastor and congregation that receive online access to the document from the applicant’s LCMS district office)
The following documentation should be submitted from the applicant’s LCMS district:
  • EIIT Partnership Covenant (completed and signed by all participating parties)
  • Letter of recommendation from the LCMS District President (including name of designated mentor/supervisor for applicant)
  • Vicarage/Internship Application (signature approval by district president)
The following documentation should be completed with assistance from Concordia Seminary’s Enrollment and EIIT offices:
  • Entry Level Competency Exams (ELCEs) (competency tests in Old Testament, New Testament and Christian Doctrine [Luther’s Small Catechism])
  • Duolingo English Test (to demonstrate applicant’s level of English proficiency; contact a Concordia Seminary Admissions Officer for information)
The application period closes on Feb. 28 for the following academic year.

Entry Level Competency Exams

Prospective students must take the Old Testament, New Testament and Christian Doctrine exams and pass each with a score of 70 percent or higher. Each exam may be taken more than once. The primary study resources for the Entry Level Competency Exams (ELCEs) are the Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism. All questions are based on these two sources. Lists of Old and New Testament passages that may help a student to prepare and the book, What the Bible and Lutherans Teach, are available from Enrollment (Admissions Officer Caitlin Dinger at 314-505-7222 or dingerc@csl.edu). In addition, applicants must take the Duolingo English Test to demonstrate their current level of English proficiency. Information about the exam is readily available at englishtest.duolingo.com. Arrangements for taking the exam can be made by contacting Enrollment.

Curriculum

The EIIT Program consists of 24 courses: 20 half-semester courses and four short Winterim courses. Each year of courses consists of five half-semester courses and one short Winterim course. The EIIT Program courses are taught online in the English language. No residency on the St. Louis campus is required. The program is designed to be completed in four years.

Courses

DEACONESS FORMATION 24 COURSES
PRA4412 Introduction to Diaconal Ministry
EXE441 Reading the Bible Faithfully
PRA455 Lutheran Worship [Short Course]
EXE442 Faithfully Reading the Gospels
PRA4421 Diaconal Care in Times of Distress
PRA443 Care in the Congregation
EXE443 Faithfully Reading the Epistles of Paul
SYS441 The Christian Faith
HIS455 Missouri Synod Fellowship [Short Course]
PRA444 Teaching the Christian Faith
PRA445 Witness and Evangelism
PRA446 Servant Leadership
SYS442 Confessing the Faith Today
HIS441 Christians Engage the World
PRA456 Witness and Evangelism Practicum [Short Course]
EXE444 Faithfully Reading the Old Testament
SYS443 Means of Grace
PRA4471 Deaconess as Bible Teacher
PRA448 Contextualized Counseling
EXE445 Basic New Testament Theology
PRA457 Church Administration [Short Course]
HIS442 The Lutheran Church: Then and Now
HIS443 Lutherans and Other Denominations
PRA4491 The Lutheran Deaconess
For more information about application deadlines, term dates, class procedures, etc., please see the EIIT section of Concordia Seminary’s Academic Catalog.