The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, have been given a joint mandate by the ELCA to develop an expanded seminary presence for the preparation of leaders for mission in the convergence of cultures in the Southwest. It operates under the authority of and is accredited through Wartburg Seminary. Building on the already existing Wartburg program in Austin, Texas, which had been dedicated solely to Hispanic ministry, Wartburg and LSTC now offer a Master of Divinity program at that location.
Some students focus on Hispanic ministry and others prepare for more traditional parish ministries.
All students in the program are challenged acquire some proficiency in Spanish and some introduction to Hispanic culture, since the Southwest has become a multicultural, bilingual region of the United States. The plan for the program calls for a complement of two or three faculty members, in addition to the Director, and up to forty students. The program is ecumenical in nature, and draws on the resources of the nearby Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary for course offerings in order to provide a full M.Div. curriculum. The program is under the joint direction of Wartburg Theological Seminary and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, with regular contact between the director of the Austin program and the presidents, deans, Field Education directors, and business and development officers of the sponsoring seminaries. The requirements of its degree programs are listed in the Wartburg catalog.