Some wonder, ‘Where do our Deaconess students come from?’ And the simple answer to that question is ‘everywhere!’ From Texas to North Dakota, California to Rhode Island, and many states and regions in between, there is no area scarce of women seeking to serve. Further, international deaconess students from Europe, Asia and Africa, [just to name a few continents] have also matriculated to Concordia Theological Seminary.

Learning about and demonstrating Christ’s mercy as representatives of the Church, is precisely what deaconess students are trained to do.  As we know, the Body of Christ lives on throughout the world, and in many contexts.  So, it seems only appropriate that women throughout the world come and receive the tools and training to be able to articulate the faith in a meaningful way to various cultures, to demonstrate Christ’s compassion, and be examples of the ‘Bride of Christ,’ the Church  [Eph. 5:25], as God has called His children to be, wherever He places them to serve.

So, a long answer to a short question.  Deaconesses come from AND serve everywhere. Since the Church is alive throughout the world, it desires to recieve the good gifts from its bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who is also very alive. Deaconesses beckon the lost and struggling to recieve these unchanging, relevant gifts of Word and Sacrament so they may come to know, be refreshed and renewed-in the Gospel.