701 Quail Ave., Altoona, PA 16602
814.942.1042
Office hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Our mission: Inviting people to love one another.
Our vision: All creation living in harmony with Christ.
Candidacy in the ELCA
Find information about how you can answer the Holy Spirit's call to Rostered Ministry in the ELCA.
The first step in the process is discernment.
“The goal of discernment is to walk with a person of faith in such a way that he or she comes to a firm sense of what God is inviting in his or her life. Whatever the final outcome might be, the process will have been faithful to its objective of accompanying people of faith in discernment, if the individual takes ownership of his or her discernment outcome and completes or exits the process with a positive sense that the direction so discerned is a good fit for his or her gifts and interests” (ELCA Candidacy Manual, p. 68)
ELCA Candidacy Manual
This manual describes in detail the candidacy process for Candidacy Committees and candidates.
Guidelines for Candidates
This is a simplified version of the process of candidacy for candidates.
Summary of Candidacy
The ELCA provides this summary of the candidacy process to all registered candidates.
Personal Financial Planning Guide
Despite the institutional offers of free tuition, seminary is not free. Candidates are encouraged to examine their personal finances as they enter this process.
Seminarian Support Fund
The Allegheny Synod has been generously offering financial support to our seminarians for more than 20 years. Your financial gifts make it possible for our students to afford the sacrifices it takes to complete seminary education.
You can make a gift of any size to the fund. Every gift matters. Make checks payable to Allegheny Synod with Seminarian Support Fund in the memo line and mail them to: Allegheny Synod, 701 Quail Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602 or you can donate through this website here.
The Allegheny Synod Seminarians
Jennifer Bobolsky, Christy Harford, Regina Holliday, Penny Koontz, Steve Koths, Claudia Plows, Allen Stump
ELCA Seminaries
Click the seminary name to jump to their website
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary