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The Cross-cultural Ministry Center (CMC) is committed to forming faithful missionary pastors to initiate and develop culture-crossing ministries. Guided by the mission of Concordia University Irvine and in partnership with Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, the CMC is faithful to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions without compromise.

After four years of academic study with a concurrent vicarage, you will graduate with a Master of Arts in Theology from Concordia University Irvine and receive full certification for ordination as a pastor in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS).

Mission Integration

As a CMC student, you will simultaneously serve as a vicar in a local congregation during all four years of your studies. During this time, you will progress from becoming familiar with your congregation and community to taking the lead in starting a new culture-crossing ministry.

Discover the Vicarage Program

Embedded Learning

Through this concurrent vicarage, the CMC aims to embed missiological and theological education in your real-life situations. While classes are offered on our campus, they are also delivered in a real-time online format, allowing students from outside of Southern California to complete their education without leaving the church and community where they serve.

Curriculum

What Sets the CMC Apart

Steadfast faithfulness

Guided by the mission of Concordia University Irvine and in partnership with Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, the CMC is faithful to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions without compromise. After four years of academic study with a concurrent vicarage, you will graduate with a Master of Arts in Theology and receive full certification for ordination as a pastor in the LCMS.

Intentional diversity

The rapidly changing demographics of the U.S. in the 21st century call for a program like the CMC. You will experience ethnic, socio-economic, and generational diversity in our leadership, fellow students, and ministries. Our location in Southern California — an increasingly multi-cultural and unchurched society — is an ideal setting for a program focused on missional outreach.

Professional excellence

The CMC is a program of high academic quality and committed to excellence in both the classroom and in the field. You will benefit from the academic resources and atmosphere inherent in the context of a larger university. Every one of our faculty members is published, and all of them have practical ministry experience — many in cross-cultural settings.

Financial support

Concordia University is proud to offer generous financial aid and scholarships to all students in the CMC. Most students also receive financial support from their home congregations and districts.

The Church Career Grant covers one-third of your tuition

As part of our commitment, Concordia University is proud to offer generous financial aid and scholarships to all students in the CMC. The Church Career Grant covers one-third of your total tuition over the four-year course of the program. For students demonstrating further need, the All Nations Scholarship can match up to another third of tuition for a limited number of students each year.

See Scholarships

Get in Touch

For more information about the Cross-cultural Ministry Center at Concordia University Irvine, please reach out to our team directly.