Cross-cultural Ministry Center

The Cross-cultural Ministry Center (CMC) is committed to forming faithful missionary pastors to initiate and develop culture-crossing ministries. What does this mean?

• 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 from CUI 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. Hear how God is working through CMC student’s lives.


• 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.


• Intentional diversity. The rapidly changing demographics of the U.S. in the 21^st 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 – a setting that is an increasingly multi-cultural and unchurched society – is an ideal location 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 both the academic resources and atmosphere that are inherent in our context of a larger university. Every one of our faculty members are published, and all of them have practical ministry experience – many in cross-cultural settings. Here you will find a community of scholar-teachers who are committed to your academic, spiritual, and professional development.


• Financial support. 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 will cover 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. Most students also receive financial support from their home congregations and districts.

Contact Us

For more information about the Cross-cultural Ministry Center at Concordia University Irvine, please fill out our inquiry form or contact the Program Coordinator, Rev. Mark Siegert, at mark.siegert@cui.edu or (949) 214-3395.