Martin Luther College

Martin Luther College (MLC) is the college of ministry operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Located on a 50-acre (20 ha) campus in New Ulm, Minnesota, United States, the college prepares men for pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and men and women for service as early childhood teachers, elementary, and secondary teachers and staff ministers in WELS churches, schools and missions. A faculty of 82 educators serves approximately 800 students during the school year. The school is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and its teaching program has been approved by the Minnesota Board of Teaching.Martin Luther College was established in 1995 when Northwestern College, located in Watertown, Wisconsin, and Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm amalgamated on the New Ulm campus. Dr. Martin Luther College was established in 1884 by the Minnesota Synod to train Lutheran pastors and teachers working in Minnesota. Northwestern College was established in 1865 by the Wisconsin Synod to train Lutheran pastors in Wisconsin. In 1892, when the Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan Synods formed a federation called the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Wisconsin and Other States, it was agreed that Northwestern College would become the primary college for training men to serve as pastors in the new synod's churches. This purpose was carried out by Northwestern College on its campus in Watertown, Wisconsin, from 1865 to 1995.