WATERLOO — The century-old institution that founded Wilfrid Laurier University is changing its name.

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, which is in the middle of a $9-million renovation of its 54-year-old building at Albert Street and Bricker Avenue on the Laurier campus, will soon become Martin Luther University College.

The name change, confirmed by the seminary's principal dean Mark Harris, is intended to reflect the reality of the school's educational evolution beyond its original mission of training Lutheran pastors.

"We're more than just a seminary," Harris said on Friday.

"We have a small-but-growing undergraduate program. And high school students don't look to seminaries for their (bachelor of arts) degrees."

Last year, the seminary had 178 full- and part-time students. About 250 Laurier students took classes at the seminary as well. This year, the seminary expects about 160 students, with classes taking place on the nearby Laurier campus during seminary reconstruction.

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary is federated with Laurier and its students earn Laurier degrees.

A new logo for the renamed seminary is being designed to go along with the new name.

"The name Waterloo Lutheran Seminary — which once accurately described who we were when we were primarily a denominational school — no longer reflects who we have become," Harris said.

"We continue to have a (Master of Divinity) program training Lutheran clergy and clergy from a number of other Christian denominations as well. But, in fact, the M-Div is now the smallest program in the school. Our largest program, the one we feel very strongly about, is the Masters in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy."

On average, Harris said, Waterloo Lutheran is training 35 psychotherapists a year who are going out serving in the wider community. More than 30 different faith communities are represented among the seminary's student body. Twenty per cent of Waterloo Lutheran's doctoral students are Muslim, he added.

"We are very multi-faith that way," Harris said. "That is what our communities are becoming. That's who we are."

A public announcement on the name change is planned for the fall.

The 500th anniversary of German monk Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, triggering the Reformation of the Catholic Church, is Oct. 31.

The name "Martin Luther University College" also aims to honour the seminary's origins.

"It's a way of affirming where the roots of this school are," Harris said. "It was the Lutherans of this community, predominantly German Lutherans, who founded the seminary back in 1911 — Lutherans who have a very, very strong tradition of promoting, not just theological education, but general education."

Work on the old seminary building, now gutted and under reconstruction, is to be completed during the summer of 2018. The redesign is expected to significantly expand and diversify the seminary's courses and programs, and include more common space.

About 15 seminary staff and faculty are set up in offices at the Beckett School of Music, on nearby Lester Street, during re-construction of the seminary building.

Harris said the seminary has been saving money for the project for a number of years, accruing about $4.5 million. The Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada has committed $1 million to the capital campaign. About $1.5 million is being sought from private donors. The remaining $2 million will come from financing.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The revamped building is set to open for the fall of 2018, a year after the new name of Martin Luther University College has been officially announced.

With recent calls to remove the name of Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, from Ontario public schools, some criticism of the seminary's new name is expected.

"You attach any name to anything these days and somebody is going to have a problem with it," Harris said.