Religious and Spiritual Life
We are each full of sacred worth and called to a sacred work.
Every Capital student is a welcome member of our spiritual community. Whether you are fully devoted to a religious tradition not sure what you believe about spirituality, that's okay. There is a place for you here! From an array of backgrounds, Capital offers you many opportunities to explore your beliefs and live them out in service to others.
Is Capital a Christian College?
Yes! However, that probably does not mean what you think it means. Capital is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Because of this, we offer regular chapel services, employ a University Pastor, maintain the only Law School at any ELCA institution, and stand as one of only three ELCA universities with an embedded seminary.
At the same time, our Lutheran identity matters to us not because we exist to make you Lutheran—or Christian. The Lutheran mission in higher education is best described as “Rooted and Open.” We are rooted in our heritage, which helps us fulfill our mission to transform student lives. And we are open to your beliefs. Instead of forcing students to conform to a specific worldview, our calling is to help you ask big questions, pursue truth wherever it leads, and discover your vocation.
What is vocation? Author Frederick Buechner famously defined it as the place "where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet." Our mission as a Lutheran university is to help you discover a calling beyond yourself—one that transforms who you are and helps you grow into the person you were meant to be. Capital students are called toward the common good. That journey may involve the religious resources Capital offers, and it may not. Capital views its Lutheran heritage as fundamental to its identity, and we view the multitude of faith perspectives present on our campus in exact alignment with that same principle.
What is certain is that a Capital education—founded by Lutherans nearly 200 years ago—will transform your life, empower you to ask big questions about what matters, and guide you in connecting your deep gladness with the world’s deepest needs.
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Staff
Rev. Dr. Ian McMichael
University Pastor
Trinity Lutheran Seminary 110
Email: imcmichael@capital.edu
Preseminary Program
In partnership with the Religion and Philosophy Department, we host a preseminary program that includes opportunities for small group conversation, dedicated Spring Break ministry immersions, and faith coaching opportunities to help students explore their vocations and the possibility of seminary education. Students do not have to commit to seminary, whether at Trinity or anywhere else. They must simply be considering a call to seminary education and the possibilities that entails.
Preseminary scholarships are also available. To be eligible, you must be officially declared as a preseminary student with the Registrar’s Office as well as engaged in university-sponsored ministries.
Partner Ministries
We have many partner ministries in Columbus and throughout the United States. These ministries pray for us, volunteer to help feed, mentor, or otherwise support our students, and offer financial assistance to campus ministries. If you are interested in being a partner with Capital, please email Interim University Pastor Dan Hille at dhille@capital.edu.
Service Opportunities
The Center for Faith and Learning partners with organizations throughout Columbus. If you would have any ideas for service opportunities, please feel free to contact. Community partnerships with local partners including First English Lutheran Church, Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio, Dreams on Horseback, the Bexley Day of Kindness, and God’s Work, Our Hands Sunday.
Alternative Spring Break Trips, where we engage communities to learn and serve alongside locals in other parts of the country and world. Ecumenical Advocacy Days and local advocacy opportunities with One Ohio Now.