Merger Talks Begin Between Long-Standing Seminaries in Pa. By
Moravian College and Seminary and the Lancaster Theological Seminary are exploring merger options, the two institutions in Pennsylvania announced yesterday. The discussions are nonbinding. They are focused on providing “an ecumenical theological education on multiple campuses,” according to information about the talks posted by Lancaster Theological Seminary. The talks include a commitment to retain the Lancaster Theological Seminary name. Moravian College, located in Bethlehem, Pa., is a private institution founded in 1742 that counts itself as the country’s sixth-oldest college. Moravian Theological Seminary is a part of the college that traces its own founding back to 1807. The Moravian campus is about an 80-mile drive from Lancaster Theological Seminary, which was founded in 1825 and is one of six seminaries associated with the progressive United Church of Christ.