MILLIGAN, Tenn. (Oct. 14, 2025) – Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan will be celebrating its 60th anniversary on Oct. 25. The occasion, which coincides with Milligan University’s Homecoming festivities, will be observed with a special worship service, a lecture by Milligan president Stephen Waers, and a reception.
“We are excited about the opportunity to celebrate such a significant milestone for Emmanuel,” Waers said. “Generations of professors and students have worked together to build a lasting legacy of scholarship and service that has strengthened the Church both locally and globally. We are excited to celebrate that good work, praise God, and look forward to the ways Emmanuel will continue to serve the church.”
Emmanuel was chartered as the Emmanuel School of Religion by the state of Tennessee in 1961 and began admitting students in 1965. Emmanuel became part of Milligan in 2015. In the 60 years since welcoming that first class of students, Emmanuel has remained dedicated to equipping students for leadership in ministry while strengthening the Church both locally and globally.
The celebration of Emmanuel’s 60th anniversary will include a worship service at 10 a.m. in Mildred Welshimer Phillips Memorial Chapel giving thanks to God for His faithfulness. Dr. LeRoy Lawson will serve as the speaker at this event. Lawson’s association with the seminary goes back to Emmanuel’s first year in 1965, and he has served as a trustee, professor and visiting lecturer at the seminary.
Waers will present “Christian Education, the Hope of the World: Higher Education and the Stone-Campbell Movement in Times of Uncertainty,” focusing on his vision for how Milligan and Emmanuel will serve the Church in the years ahead. The lecture is part of the Westwood Lectureship: The Robert O. Fife Lecture in Christian Reformation and will take place in the McGlothlin-Street Theater inside the Gregory Center at 2 p.m.
The lecture will be followed by a reception in the Gregory Center at 3 p.m. celebrating Emmanuel’s milestone and looking ahead to the future of the seminary. All three of these events are free and open to the public.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming back our alumni and friends of Emmanuel as we celebrate and reflect on this wonderful milestone,” said Ron Kastens, Academic Dean of the Seminary and Associate Professor of Christian Ministries at Emmanuel. “We stand on the shoulders of wonderful faculty, staff, and students as we carry forward the critical task of preparing men and women for God’s call upon their lives. I am excited about what the future holds for Emmanuel.”
For more information on the celebration of Emmanuel’s 60th anniversary, visit milligan.edu/homecoming.