Founded in 1946, BLTS was essentially a department of Bethany Lutheran College (BLC), before the two institutions were officially separated in 1974.
The first president of the newly separated seminary was Theodore A. Aaberg, who was forced to resign due to health issues a few years later.
First and foremost, BLTS exists to train Lutheran pastors for parish ministry.
Therefore, it offers a four-year course of study culminating in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
in Lutheran Theological Studies for interested laymen who do not want to enter the public ministry but are interested in a deeper study of Lutheran history and theology.