Theology for the Whole Church
The Academy
of the Southeastern District
The Academy exists to care for the intellectual and spiritual wellness of our district. We have gathered some of the finest scholars in our district to offer rigorous, in-depth courses for pastors, deaconesses, teachers, lay leaders, and students who want to go deeper in His Word.
Our spring 2027 term brings four courses: Greek II, Confessions of the Faith, and two new seven-week courses in Lutheran theology and Christian leadership. Registration is now open, and we’re excited to keep building toward an expanding range of topics you can study at a scholarly level.
Spring 2027 Courses
Full-Term Courses
Fourteen sessions across the spring for steady, in-depth study.
Greek II
This course continues to work through the grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure of biblical Greek and is designed for students who wish to read the New Testament in its original language. Students will continue to build a working vocabulary, learn to parse and translate intermediate and difficult sentences, and develop the foundational tools needed to engage Scripture directly rather than through translation alone. A basic knowledge of Greek nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and indicative verbs is required. This course is built for students who desire to continue their language study and are ready to commit to steady, cumulative work across the full 14 weeks.
- Professor
- Rev. Alec Fisher, STM
- Dates
- Jan 25 – May 14, 2027
- Meets
- Mondays & Wednesdays, 10–11am Eastern
- Cost
- $200
- Class size
- Limited to 15 students
- Prerequisite
- Greek I (LAN 121)If you didn’t take LAN 121, you may request special consideration.
Required texts
- Learn to Read New Testament Greek, 3rd ed.David Alan Black, ISBN 978-0805444933
- Learn to Read New Testament Greek WorkbookGutiérrez, Murphy, and Croteau, ISBN 978-0805447927
- Greek New Testament (GNT6), Reader’s EditionBarclay M. Newman, ISBN 978-3438053114
Confessions of the Faith
This course is designed to refresh and expand the student’s familiarity with the Lutheran confessional documents contained in the Book of Concord. It will help students understand the context and theology confessed so that they may also confess the same faith in this present moment.
- Professor
- Rev. Matthew E. Borrasso, PhD
- Dates
- Jan 28 – May 20, 202714 sessions over 17 weeks
- Meets
- Thursdays, 7–9pm Eastern
- Cost
- $200
- Class size
- Limited to 25 students
- Prerequisite
- None
Required texts
- The Book of ConcordRobert Kolb and Timothy J. Wengert, eds. (Fortress Press), ISBN 978-0800627409
- The Lutheran Confessions: History and Theology of the Book of ConcordCharles P. Arand, Robert Kolb, and James A. Nestingen, eds. (Fortress Press), ISBN 978-0800627416
Seven-Week Courses
Seven Tuesday evening sessions with no prerequisites, a great place to begin. Introduction to Lutheran Theology is offered twice, so you can take Christian Leadership this winter and Lutheran Theology in the spring session.
Introduction to Lutheran Theology
Session I
This course introduces the basic concepts and categories of Lutheran theology. It is designed as an enrichment course for students who wish to learn or revisit the contours of the Christian faith as expressed in the Lutheran tradition and wrestle with the implications of that theology for life in the world.
- Professor
- Rev. Matthew E. Borrasso, PhD
- Dates
- Jan 26 – Mar 16, 20277 sessions over 8 weeks
- Meets
- Tuesdays, 7–9pm Eastern
- Cost
- $100
- Class size
- Limited to 25 students
- Prerequisite
- None
Required text
- The Christian FaithTheodore J. Hopkins and Robert Kolb (Concordia Publishing House), ISBN 978-0758677358
Introduction to Christian Leadership I
What makes a good leader? Research from the last four decades has revealed five things that effective leaders have in common: self-awareness, self-control, motivation, understanding others, and building healthy relationships. These ideas are not new but have been taught by God’s prophets, apostles, and many other saints for thousands of years; yet, they are often minimized and even overlooked in modern Christianity. In this course, students will consider these concepts through in-depth biblical exegesis, careful study of church history, and exploration of ancient wisdom toward spiritual growth in the Christian life.
- Professor
- Rev. Alec Fisher, STM
- Dates
- Jan 26 – Mar 16, 2027
- Meets
- Tuesdays, 7–9pm Eastern
- Cost
- $100
- Class size
- Limited to 25 students
- Prerequisite
- None
Required texts
- The Bible
- Confessions (Oxford World’s Classics)Saint Augustine, translated by Henry Chadwick (Oxford University Press), ISBN 978-0199537822
- Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQDaniel Goleman, 10th Anniversary Edition (Bantam), ISBN 978-0553383713
Introduction to Lutheran Theology
Session II
This course introduces the basic concepts and categories of Lutheran theology. It is designed as an enrichment course for students who wish to learn or revisit the contours of the Christian faith as expressed in the Lutheran tradition and wrestle with the implications of that theology for life in the world.
- Professor
- Rev. Matthew E. Borrasso, PhD
- Dates
- Mar 30 – May 11, 20277 sessions
- Meets
- Tuesdays, 7–9pm Eastern
- Cost
- $100
- Class size
- Limited to 25 students
- Prerequisite
- None
Required text
- The Christian FaithTheodore J. Hopkins and Robert Kolb (Concordia Publishing House), ISBN 978-0758677358
Meet the Faculty
Rev. Alec Fisher, STM
Teaching Greek II and Introduction to Christian Leadership I
Rev. Alec Fisher (MDiv and STM, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) serves as Senior Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Hickory, NC, and is a doctoral student at the University of Birmingham (UK) with the Institute of Textual Scholarship and Electronic Editing. His research focuses on medieval bilingual manuscripts of the Pauline epistles, and his article proving that Codex Augiensis is a direct copy of another known manuscript was published in New Testament Studies in 2024. He taught German and Latin, as well as other courses in systematic and exegetical theology, at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis from 2017 to 2026. In addition to regular presentations at conferences for scholars, clergy, and laity, and other academic publications, he is currently preparing a translation of the Latin text Liber De Ortu Et Obitu Patriarcharum (“The Book on the Birth and Death of the Patriarchs”).
Rev. Matthew E. Borrasso, PhD
Teaching Confessions of the Faith and Introduction to Lutheran Theology
Rev. Matthew Borrasso (PhD, University of Birmingham) serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington Park, MD. His doctoral research engaged Lutheran applications of Law and Gospel to scriptural and cultural issues. In addition to his work as a pastor, he has also served as an instructor at the Center for Missional and Pastoral Leadership, Concordia University St. Paul, and Concordia University Texas. He is the Associate Editor of the Forum Letter and the author of These Words We Speak: Law and Gospel in Contemporary Conversations (Fortress Press, 2026) and The Art of Exegesis: An Analysis of the Life and Work of Martin Hans Franzmann (Wipf & Stock, 2019), as well as various journal articles in the areas of historical and public theology.
Be the First to Know
One-time seminars on focused topics are on the way, along with new courses in future terms. Sign up for The Connect, our district’s weekly newsletter, to hear as soon as they’re announced.
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