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UCC Alumni

Elmhurst College was founded in 1871 as a “proseminary” with one primary purpose: to train ministers and teachers for the German Evangelical Synod of North America, a precursor to today’s United Church of Christ. Fifty years later, “minister” still ranked first among Elmhurst alumni occupations.

Today, a much smaller percentage of Elmhurst graduates go on to church-related careers. But over the years, the College has graduated a great many ministers and theologians, including several prominent church leaders and theologians.

For example:

• Reinhold Niebuhr, Class of 1910, went on to become “the most influential American theologian of the 20th century,” according to historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. More…  
  
• H. Richard Niebuhr, Class of 1912, served as the College’s sixth president and made significant contributions to the teaching of theology. More…
  
• Walter Brueggemann, Class of 1955, sells more books and informs more sermons than any other scripture expert in America. More…