Journal of Lutheran Mission - April 2016

Journal of Lutheran
Mission
April 2016 | Vol. 3 | No. 1
The Journal of Lutheran Mission

Contributing Editors
David Berger, Emeritus, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Rev. Dr. Steve Briel, chairman, Board for National Mission, LCMS
Rev. Allan Buss, parish pastor, Belvidere, Ill.
Rev. Roberto Bustamante, faculty, Concordia Seminary, Buenos Aires
Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III, director, LCMS Church Relations
Rev. Thomas Dunseth, director of deaf ministry, Lutheran Friends of the Deaf, New York
Rev. Nilo Figur, area counselor for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lutheran Hour Ministries
Rev. Roosevelt Gray, director, LCMS Black Ministry
Rev. Dr. Carlos Hernandez, director, LCMS Hispanic Ministry
Rev. Dr. John Kleinig, emeritus lecturer, Australian Lutheran College
Rev. Ted Krey, regional director, Latin America and the Caribbean, LCMS
Deaconess Dr. Cynthia Lumley, principal, Westfield Theological House, Cambridge
Rev. Dr. Gottfried Martens, parish pastor, Berlin
Rev. Dr. Naomichi Masaki, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Dr. Tilahun Mendedo, president, Concordia College, Selma
Rev. Nabil Nour, fifth vice-president, LCMS
Rev. Dr. Steve Oliver, LCMS missionary, Taiwan
Rev. Dr. Michael Paul, LCMS theological educator to Asia
Rev. Roger Paavola, president, LCMS Mid-South District
Rev. Dr. Darius Petkunis, rector, Lithuanian Lutheran Seminary
Rev. Dr. Andrew Pfeiffer, faculty, Australian Lutheran College
Rev. John T. Pless, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Dr. Timothy Quill, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Dr. David Rakotonirina, bishop, Antananarivo Synod of the Malagasy Lutheran Church
Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast, president, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Rev. Geoff Robinson, mission executive, Indiana District
Rev. Dr. Carl Rockrohr, pastor, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Rev. Robert Roethemeyer, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Dr. Brian Saunders, president, LCMS Iowa East District
Rev. Dr. Detlev Schultz, faculty, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Rev. Bernie Seter, chairman, Board for International Mission, LCMS
Rev. Kou Seying, associate dean, Urban and Cross-Cultural Ministry, Concordia Seminary, St Louis
Rev. Alexey Streltsov, rector, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Siberia
Rev. Martin Teigen, parish pastor/Hispanic ministry, North Mankato, Minn.
Rev. Dr. Wilhelm Weber, Jr., rector, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Pretoria, South Africa
Rev. John Wille, president, LCMS South Wisconsin District
Executive Editors
Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III, director, LCMS Church Relations
Rev. Bart Day, executive director, LCMS Office of National Mission
Rev. John Fale, executive director, LCMS Office of International Mission
From the President
Teaching the Faith

and Mission
he third annual LCMS Mission Summit:

Education, Teaching the Faith and Mission was
held this past November in Atlanta, Ga. Christian
education and teaching the faith have gone hand in hand
with mission and the proclamation of the Gospel since
the earliest days of the Church. Higher education, as we
have come to know it today, had its origin in the Churchs
efforts to train pastors and others to serve the Church
some 1,000 years ago. The Churchs role in education is
connected to the teaching of the saving Gospel of Jesus
and the belief that the good gifts of creation are to be used
for the benefit of the Church.
Theological education has been important to the
Missouri Synod since her founding as a church body.
Concordia Seminary in St. Louis was founded in 1839,
while Concordia Theological Seminary was founded in
1846. Both seminaries were founded before the Synods
founding in 1847. The Missouri Synods work internationally paralleled her own development in some ways. At
the beginning of mission work, before a church body was
founded, often a seminary was established (India, Nigeria,
et al.) The training of pastors goes hand in hand with mission work. Trained pastors and other church workers
teach the faith in congregations and train people to share
the faith with their family, friends and communities. This
is why the theme of teaching the faith and mission is so
vitally important for our day, both internationally and
domestically.
Internationally, the single largest request from partner and non-partner churches alike is for assistance in
the area of theological education. The requests range
from church bodies struggling to train their first pastors
to a church body like the Ethiopian Evangelical Church
Mekane Yesus (EECMY), which has the goal of training
10,000 pastors over the next several years. The Missouri
Synod is known around the world for her quality, biblically based theological education. The training of pastors
and evangelists is vital internationally, especially where
the Church is growing so rapidly that there is a shortage
of pastors to proclaim the Gospel each week. This issue

provides a case study for the development of a seminary in Siberia and describes how the Global Seminary
Initiative is having an impact worldwide.
Domestically, education and teaching the faith is vital
as our society and culture continue to drift away from
traditional Christian values and become more biblically
illiterate each passing day. Well-trained pastors, church
workers and laity are essential for Gospel outreach to our
communities. This issue speaks to the teaching of the faith
to our children and to the community in our churches,
schools and homes.
Finally, teaching the faith involves being able to provide an apologetic or defense of the Christian faith. Two
papers provide an apologetic to two recent documents
produced by the Lutheran World Federation.
Teaching the faith and mission go hand in hand. The
Lord has prepared us for this moment to bring the faith
to the world, both at home and abroad. As Dr. Martin
Luther said, Now that God has so richly blessed us, however, and provided us with so many men able to instruct
and train our youth aright, it is surely imperative that we
not throw his blessing to the winds and let him knock in
vain. He is standing at the door; happy are we who open
to him! He is calling us; blessed is he who answers him!1
Let us answer the Lords call to teach the faith and bring
the Gospel to our homes, our communities, our nation
and to the world.
In Christ,
President Matthew C. Harrison
President of the LCMS
Martin Luther, To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany that

they Establish and Maintain Christian Schools, 1524 in Luthers Works,
Vol. 45: The Christian in Society II, ed. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, Hilton C.
Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 45 (Philadelphia: Fortress Press,
1999), 352.
Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
Tribute to Ethiopian
Theologian Gedion Adunga
by Albert B. Collver III
n the morning the LCMS Mission Summit

began, Nov. 19, 2015, I received a text
message at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. stating that
Gedion Adugna, the associate dean of Theology at
the Mekane Yesus Seminary (MYS) in Addis Abba,
Ethiopia, had been murdered. Gedion was walking to
his home from MYS when the assault occurred, the
purpose of which may have been robbery.
Only 33 years old, Gedion left behind his pregnant wife, Ayantu Shiferaw, and a young son. His
sudden and evil death left his family, the seminary
community and the Ethiopian Evangelical Church
Mekane Yesus (EECMY) in shock and sadness. His
death also affected many within the LCMS who
worked with him and came to appreciate his love for
the Gospel and the Lutheran Confessions.
Gedion Adugna was born in Debre Berhan,
Ethiopia. He received a degree in Church History
from the MYS before serving the Central Ethiopia
Synod, coordinating its youth department. After two

years of service with the synod, he was invited to
teach at the seminary in 2009. In 2011, he completed
a Masters of Theology at the Ethiopian Graduate
School of Theology and continued serving the MYS
as a teacher and associate dean.
The LCMS Global Seminary Initiative (GSI) had
awarded Gedion a scholarship to attend a Missouri
Synod seminary. Gedion had been accepted into
Ph.D. programs at both Concordia Theological
Seminary, Fort Wayne, and Concordia Seminary, St.
Louis. He was awaiting a visa from the United States
government to attend one of the seminaries.
Gedion was a promising Lutheran theologian
who would have been a great asset to his church and
to the seminary he served. (See an interview with
Gedion at https://youtu.be/_WBkcFRhPDs). The Lord
in His wisdom determined another course. Blessed
are the deaths of the saints in the eyes of the Lord.
The essays in this issue are dedicated to the memory of Gedion Adunga.
Journal of Lutheran
Mission
Table of Contents
April 2016 | Vol. 3 | No. 1
Novosibirsk: A Lutheran Seminary Model for Theological Education in Russia

by Timothy C. J. Quill.......................................................................................................................................... 2
Theological Education and the Global Seminary Initiative A Review and Look to
the Future by Albert B. Collver III............................................................................................................. 10
Response to Dr. Albert Collver III
by Lawrence R. Rast, Jr. ................................................................................................................................... 18
Response to Dr. Albert Collver, Theological Education and the Global Seminary
InitiativeA Review and Look to the Future by Jeffrey Kloha..................................................... 23
A Reflection on Theological Education in the Twentieth Century
by Robert H. Bennett........................................................................................................................................ 30
Colonialism in the Global SouthThe Imperialism of Western Sexual Ethics
by Albert B. Collver III.................................................................................................................................... 34
Teaching the Faith in the Parish
by Mark Blanke................................................................................................................................................... 40
Book Review: Making the Case for Christianity: Responding to Modern Objections
by Jacob Corzine................................................................................................................................................. 47
Book Review: Mercy in Action: Essays on Mercy, Human Care and Disaster Response.
by Mark C. Mattes............................................................................................................................................. 49
Book Review: Why Christian Faith Still Makes Sense: A Response to
Contemporary Challenges by John T. Pless............................................................................................... 51
Book Review: Handling the Word of Truth: Law and Gospel in the Church Today
by Mark Loest...................................................................................................................................................... 53
Book Review: The Reformation Coin and Medal Collection of Concordia Historical
Institute by Journal of Lutheran Mission Editors................................................................................. 55
2016 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod.

Reproduction of a single article or column for parish
use only does not require permission of The Journal
of Lutheran Mission. Such reproductions, however,
should credit The Journal of Lutheran Mission as the
source. Cover images are not reproducible without
permission. Also, photos and images credited to
sources outside the LCMS are not to be copied.
Published by The Lutheran Church

Missouri Synod.
Please direct queries to
journaloflutheranmission@lcms.org.
This journal may also be found at
www.lcms.org/journaloflutheranmission.
Find the Journal of Lutheran Mission on
Facebook.
Editorial office:
1333 S. Kirkwood Road,
St. Louis, MO 63122-7294,
314-996-1202
Member: Associated Church Press Evangelical Press Association (ISSN 2334-1998)

A periodical of The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synods Offices of National and International Mission.
Every pastor is what he is because

of the influence of seminary
professors in forming theological
understanding and pastoral
Novosibirsk: A Lutheran
Seminary Model for Theological
Education in Russia
character.
by Timothy C. J. Quill
Brief Historical Origins
n 1993 I was asked by the newly formed Concordia

Mission Society to participate in a three-week
exploratory trip to Kazakhstan to assess the
possibility of initiating mission work in Central Asia. I
traveled via Moscow to what was at that time the capital
city of Almaty located in southeast Kazakhstan at the
base of the snow covered Tian Shan Mountains. We then
traveled west across the vast country to a remote Kazakh
village, and finally to the formerly closed military city of
Aktau (white mountain) on the Caspian Sea. Much time
and effort was spent simply getting around on foot or in
city buses. I chose to wear my clerical collar. It was a good
choice. Everywhere I went, people wanted to talk to me. I
quickly lost count of the number of people, mostly young
people, who were eager to try out their English and more
eager to discuss openly Christianity with someone from
the West. Those were exciting and heady times to be about
the missionary task. There was a tremendous interest in
all things American, including American Christianity.
In April 1996, Dr. Dean O. Wenthe, the newly elected
president of Concordia Theological Seminary (CTS)
and academic dean Dr. William Weinrich were invited
to a meeting in St. Louis with Rev. Larry Burgdorf and
Dr. Wallace Schulz. They were asked if CTS would be
interested in accepting a significant donation from the
Marvin M. Schwann Charitable Foundation in order
to develop what would come to be called the Russian
Project.1 Significant support for the work in Siberia came
1
EDITORS NOTE: On March 25, 1997, President A.vL. Barry issued

a six-point letter. Point 1: We are not saying that our two seminaries
should stop their activities in bringing overseas students to their
campuses for theological study, or that our seminary faculties should
not be involved in overseas teaching roles. Point 2: We are not saying
that the work which Concordia Seminary, St. Louis or Concordia
Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, is doing in various parts of the
world must be stopped. Specifically, we agreed that Fort Waynes work
in Novosibirsk should not be stopped. In Point 6, President Barry
from the CTS from 19962010. After 2010, the work in

Siberia was supported by the Global Seminary Initiative
that was begun by Missouri Synod President Matthew
C. Harrison. The original project charter included three
goals: (1) Preparation of men for the pastoral ministry on
the Fort Wayne campus to replace the hundreds of pastors killed by the communists; (2) Assist Lutherans in
suggested that a discussion group be formed with representatives
from Concordia Theological Seminary, the Synod presidents office,
the Board for World Mission and the Board for Higher Education.
President Barry stressed that written contracts were not needed and
the discussion should not be rushed. A few months later, on Oct. 20,
1997, Rev. Dr. Glenn OShoney sent a memo to President Barry to
inform him of a resolution passed by the Board for Mission Services
(BFMS) regarding Concordia Theological Seminarys activity in Russia.
The BFMS wrote, Fort Wayne Seminary Involved in independent
mission work in Russia; Involved in competitive mission activity in
Russia; Involved in church relations activities counter to those of the
LCMS; Has refused to discuss their activities or to partner program
with LCMS. Recommendation: That the Board for Mission Services
bring this concern to the attention of the President of the Synod; the
Board of Regents of Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne; and the LCMS
Board Higher Education. That the Board respectfully ask the President
of the Synod to intervene and to seek, mission, church relations, and
by-law clarification with resolution (written) to this situation. On
Feb. 19, 1998, President Barry directed the parties involved to meet
to resolve issues of mission in Russia. The meeting held on March 18,
1998, concluded in terms of the Russian Project that, A seminary has
the freedom to send faculty anywhere upon invitation; A seminary has
the freedom to receive students from anywhere for any degree program;
A seminary has the freedom to give advice and consent to anyone who
seeks help; A seminary has the freedom to invite faculty from elsewhere
to teach on seminary campus. The meeting outlined that these parties
would meet twice a year to discuss the Russian Project. All parties were
agreed that the matter was settled and no further action was required;
this was in response to the resolution submitted the previous year
from the BFMS. The document on Agreement Regarding Russian
Mission Activities concluded, The six representatives reported to Dr.
Barry that this meeting has resolved several issues and has established
an adequate procedural basis for future cooperative activities. They
consider these issues to be resolved and recommend that no further
resolution be sought. Because these memos and meetings were not
public, the rumor persisted for many years that Concordia Theological
Seminary did not have approval to operate the Russian Project when,
in fact, the Synod president, the BFMS and the BHE agreed that the
program could continue to operate in both Fort Wayne and Siberia.
Siberia to establish a seminary in Russia for the training

how to resist the liberal theological influence that is
of pastors and lay leaders; (3) Work with Russian speakers
growing in Russia at present time. According to our
in the former Soviet Union to organize evangelism/catexperience of studying on the Fort Wayne campus in
echetical summer seminars.
the summer of 1995, and after our experience this
As this meeting was taking place, I was living a quiet
past summer of having professors in Novosibirsk, I
and contented life on the Drew University campus located
can say that only the Lutheran ChurchMissouri
in the forested hill country of northern New Jersey. The
Synod can help us in Siberia to fulfill our dream and
call from CTS to serve as director of the Russian Project
only your Seminary can help Russian Lutherans to
came as a complete surprise. Within weeks I found myself
establish a training center in Siberia So we ask
on planes, trains, buses and automobiles, traveling on
you to assist us in setting up this training center in
a recruitment trip through the
Siberia. We dont know how
Baltics, Ukraine and from one
long this religious freedom will
These amazing [Siberian]
end of Russia to the other from
last in our country. So we need
St. Petersburg and Moscow to
to start education project here
Lutherans were able to
Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and
as soon as possible.
attract over a hundred
Khabarovsk on the Pacific coast.
In September 1996, Dr.
people, mostly university
In July 1996, I was back in
Dean Wenthe and Dr. William
students, to theological
Russia
organizing
theologiWeinrich met with Synod presseminars to sit all day long
cal seminars with the young
ident Al Barry during a Joint
Siberian Lutherans. These amazFaculties-Council of Presidents
for two weeks in hot and
ing Lutherans were able to attract
meeting in Chicago and received
humid classrooms listening
over a hundred people, mostly
his approval and enthusiastic
to lectures by Missouri
university students, to theologencouragement to press forward
Synod
professors
on
the
ical seminars to sit all day long
with the project.
Bible, the catechism, the
for two weeks in hot and humid
In retrospect, it is amazclassrooms listening to lectures by
Lutheran Confessions, Early ing how quickly Pastor Lytkins
Missouri Synod professors on the
dream came to fruition. Alexey
Church fathers and on the
Bible, the catechism, the Lutheran
Streltsov was appointed by the
theology and conduct of the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran
Confessions, Early Church fathers
Lutheran liturgy.
and on the theology and conChurch (SELC) to work with CTS
duct of the Lutheran liturgy. The
to establish a new seminary in
seminars served as evangelism
Novosibirsk, Russia. Novosibirsk
to non-Christians, catechesis for new Lutherans and as a is located near the geographical center of Russia in Siberia
means to recruit men for seminary study. By September, and is the countrys third largest city. The creation of
the first group of Russian-speaking students arrived on a seminary involved recruiting students and locating
the Fort Wayne campus to begin studying for the pastoral facilities to house them and their families, designing the
ministry.
curriculum, building a library, identifying and scheduling
On Sept. 19, 1996, President Wenthe received a letter short term visiting professors from the Missouri Synod
from Rev. Vsevolod Lytkin, written on behalf of the west and a multitude of other tasks. A building to house the
Siberian Christian Mission:
seminary was purchased, remodeled and dedicated in
For many years we think and dream about the
July 1997. Classes began in October with short-term visfoundation of a Confessional Training Center
iting professors from the Missouri Synod. The first two
(Seminary) in Siberia. After years of official atheism
classes were ten week courses (Biblical Hebrew and Old
the people are mostly unbelieving As Lutherans we
Testament Isagogics) taught by Dr. Horace Hummel. This
know that only Confessional Lutheran teaching can
was followed by Fort Wayne professors Kurt Marquart,
give people the pure understanding of the Christian
Arthur Just, David Scaer, William Weinrich and Tim
faith so that they could find real comfort in the
Quill, Dr. Ronald Feuerhahn from Concordia Seminary,
true Gospel Also, our Christians need to know
St. Louis and several qualified parish pastors. In 1998,
Rev. Alan Ludwig was deployed to serve as a full-time

whole of their theology barely distinguishable from
professor. On Feb. 14, 2000, the seminary was given the
that of the Methodists or Baptists.
unexpected opportunity to move to a more adequate
We do not know the future of the Lutheran Church
building in the center of Akademgorodok (Academic
in the West in Europe and in America, nor do we
City), located near Novosibirsk State University and leadknow the future of the Lutheran Church in Russia
ing scientific institutes. The building had been a bank,
and in Siberia. But in view of the decay of Christianity
which went bankrupt during a recent economic crisis, but
in the West, it is not entirely impossible that the
provided adequate facilities for a church and seminary.
Lutheran Church in Russia will have something to
In August 2000, Rector Alexey Streltsov articulated
offer to the Western world in the future, regardless of
the foundational principles and goals of the seminary
what exigencies it may experience itself.2
in an open letter that appeared online in Russian and
In recent years many churches have been experimentEnglish. Streltsov quoted 2 Tim. 2:2: And what you have ing with new models of pastoral formation in place of
heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust the traditional residential seminary. A variety of distance
to faithful men who will be able to teach others also, and learning and extension models have been introduced
then explained:
alongside or in place of the residential pastoral program.
We in Novosibirsk are
From the beginning, it was the
convinced that in our day
desire of the Siberian Evangelical
The
church
needs
leaders
serious seminary training
Lutheran Church to establish
comes closest to the meaning of
a seminary that would follow a
who have sat with scholars,
Pauls words in this passage. It is
traditional, full-time residential
asked them questions, and
neither lay discipleship training
model for theological education.
been
challenged
by
their
or short term leadership
This took place when many other
answers. Daniel Aleshire models were being attempted in
preparation, but a serious effort
that makes demands upon both
both North America and around
teacher and student. After all,
the world. In North America,
the Apostles themselves spent no fewer than three
seminaries from many denominations are struggling to
years in the seminary of our Lord Jesus Christ.
survive. Funding and student recruitment are decreasing
After 70 years of devastating atheism and 10
while the number of alternative non-residential routes to
years of infiltration of all kinds of sects and cults
ministry and ordination are increasing. In view of this
into Russia, people will not be satisfied with the
reality, the question is increasingly being asked, Why
shallow talker who is no different from the pop
have theological schools?
psychologist. People long for deep theology and
Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the Association
for the real sacraments. By deep theology I do not
of Theological Schools, breaks the question down to two
mean scholastic construction, but a truly Trinitarian
key questions. Is the value of the scholarly work of the facand incarnational hermeneutic that alone is able to
ulty or the theological education required for the students
offer hope to people amidst this world of despair and
worth the time and money it takes to operate a seminary?
chaos.
Aleshire answers:
It is no secret that, humanly speaking, the state
At this time, in this culture, for the church in
of modern Lutheranism as well as that of virtually
North America, I think seminaries are not only
all other Christian confessions is lamentable. Many
needed, they are needed more than ever. When they
people no longer recognize Holy Scripture as the
do their work well, they enrich the life of the church,
authentic Word of God. Various churches practice
the fabric of social community, and the well-being
the ordination of women into ecclesiastical ministry.
of individuals. If all the ATS schools were closed
There are even homosexual pastors and bishops in
this year, I think religious communities would be
certain places. And so-called conservatives among
busy reopening them because they are central to the
Lutherans, in their attempt to protect the Bible, all
mission of religious communities.
too often unite with the conservative Protestant
2 Alexey Streltsov, Letter from the Rector, Aug. 31, 2000.
camp, thus making their worship and practically the
Communities of faith need scholarly inquiry

education: There is no shame attached to learning and
the solutions that faith seeks are not easy and will not
true scholarship It would be foolish to criticize learnbe derived from a weekend conference or cursory
ing and scholarship indiscriminately, since truly they are
investigation. They require sustained attention over
found seldom enough. Only, one ought to study the right
time.
things, and those things [he should study] quite seriously.
The church needs scholarship to guide it through
One should pay attention only to faithful academic teachthe tendency to assume that only the practical counts
ers. More is to be learned from them and better than from
and that personal perceptions are sacred truth. The
any book. There is a more lively and blessed way from
scholarship the church needs, requires intellectual
mouth to ear than from book to eye.5
talent, books in libraries, and time to read them. The
The Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church places
church needs theological schools that are houses of
a high priority on the necessity of pastoral formation,
faithful scholarship.
which takes place in a residential seminary where stuCommunities of faith need
dents engage in face to face
leaders who have spent time
contact with their teachers as well
The Siberian Evangelical
studying. Not a single task in
as with other students. This does
Lutheran Church places
ministry has become easier in
not diminish their commitment
a high priority on the
the modern era The church
to book learning, as is evident
necessity
of
pastoral
needs leaders who have sat with
from the impressive seminary
formation, which takes place library. Pastoral formation also
scholars (italics added), asked
them questions, and been
requires a chapel and Lutheran
in a residential seminary
challenged by their answers.
worship at the center of seminary
where students engage in
It needs leaders who have
life. The daily liturgical worship
face to face contact with
developed capacities related to
plays an important part in semtheir
teachers
as
well
as
with
the cure of souls and the care of
inary life. The curriculum also
other students.
congregational communities
includes classes on theological
. the church needs leaders who
Russian and theological English.
have been to school, learned their stuff, and who love
Recently, the use of modern technology and distance
the sacred texts they have learned.3
learning models have received a great deal of attention
The church needs leaders who have sat with scholars. and investment of resources around the world. The leadEvery pastor is what he is because of the influence of ership of Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk
seminary professors in forming theological understand- has also given serious attention to distance education and
ing and pastoral character. It was true at the time of the modern technology to supplement, but not replace, resiReformation and remains true today. Lutheran historian dential pedagogy.
Ernest Schwiebert points out that:
Modern Technologies and Distance Learning
The key to [Luthers] great success, where others
The post-Soviet generation Russians are very proficient
before him had tried and failed, lay in the training
and at home with modern technology. The same is true
of the clergymen who sat at his feet and those of his
of the Russian clergy and seminary professors, staff and
fellow professors and were taught how to interpret the
students. The role of technology and distance learning
Scriptures in the light of the Bible and the Apostolic
has received considerable attention at Novosibirsk. In a
Age.4
This was also recognized by Wilhelm Loehe who knew presentation at an International Lutheran Council (ILC)
more than a thing or two about preparing men for the Conference in Prague (October 2011) about Lutheranism
holy ministry amid emergency situations. In his book in the 21st Century, Rev. Alexey Streltsov, rector of the
Pastoral Theology, Loehe begins by addressing theological Lutheran Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk, presented
on Lutheran Education in the 21st Century in View of
Colloquy (Association of Theological Schools, November/December,
2004), 2.
3
4
Ernest G Schwiebert. The Reformation and Theological Education at

Wittenberg. The Springfielder 28:3 (1964): 21.
Wilhelm Loehe, The Pastor: The Pastoral Theology of Wilhelm Loehe,

(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2015), 9.
5
the Modern Communication Technologies. Streltsov

though with usage of some extra-corporal fertility
observed that opportunities of the integration of modern
means.9
communication technologies into the educational process
A pastor is trained to publicly proclaim the Gospel
6
are enormous. These communication technologies, used
and administer Baptism, Absolution, and the Lords
to supplement theological education, include internet
Supper. A priest also conducts weddings and burials,
accessed resources, library supplementation and digitizaconsecrates houses and other places, and does other
tion of books and articles, podcasts, video conferencing
things that require his personal presence and do not
(such as Skype) for live, distance instruction, social nethappen at a distance, in a remote mode the ministry
working and so forth. However, when it comes to off-site
the priest carries out for his parishioners is inherently
instruction through technology, Streltsov believes that
internal [an] on-site activity that the priest must
the core of the problem is not the form of the distance
consider his priority in the course of his ministry.10
education itself or the possibility of partial usage but
In conclusion, Overemphasis on distance education
rather the model that views exclusively or heavily accen- would come into conflict with the basic theology of the
tuated extramural pastoral training as plausible and even Incarnation as it is expressed in the liturgy and pastoral
desirable. We must resist this understanding primarily for care.11 In the end it is not an either-or but a both-and
theological reasons.7 He explains:
dilemma. Usage of new educational technologies is not
Any educational model in
something to be feared but may
the context of Lutheranism
well begin before the official
should be viewed against the
seminary course starts. Then it
The curriculum for
Christological
background
continues alongside the seminary
theological education of
of the ministry. Christ as the
classroom and does not stop after
pastors
must
be
shaped
by
One who has called disciples,
graduation.12
and
include
the
Office
of
the
personally instructed them over
In order to give a more conHoly
Ministry,
Word
and
a period of three years, and then
crete picture of the Novosibirsk
sent them to make disciples
model for theological education,
Sacrament and liturgy.
of all nations that must be
I will share a few aspects that I
the true starting point of any
have loosely organized according
8
genuine model of professional Lutheran education.
to key issues addressed in the eight General Institutional
The internal character of the preparation of a priest
Standards for assessment used by The Association of
has to do with the character of the Incarnation of our
Theological Schools (ATS) and approved by the ATS
Lord. God chose not to function in a remote mode,
Commission on Accrediting.
but rather the Word became flesh and dwelt among
Purpose, Planning and Evaluation
us. A fundamental disconnect with the theology
The theological commitment and purpose of Lutheran
of the incarnation is inherent in the exclusively
Theological Seminary (LTS) in Novosibirsk is clearly
extramural approach to pastoral education, where
articulated by Rector Streltsov on the Seminary webor not it is accomplished with the means of modern
page: We believe that a confessional Lutheran seminary
communication technologies. Relations of Christ and
that trains indigenous pastors is the best way to carry out
His Bride the Church presuppose a certain intimacy,
mission work in Russia. It is the pastor who gathers the
including personal interaction in the matter of
people of God around the means of grace that Christ has
education. Any attempt to organize preparation of
instituted. And the pastor has to be orthodox in doctrine
a pastor through off-site training is equivalent to
(1 Tim. 1:13), because on his teaching depends not only
an attempt to conceive a child through the internet,
his own salvation, but also the salvation of the people
6
Alexey Streltsov, Lutheran Education in the 21st Century in View

of the Modern Communication Technologies. Unpublished paper
delivered at the International Lutheran Council Conference in Prague
held October 2011.
10
Ibid., 6.
Ibid., 6.
11
Ibid., 12.
Ibid., 3.
12
Ibid., 14.
Ibid., 6.
to whom he preaches (1 Tim. 4:16). And this is why the

seminary has to be very careful that the teaching done
within its walls is nothing else than what is taught in Holy
Scripture, in the teachings of three ecumenical creeds of
the church, and in the Lutheran Book of Concord.13
Institutional Integrity
The Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) has demonstrated its institutional integrity according to the
requirements for official registration by the Russian
Ministry of Justice. It has also obtained a license for
higher theological education from the Russian Ministry
of Education and Science. This was a lengthy process in
order to fulfill many requirements concerning the campus
facilities, student housing, library, level of teaching,
demonstration of credentials for professors and so forth.
The Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) administration
oversees and audits the employed bookkeeper. According
to the seminary charter, a Board of Trustees consisting
of eight people appoint the rector and serve as the ruling
body of the Seminary. A Scholarly Council is responsible for the organization and quality of the educational
process.
The Theological Curriculum: Learning, Teaching

and Research
According to the ATS, Standard Three, In a theological
school, the overarching goal is the development of theological understanding, that is, aptitude for theological
reflection and wisdom pertaining to a responsible life in
faith. Comprehended in this overarching goal are others
such as deepening spiritual awareness, growing in moral
sensibility and character, gaining an intellectual grasp
of the tradition of faith community, and acquirement
the abilities requisite to the exercise of ministry in the
community.14
Classes are based on the core curriculum from the
M.Div. program at Concordia Theological Seminary in
Fort Wayne, Ind., but with significant adaptations for the
local context. For convenience of scheduling the classes are
laid out according to the four traditional disciplines (exegetical, dogmatic, historical and practical), however, with
significant integration so that no class stands in isolation
from the others. This is why instructors are intentionally
assigned to teach in at least two or three departments.
13
Alexey Streltsov, Letter from the Rector, Aug. 31, 2000.
The program requires four years on campus and one

practicum (vicarage) following the fourth year. During
the first four years, the students are expected to assist the
local church in the liturgy, Sunday school, youth work,
etc., and during the summer recess assist at their home
congregation.
The global awareness and engagement is remarkable
for such a young seminary. From its inception, it has had
many visiting professors from America. Rector Streltsov
also has been successful in including confessional
Lutheran, visiting professors from Germany, Lithuania,
England and Australia. All but one of the faculty members studied at Fort Wayne. Global awareness also is
heightened by the presence of students from Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus. A shortterm study abroad program in 2007 brought six students
from CTS to take a two-week intensive class with the
Novosibirsk seminarians.
Library and Information Resources

The library holding includes approximately 15,000 volumes. Until 2009 the seminary subscribed to roughly
50 theological journals when acquisitions ended due to
budget cuts. The Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS)
plans to work with the Chemnitz Library Initiative in an
effort to restore journal acquisition via electronic delivery
systems. The seminary employs a part time, theologically
educated librarian who is also an expert in computer systems. Library holdings have been intentionally selected to
support both student course needs as well as and faculty
needs for course development and other research. It also
serves as a theological resource for the SELC.
Full Time Faculty

Seminary Rector Rev. Alexey Streltsov has an undergraduate degree in geophysics from Novosibirsk
State University (NSU) and also an M.A. and S.T.M.
from CTS.

Rev. Pavel Khramov has a Masters Degree in
Mathematics from NDU. He also has an M.A. and is
nearing completion of an S.T.M. from CTS.
Rev. Alan Ludwig has an M.Div., S.T.M. and CSSL.

Rev. Andrey Lipnitsky has a Pedagogical Degree
from Novosibirsk State Pedagogical Institute and a
diploma from the Novosibirsk Seminary and certificate from CTS.
The Commission on Accrediting. General Institutional Standards

(Pittsburg: The Association of Theological Schools, 2015), 5.
14
Adjunct Faculty
Dr. Pavel Butakov has a M.A. from CTS and a doctorate from the Institute of Philosophy, Novosibirsk.

Additional Adjunct PhDs from the University
of Novosibirsk and academic institutes in
Akademgorodok are regularly scheduled to teach
courses on Logics, World History, Russian Language,
etc.
Student Recruitment, Admission, Services and

Placement
Since 1997, four classes have graduated. Current
Enrollment: Five students graduated on Nov. 1, 2015.
Four additional students are in the first year with a new
class of six students expected to matriculate next year.
Most graduates go on to ordination and service in the
SELC and other Lutheran Churches (LCMS and German
Lutheran Churches in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan).
Graduates have also included a church musician (kantor)
and seminary librarian.
Institutional Resources
Human Resources: The seminary is very strong in the area
of human resources with an excellent indigenous faculty,
staff, translators and an administrator/rector. Most students come with personal computers and are able access
a number of books, papers and class recourses over the
seminary WiFi. The Internet is very reliable and contains
many useful resources in Russian. The main building and
student housing are excellent. Married and single students
are housed in off campus apartments that are owned by
the seminary.
Activities beyond the Seminary Classroom

Annual Theological Symposia. The seminary sponsors
an annual theological symposia which usually attracts
fifty plus participants: Pastors from the SELC and other
Lutheran Churches in Russia (Ingria, ELKRAS) and CIS
(Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Belarus)
Baltics, Germany and the United States.
Bible Schools. The seminary also operates an off campus
Bible School that meets in other cities and serves as both
a pre-seminary for future seminarians and offers theological education for the laity (church leaders, musicians,
youth workers, Sunday school teachers, etc.). The course
takes two years and is then moved to another location.
Summer Seminars. The seminary faculty play a major

role as lecturers at the Summer Seminars conducted by
the SELC throughout Russia. Over the past 19 years, the
seminars have attracted hundreds of people from Ural
Mountain regions to Kamchatka and serve as evangelism
among the unchurched and non-Christians, as catechesis
for new Lutherans and ongoing Biblical and doctrinal
study for long time members. The seminarians all assist
with the programs, especially with the children and youth.
Faculty Research. Faculty and staff produce many original
theological articles as well as translate significant theological works into Russian.
International Impact. Faculty, especially Streltsov, Ludwig
and Butakov have taught courses and served as conference
speakers. Professors (Ludwig and Streltsov) taught courses
at Lutheran seminaries in Ukraine, Baltics, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Ethiopia (Mekane Yesu Seminary) and at
CTS. They have served as speakers at international conferences, such as the Klaipeda Conferences in Lithuania,
Latvia and Germany and International Lutheran Council
conferences in Prague, Lithuania and the United States.
Recent Developments
Requests for assistance and cooperation include:
+
Distance learning and visiting professors from
Lutheran Theological Seminary to teach courses
in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kazakhstan
(German).
+
Distance learning and visiting professors from
Lutheran Theological Seminary to the Missouri
Synods mission in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Ingria Seminary in Koltushe, Russia

On March 2223, 1999, a meeting of Lutheran seminaries in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine took place at
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Russia, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan and Central Asia (ELKRAS) Seminary in
Novosarotovka (a suburb of St. Petersburg). The idea for
the consultation originated with Dr. Hans Spalteholz,
interim principal of the Missouri Synods People of God
Seminary in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The meeting was held on
the campus of the ELKRAS Seminary in Novosarotovka
near St. Petersburg, Russia and included representatives from Lutheran seminaries in Almaty, Ukraine,
Novosaratovka, Koltushe and Novosibirsk. When reporting on the work in Almaty, Missouri Synod missionary
Spalteholz thanked all for coming and then added with

some embarrassment that while the idea for a joint seminary consultation had originated with the People of God
seminary, they were sad to announce that the seminary
was now in recess. Once they suspended the practice of
giving financial stipends to seminary students, all the students left the seminary. Since the consultation, St. Sophia
Seminary of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church in Ternopol,
Ukraine and the ELKRAS Seminary in Novosaratovka
also ceased regular residential classes. The seminary of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kazakhstan in Astana
has also been closed. This leaves only the two residential
seminaries in Novosibirsk and Koltushe.
The reasons for the seminary closings include the
massive exodus of German Lutherans immigrating to
Germany, the cooling down of initial enthusiastic openness to Western Christianity, an increase in cultural
secularism and cut backs in fiscal subsidies.
During the Ingrian Synod in St. Petersburg,
Oct. 1617, 2015, a meeting took place between the
Novosibirsk Rector and the new Ingrian Seminary Rector
at which they determined to foster closer collaboration
between the two seminaries. At the meeting, the Ingrians
also invited Professors Streltsov and Ludwig to teach
intensive courses in Koltushe.
Conclusion
Defining issues in the assessment of the Novosibirsk
Seminary model include:

The curriculum should be explicitly shaped by
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions and promote true unity with confessional Lutherans around
the world.

Commitment to the residential seminary model,
supplemented, however, with appropriate use of
technology and distance education, particularly
before and after the on campus training.
The necessity of setting high academic standards for
faculty and students.

The seminary exists to serve the Church by the
preparation of her pastors as pastors, not mere academicians; pastors who are evangelists, catechists,
liturgists and Seelsorger[s].
The curriculum should be shaped by ecclesial needs
and concerns which in turn shape pastors as spiritual shepherds.
Major challenges facing the Novosibirsk Seminary:

The SELC is a minority church in a majority
Orthodox culture.
A rising secularism in Russian society and pressure
from liberalism from European Lutherans.
Persecution.
Fiscal support and long term sustainability.
The Novosibirsk Seminary is not a model to be rigidly
copied everywhere in the world. Each church and seminary must flesh things out in its unique context with its
unique gifts, resources (or lack of gifts and resources) and
problems.
The Russian Project in Fort Wayne and Novosibirsk
is not a completely new model for pastoral preparation.
It builds on Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. All
Lutheran Seminaries build their curriculum on AC V,
The Office of the Ministry; VII, The Church; XIV,
Order in the Church and XV, Church Usages.
In many respects the Russian Project anticipated the
Global Seminary Initiative. This is particularly apparent
in that an LCMS seminary was directly involved in the
theological training of pastors and church leaders on the
international level and directly involved in the establishment of a seminary overseas. The Russian Project was not
a totally new model as much as an adaptation of previous practices. Bringing foreign students to study on the
Fort Wayne campus was practiced under the Forward
in Remembrance mission offering CRISP program. CTS
was previously involved in the establishment of a Lutheran
seminary in St. Catharine, Canada. Finally, many faculty
members brought considerable overseas experience as a
result of having served as missionaries overseas.
What is the future of Novosibirsk in particular and
seminary theological education in general the world
over? The curriculum for theological education of pastors must be shaped by and include the Office of the Holy
Ministry, Word and Sacrament and liturgy. Show me the
daily chapel at the seminary, and I will show you what
the Church will look like in the future. Where Lutheran
liturgy and theological education go, there go the pastors
and the Church.
The Rev. Dr. Timothy C. J. Quill is professor of Pastoral
Ministry and Missions and director of International Studies
at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.
The single most effective way the

Missouri Synod and her partners
in the International Lutheran
Theological Education
and the Global Seminary
Initiative A Review and Look to the Future
Council can have an impact on

global Lutheranism is through
theological education.
Introduction and Future Trends
ducation and teaching the faith go hand connected to the understanding of the Gospel.3
Martin Kretzmann, the author of the 1965 Mission
in hand with mission. It also highlights the
changing face of mission today. In the past, the Affirmations for the Missouri Synod, articulated and proword mission evoked the idea of bringing the Gospel moted the view that salvation is more than salvation from
of Jesus Christ to people who had not heard what Christ sin and death. He writes:
When we limit salvation to a personal religious
has done for them. In the present age, one cannot assume
experience we are denying the
every person is using mission in
righteousness and mercy of
the same sense, especially among
What is perceived to
God. There must be a concrete
liberal Protestant churches, where
be the goal and purpose
deliverance
from
whatever
mission could be in some cases
of the Church will shape
bondage dehumanizes mankind
simply the proclamation of a good
the understanding of the
today. This is why the proclaimer
news for a persons life situation. In
many Western churches, mission
Gospel, guide the mission of salvation must always be on the
is development aid, peace service
of the Church and decide side of the deprived he must
be sensitive to their plight and
or justice and reconciliation
the purpose of theological join in the struggle against bad
as their contribution towards
education.
conditions and forms of injustice
human betterment.1 The study of
everywhere.4
missiology has become converted
The noted missiologist David Bosch identified a
into comparative theology, ecumenical studies, Third
2
World theology or world Christianity. What is perceived withdrawal of traditional mission activities and the
to be the goal and purpose of the Church will shape the adoption of projects that could be undertaken by secuunderstanding of the Gospel, guide the mission of the lar organizations by Western churches.5 For example, the
Church and decide the purpose of theological education. Evangelical Lutheran Church of America defines mission
For instance, if the Church is to promote justice and
reconciliation to the world, the Gospel becomes the
proclamation of justice for all people groups, the mission
then executes programs to bring justice and theological
3 Martin L. Kretzmann, That Word Mission, Currents in Theology and
education trains people to proclaim justice and to Mission 2:3 (1975):126. How a person answers these basic questions,
carry out programs that promote it. The Church is the or more particularly, how a person applies the answers in a given time
place in history, has a critical bearing on the What and the How of
place where people gather to hear this message. This is, and
his mission at that time and at that place.
in fact, what mission has become for many mainline, 4 Ibid., 131.
liberal Protestant churches. The goal of mission is closely 5 David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of
1
Kenneth Cracknell, Theological Education in Missionary Perspective:

A Response from Britain to David J Bosch, Missiology 10:2 (April
1982): 229.
2
Ibid.
10
Mission, 20th Anniversary Edition, American Society of Missiology,

(Orbis Books, Kindle Edition, 2009.) Kindle location: 586. In some
circles this has led to an almost complete paralysis and total withdrawal
from any activity traditionally associated with mission, in whatever
form. Others are plunging themselves into projects which might just as
well and more efficiently be undertaken by secular agencies.
as reconciliation6 through accompaniment.7 This rec- and theological education. Mission seeks to propagate the
onciliation does not mention the forgiveness of sins, Gospel and the Sacraments to form a church, while theorather reconciliation puts us in a relationship with one logical education then prepares people to proclaim the
another so that we do not exploit or hurt, and it reconciles Gospel and to administer the Sacraments. Much of the
us with the earth, so that we do not waste or abuse.8 The discussion regarding various mission models or models
global mission work of churches like the ELCA focuses of theological education flows not so much about techon social justice, rights and the environment. Other niques or science or how to improve them, but rather
mainline church bodies such as the United Methodists from a confession based upon different understandings of
and Presbyterian Church USA operate programs simi- Church, Gospel and the Sacraments.
lar to the ELCSs focus on social justice. This fits David
The purpose here is not to evaluate various methBoschs observation that the mission work of many ods of mission or theological education but to simply
Western churches could be carried out by secular organi- point out that the confession of the Church, Gospel and
zations. There is a close connection between the church, the Sacraments has a profound effect upon the shape of
the Gospel, mission and theological education, as they all mission and of theological education, as mission is the
inform the other in a hermeneutical circle.
execution or carrying out of the confession and theologFor confessional Lutherans, the Church is confessed in ical education is the propagation of the confession and
Augustana VII, The Church is the congregation of saints, the preparation for mission. Notice that this approach
in which the Gospel is rightly
broadens mission to include
taught and the Sacraments are
the activities necessary to plant
9
rightly administered. Thus, the
a church, as well as sustain a
Mission seeks to
Church is where the Holy Spirit
church. The dichotomy between
propagate the Gospel and
gathers the saints around the
preserving believers in reguthe Sacraments to form a
preaching of the Gospel and the
lar Sunday worship and the
church,
while
theological
administration of the Sacraments.
conversion of unbelievers and
education then prepares
Article V of the Augsburg
the planting of churches through
Confession describes the preachmission is not helpful, as both
people to proclaim the
ing of the Gospel, while Articles
Gospel and to administer the activities are two sides of the same
IX, X and XI of the Augustana
coin the delivery of the Gospel
Sacraments.
describe the Sacraments of
and forgiveness to people who
Baptism, the Lords Supper and
need to receive these gifts. This is
Absolution, where forgiveness is bestowed to the saints not to deny differences in how these tasks are approached,
gathered in church. This confession of what the Church, nor of the differences in work (at least for a time) between
the Gospel and the Sacraments are will shape mission a missionary/church planter and a pastor. Nevertheless,
there is an interconnectedness between the vocations, a
6 Accompaniment, in 2013 ELCA Glocal Mission Gathering (Chicago,
great similarity and a convergence rather than a diverIll.: Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, 2013), 3. From the
gence in tasks.
gospel and the stories of our faith, we understand that Gods mission is
In one sense, the difference in tasks between a misreconciliation.
7 Ibid., 6. Accompaniment helps us see the asymmetries of power
sionary/church planter and a pastor is related to the life
in relationships. Because these asymmetries, just like the creation of
cycle of a particular church body and/or congregation.
boundaries and categories, seem natural to us, often we do not see them
This has been noted in discussions about striving toward
or think about them. Through accompaniment relationships we learn to
see and think about asymmetries in order to live out Christs reconciling
a responsible Lutheran church.10 Bishop Paul Fynn of
mission, the reconciliation that has lifted up the lowly, and has broken
the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG)
down the walls between people.
8 Ibid., 3. Jesus came to reconcile us with God. God meets us in our
describes the role of the missionary as building scafbrokenness, and restores our relationship with God and with one
folding around the building as it is constructed. As
another. God desires our reconciliation with one another, so that we no
the building is constructed the scaffolding is removed,
longer exploit or hurt; and our reconciliation with the earth, so that we
no longer abuse or waste.
9
The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, Concordia Triglotta

English: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church,
electronic ed. (Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1996), 47.
10
Albert B. Collver, Ecclesiology, Mission and Partner Relations: What

It Means That Lutheran Mission Plants Lutheran Churches, Journal of
Lutheran Mission 1:1 (March 2014):2027.
11
but there may be parts of the building that take longer Borthwick, senior consultant for Development Associates
to construct. There are even times when the building International and teacher in missions at Gordon College
needs to be reconstructed and scaffolding is put back in Wenham, Massachusetts, notes, One of the greatup to assist in the reconstruction. In Bishop Fynns anal- est areas in which Majority World leaders are asking for
ogy, the missionaries are there to assist in the building North American involvement is in the area of training and
of the church. Thus, when a missionary comes to a place education. Our libraries, seminaries, training institutions,
where Christianity is not established or where there is no books and trained faculty are viewed as a tremendous
Lutheran church, he proclaims the Gospel, establishes a resource to the Majority World Church Heres where
congregation and administers the Sacraments. The mis- Ive observed where we can contribute most to the global
sionary lays the foundation and the cornerstone, which is church: Theological and biblical depth: the seminarChrist. The Scriptures and the Confessions are given to ies, theologians, biblical scholarship is unmatched.12 As
the newly formed church. In this phase, the missionary is a result of these requests from the churches with whom
primarily responsible for all the activities of the church. the Missouri Synod is in altar and pulpit fellowship and
However, after a period of time, men are raised up and the scores of non-partner Lutheran churches around
trained to carry out the task of
the world, the need for scholarproclaiming the Gospel and adminThe model of theological ships to allow foreign students
istering the Sacraments. Eventually,
to attend Western seminaries to
education
brought
to
the
a new church body is formed and
receive advanced degrees, for the
mission field frequently is
it carries out most of the activstrengthening of indigenous semities necessary to propagate the
inaries towards accreditation or
not based, in part or in its
Lutheran confession and the church
certification, for continuing educaentirety, upon the desires
from generation to generation.
tion for existing pastors in the form
of the partner but is
However, one of the last areas that a
of seminars and workshops and
driven
by
the
discussions
church body takes upon itself as its
for the sending of both short-term
and debates regarding
own responsibility to carry out is in
and long-term theological educathe area of theological education, or
tors is extremely high. It should be
theological education in
the church body develops a greater
noted that here theological educathe sending country.
emphasis on theological education
tion means the propagation of the
and the scaffolding returns to
Christian faith as expressed in the
assist with that task.
Lutheran confessions, so that men will be equipped to
As a result of this natural cycle in the development proclaim the Gospel and administer the Sacraments, and
of churches, the most frequent request the Missouri others will be trained to support the work of establishSynod receives from partner and non-partner churches ing and preserving the church in a given place (in other
is for assistance in theological education.11 Paul words to carry out the mission).
Part of the Answer to This Need

11
Established Lutheran churches outside of the United States typically

do not request foreign missionaries to assist in preaching, teaching
and administering the sacrament in the local congregation or parish.
These church bodies typically request assistance in theological
education, that is, primarily training indigenous, local pastors, in help
administrating large scale projects and humanitarian aid. The requests
are mostly for supportive personal who might assist that church body
in strengthening their own mission efforts. This sort of work involves
a significant amount of church relations and theological education,
rather than mission work in the sense of proclaiming the Gospel to
people who have never heard it before. The people who are proclaiming
the Gospel to a people who have never heard it before typically are the
indigenous pastors who received training from the West and not the
Westerners themselves. This is a change from the 19th century and early
20th century. Because of the presence of Lutheran churches in more
than 80 countries, the opportunities to do mission work in the sense of
proclaiming the Gospel directly apart from an existing church are less
than they were a century ago.
12
The Global Seminary Initiative (GSI) is a part of the answer

to the requests from partner and non-partner churches
for theological education. Although the Global Seminary
Initiative originated over the past five years, components
and ideas of it were built upon previous programs and
good missiological practice, which is to establish a seminary or a place of training for future pastors as soon as the
mission work begins. Those who founded the Missouri
Synod established a seminary (Perry County and Saint
Paul Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission: Whats the Role
of the North American Church? (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2012),
6768.
12
Louis) and appropriated another (Lhes seminary in Augsburg Confession). This provides the overall shape,
Fort Wayne) even before founding a Synod. When the and the views about Church and Ministry shape how
Missouri Synod began doing international mission work, the practical disciplines are taught. This stands to reason
the establishment of a seminary quickly followed so that since the goal of seminary education is to train pastors.
indigenous pastors could be trained. Arguably, the stron- Therefore, the answer to what is a pastor will shape the
gest partners of the Missouri Synod are those who had theological education.
seminaries grounded in the traditional, residential model,
Lutheran theological education should begin with
established early on in the work. The weakest partners of the scriptural and confessional view of the Office of the
the Missouri Synod are those who had no seminary estab- Ministry and of the Church. Supplementary classes should
lished or alternative models such as TEE, non-residential, be designed to help the pastors carry out their office for a
part time, leadership formation, et al, in place of a more given context and location without a fundamental redefitraditional seminary model. Unsurprisingly, both the nition of the way the Scriptures and Confessions describe
partners and non-partners of the Missouri Synod desire the Ministry and the Church. Alterations in the model of
the establishment of a more traditional, that is, residential theological education happen due to different theological
seminary model that can be accredited in their region of perspectives, traditions and cultural shifts. For instance, in
the world.
North America during the 1960s,
The model of theological edutheological education shifted
The
desire
for
an
increased
cation brought to the mission field
towards a professional model.14
frequently is not based, in part or
The move towards a professional
Lutheran identity has only
in its entirety, upon the desires of
model of theological education in
become more desired as the
the partner but is driven by the
large part had to do with making
Western
Lutheran
churches
discussions and debates regardtheological education relevant15
depart
from
traditional
views
ing theological education in the
for the day. The professional
on
sexuality
and
ethics.
sending country. A challenge with
model of theological education
theological education is whether
led to accreditation of seminaries.
or not it produces the sorts of pasThis is important to keep in mind,
tors the church wants or the sorts of pastors the church considering the fact that many of the seminaries in Africa
needs.13 The way that the sending church (in this case the desire accreditation today. With the decline of mainline
Missouri Synod) discusses this question at home affects Protestantism in North America, there are pressures to
what is exported to the mission field. This question is shift or adjust the model for theological education to fit
important because it relates to the model of theological the new cultural trends. Another factor that influences the
education adopted. Church leaders and bureaucrats often model for Lutheran theological education is the imitation
approach this question pragmatically. Where pastors are of trends started by other traditions that have a different
needed quickly due to a shortage many argue to change theological view of the Church and Ministry. The primary
the model from a traditional residential model to another presuppositions that shape theological education revolve
model that is less intensive, less academic and arguably around the confession and definition of the Church and
less expensive. Theological presuppositions frequently Ministry; everything else follows from the answer to the
affect the shape of theological education. For example, question, What kind of a pastor do you want?
a pietistic theology that has a lower view of the office of
the ministry will design theological education differently
than a theology that has a high view of the office of the 14 Glenn T. Miller, Piety and Plurality: Theological Education since
(Eugene: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2014), 40. The common
ministry. Ultimately, the shape of theological education is 1960
understanding of theological education in the 1960s was that the
determined by the views held about what is the Church seminaries were graduate professional schools.
and what is the Ministry (Articles VII and V of the 15 Miller, 77. Like other overused catchphrases, relevance had more
Andrew Wingate, Does Theological Education Make a Difference?
(Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1999), 76. The crucial question
remains perhaps whether seminaries give the church the pastors they
want or the pastors they need.
13
a suggestive than a precise or analytic meaning. On the one hand, it

referred to the need for a theological approach to the questions of the
day, particularly the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the
urban crisis. Despite church and National Council resolutions on those
issues, the churches, especially on the congregational level, seemed
isolated from what was happening around them.
13
Charles van Engen, in Shifting Paradigms in Ministry

Formation,16 outlines five paradigms for theological
education that he identifies as being used prior to 1960.
He then identifies a sixth paradigm to carry theological
education into the 21st century. The first paradigm he
mentions is the Apprenticeship model. Van Engen calls
this the oldest paradigm of ministry involving a personal
relationship between a teacher and one or more apprentices.17 He finds several examples of this in both the Old
and New Testaments, such as Moses with Joshua and
Gamaleil with Saul. He claims this was the model of theological education for several hundred years after Christs
ascension into heaven.
Charles van Engen also identifies the apprenticeship model as the foundation of discipleship evangelism,
certain megachurch models as well as a common characteristic of the megachurches.18 Next, van Engen
identifies the Monastic Discipline19 model as the primary theological education paradigm after Constantine.
The Constantine point is where Alan Hirsch believes the
Church went astray from what he calls, the Apostolic
genius, which recognized that the ministry of the Church
consisted of apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers and
shepherds (APEST).20 The only reason to mention this
point here is to provide an example of how the concept
of the ministry affects the shape of theological education. For Hirsch, residential seminary education leads to
a pastor-teacher form of ministry, which represents,
in Hirschs opinion, a deficiency in the full APEST
ministry as expressed in Ephesians 4.21 Van Engen, in
Shifting Paradigms, states that the Monastic Discipline

paradigm of theological education has a general tendency toward isolation, this paradigm has sometimes
tended to be institutionally encapsulated by the powers
of the church, and restrictive in the scope of the leaders it has formed, since conformity to the community
has been so strong.22 In this way, van Engens view is
similar to Hirschs in that seminary education leads to
institutionalism.
Closely connected or emerging from the Monastic
Discipline paradigm of theological education is the
Knowledge-Based Formation (the University) paradigm. Although van Engen separates this from the
Monastic Discipline paradigm, in the history of the
church the two were closely connected and entwined
up until the time of the Reformation. Van Engen sees
the Knowledge-Based Formation paradigm as emphasizing knowledge, that is, the study of Greek, Latin and
philosophy as a qualification for the ministry. He also
sees this paradigm as causing a breach between theological education and the church because learning occurred
in the classroom instead of the sanctuary.23 Once again
van Engens view of the problem of seminary education
is similar to Hirschs. For Van Engen, the KnowledgeBased (University) paradigm becomes the Seminaries
paradigm (his fourth paradigm). The final paradigm
van Engen identifies is the Professional Preparation
paradigm, where seminaries provided the professional
certification for people to enter into denominational ministry.24 This view was mentioned above in Glen T. Millers
16
22
Charles van Engen, Shifting Paradigms in Ministry Formation, in

Mission on the Way: Issues in Mission Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker
Books, 1996), 240252.
17
Ibid., Kindle location: 2632.
18
19
Alan Hirsch, Tim Catchim and Mike Bren. The Permanent

Revolution: Apostolic Imagination and Practice for the 21st Century
Church. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012). Hirsch writes,
Christendom church has been run largely shepherd-teacher model,
and because it has had a privileged position in society, it has been
inclined to dispense with the more missional or evangelistic ministry
types (apostle, prophet, and evangelist). These inherited forms of the
church are not equipped for the missional challenge because they refuse
to recalibrate their ministry along the lines suggested in Ephesians 4.
(Kindle location: 1024)
20
21
Ibid., Kindle location: 6505. The denominational seminary is a

classic case in point. If one organization is set apart to handle all the
ideas and leadership training, then the local church no longer believes
it has to do the hard work of these itself. As a result, it becomes lazy and
dependent on the external organization. If we were not careful, creating
an external training and licensing bodies can be a death knell to a
movement and cultivate a propensity toward institutionalism.
14
Charles E. Van Engen, Mission on the Way, Kindle Locations 26482650.

23
Ibid., Kindle Locations: 26532657. As this paradigm developed

over the centuries, it shaped theological education in a number of ways.
First, ministry formation became predominantly knowledge-based.
Learning to read, recite, and interact with the Greek and Latin thinkers
became an early test of formation in ministry. Second, the structure
of theological education became subdivided into all the smaller parts
that are maintained to this day: history of thought, languages, biblical
studies, theology, ethics, homiletics. Third, this paradigm began
the breach between so-called theological education and the church;
learning was to occur in the classroom, not in the sanctuary. Fourth,
this paradigm gave rise to the search for academic excellence by
individuals in theological education; in some ways this development
was in opposition to the indoctrination, obedience, and corporate
participation of the monastic movement.
24
Ibid., Kindle Locations: 2671-2674. After the beginning of the

twentieth century, denominations became less and less networks of
congregations and more like corporations, with the congregations
functioning as branch offices, so to speak. By midcentury, the
seminaries had become predominantly centers for denominational
induction, training stations in skills for particular programs in the
church (e.g., liturgical renewal and counseling), and professional
finishing schools that were gateways to jobs in the churches.
Piety and Plurality: Theological Education Since 1960.

Having outlined the five paradigms of theological education (Apprentice, Monastic Discipline,
Knowledge-Based (University), Seminaries and
Professional Preparation), van Engen unveils the new
paradigm for the 21st century, In-Ministry Formation.
Van Engen patterns In-Ministry Formation after
Theological Education by Extension (TEE) which was
developed by the Presbyterians in Guatemala during
the 1960s. Van Engen states the goal or purpose of
In-Ministry Formation: The purpose of the in-ministry paradigm is to form leaders who can lead the church.
The focus is on leadership, not ordination, function, profession, legitimation or any other of a host of issues that
sometimes cloud our perspectives of theological education.25 Notice the focus becomes leadership and does
not stress ordination. For van Engen, the goal of theological education is to develop leadership. He states that
education or position or function should not determine
who is a minister. He writes, In fact, we are in a deep
leadership crisis in North America, and position or function can no longer be equated with leadership.26 Notice
that what is desired determines the shape of theological education. Also, the quote above states that there is
a leadership crisis in North America. No doubt leadership skills are helpful to the pastoral ministry, yet it
should be noted that 1 Timothy 3 does not list leadership
as a qualification for the pastoral ministry. The challenges,
needs and desires of North America (or Europe) often
shape worldwide theological education because it is what
the churches of the Global North export, whether or not
such a form or shape for theological education is desired
by churches in Africa, Asia or Latin America.
The Missouri Synod over the past several decades has
been affected by the various discussions about theological
education both on the mission field and at the seminary
level. However, these discussions often fail to note that
the discussions within other denominations often reflect
a different confession, definition and concept of both
the ministry and the church (Augustana V and VII).
Additionally, some (but not every) change in the model
can affect or alter the confession of the church and ministry. When conducting theological education overseas, it
is important to listen to the needs and desires of the overseas partner, and not simply to impose or export the latest
discussions about theological education paradigms upon

the partner.
The Global Seminary Initiative builds upon two previous programs used by the Missouri Synod: CRISP and
the Russia Project. In the late 1990s and early 2000s,
the Missouri Synod operated a program called CRISP
(Committee Responsible for International Scholarship
Programs). This program had the goal of providing
scholarships for international students to attend the two
Missouri Synod seminaries. The mission of CRISP was to
assist international church bodies that have a working
relationship with The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod
by giving their teaching and ministry staff the opportunity
to enhance their knowledge and skills.27 CRISP sought
to provide advanced theological education at a Missouri
Synod institution or at an approved institution overseas,
specialized academic study to promote Christian education and to enhance education skills, exposure and
experience in the life of the church, to conduct programs
by LCMS theological professors and other qualified
educators that offer continuing education classes, special teaching assignments, etc., in churches with whom
we have a working relationship.28 CRISP was funded by
an endowment, which since the global financial crisis of
2007-2008,29 has not generated enough funds to be able to
fulfill its stated goal.
The other model for the Global Seminary Initiative
was the Russia Project based out of Concordia Theological
Seminary (CTS) in Fort Wayne. With a grant from the
Marvin Schwann Foundation, CTS was requested to
establish a three pronged project that would train Russian
speaking pastors and eventually indigenous professors
on the CTS campus to replace those eliminated by the
Communists in that nations of the former Soviet Union.
Second, the Project would assist with the establishment
of an ethnic Russian seminary in Siberia to train pastors and laity in Russia itself and to assist and support
evangelism, catechetical seminars and theological conferences. After 20 years of the Russia Project, the Lutheran
Theological Seminary in Novosibirsk, Russia, has become
a hub for Russian speakers reaching from Ingria, Russia,
to Kazakhstan.
CRISP Policies (St. Louis: The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod,

2001), 1.
27
28
25
Ibid., Kindle locations: 27152717.
26
Ibid., Kindle Location: 2719.
Ibid.
Financial Crisis of 200708. Wikipedia, 2015. https://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Financial_crisis_of_200708.
29
15
The final piece that led to the creation of the Global

Seminary Initiative was an idea proposed by President
Matthew C. Harrison in an essay called Rock the
Lutheran World.30 In this piece, Harrison proposed a
scholarship fund to:
enable 100 international students per year on
each of the two LCMS campuses (at about $20,000
a student). One of our seminary presidents was
speaking with an ELCA seminary president recently,
who complained, The ELCA provides only 15% of
our funding. Imagine the shame in our man having
to admit that the LCMS provides next to nothing for
our seminaries! This is an immediate way to increase
the number of students at our schools, increase
the numbers of faithful Lutheran missionaries and
theologians around the world, and to introduce the
deaconess ministry as the option for the service of
women in confessional Lutheran Churches around
the world.31
The vision to impact world Lutheranism by providing
theological education was another major component of
the Global Seminary Initiative.
The Global Seminary Initiative has sought to combine the best qualities of CRISP and the Russia Project,
connected with the vision from President Harrison to
impact the world through global theological education.
The Global Seminary Initiative provides scholarships for
future church leaders and educators to attend the seminaries of the Missouri Synod. This enriches the student
who comes to the Missouri Synods seminary, the seminary community and the students church body. A mutual
learning takes place. The advanced training provided at
Missouri Synod seminaries becomes an investment for
the partner church, which in the future will reduce need
and dependency on the Missouri Synod. The result is an
increased local capacity to address theological matters on
their own. The Global Seminary Initiative also provides
scholarships to regional seminaries or other institutions
that can provide the first primary degree. Not only is this
less expensive than sending a person to the United States
for study, but it increases the capacity of the regional educational institution. The Global Seminary Initiative also
provides funding to send professors from Missouri Synod
30
Matthew C. Harrison. Its Time to Rock the Lutheran World

Harrison. Mercy Journeys, 2010. http://mercyjourney.blogspot.
com/2010/03/its-time-to-rock-lutheran-world.html.
31
Ibid.
16
and partner institutions, as well as other qualified pastors, to teach overseas as needed and as requested by the
partner. Finally, the Global Seminary Initiative provides
funding for, and in some cases organizes, conferences and
seminars to provide continuing theological education for
pastors and church leaders. A less primary activity of the
Global Seminary Initiative is to provide materials needed
for theological education such as books, journals or
translations of theological works through the Chemnitz
Library Initiative. Using the tactics described above, the
Global Seminary Initiative combines the best features of
CRISP and the Russia Project to have an impact on global
Lutheranism.
The Global Seminary Initiative also has helped bring
to the fore the concerns of the Missouri Synods partners. The partner churches and non-partner churches
with whom the Missouri Synod have agreements request
theological education more than anything else. The desire
for an increased Lutheran identity has only become more
desired as the Western Lutheran churches depart from
traditional views on sexuality and ethics. Church bodies
frequently ask both the Missouri Synod and, increasingly,
International Lutheran Council churches what it means
to accept the Lutheran Confessions or what it means to
be Lutheran. These church bodies are seeking others who
believe that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God.
Church leaders who have been trained in Missouri Synod
schools through CRISP, the Russia Project or the Global
Seminary Initiative frequently are the people having an
impact in their own church body and in some cases in
church bodies near them. Another positive effect of the
Global Seminary Initiative is how it involves the Missouri
Synods seminaries in global theological education in
a coordinated and strategic way that impacts global
Lutheranism.
Conclusion
The single most effective way the Missouri Synod and her
partners in the International Lutheran Council can have
an impact on global Lutheranism is through theological
education. The Lutheran confession, particularly regarding the nature of the Church and role of the ministry, is
propagated through teaching (theological education).
This in turn increases Lutheran identity. Theological
education increases the capacity of the partner. As theological acumen is increased, the capacity of the partner
to respond to local theological challenges is increased.
Additionally, those partners who have capacity in the area
of theological education are able to assist other church

bodies in the region. The benefit of theological education is mutual. Those providing theological education
are enriched as is the recipient. The perspectives students
from other church bodies bring to Missouri Synod seminaries help both the students and professors gain insights
that would not be possible without that interaction.
Of course, more intentional activities could be taken to
enhance this effect. The Global Seminary Initiatives support for regional seminaries again increases local capacity
and impacts the entire region in a powerful way. Finally,
the sending of short term professors and sponsoring of
continuing education conferences and seminars provides
an important short term impact on global Lutheranism.
Such activities for maximum effectiveness need to be
followed up by longer term and other intentional activities. In summary, the Global Seminary Initiative
provides an important and powerful way to impact
global Lutheranism, while increasing local capacity and
strengthening partnerships.
The Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III is LCMS director of
Church Relations and assistant to President Matthew C.
Harrison.
17
The Rev. Dr. Lawrence Rast

reminds us that the Church must
Response to
Dr. Albert Collver
recommit itself to the highest level

of theological articulation.
LCMS Mission Summit, Nov. 19, 2015

by Lawrence R. Rast, Jr.
Introduction
countries in the world will be found in the global south.
It is important that we have clergymen and ministers
At the same time, Jenkins alerts Western Christians to the
who are mighty in the defense of the Word of God
fact that the kind of Christianity emerging in the global
and in the maintenance of its purity, especially in
South will challenge certain assumptions and deeply held
these recent times when confusion and misfortune
doctrines of the Western Church. For him church docappear to increase daily. ... Hence, we sound this
trine is a dynamically developing reality not in some
solemn warning to our dear son and his loved ones.
Hegelian, dialectical sense, but in a human, sociological
Their father kindly but most emphatically directs
sense. In other words, for Jenkins every expression of
that they uphold the institution of higher learning
Christian doctrine is located in and subject to cultural
at Wittenberg, regardless of its cost or the energy
and social influences found in the particular context in
required.1
which the doctrine is applied.
Well come back to that later.
This means, very simply, that docThe church is changing
We
believe
that
there
is
trinal change is not only likely, it
and that includes Lutheranism
the faith the fides quae,
is inevitable.2
generally and The Lutheran
This is where the challenge
ChurchMissouri Synod spethe faith once delivered
and the opportunity for

cifically. No surprises there.
to the saints, sola gratia,
confessional Lutherans comes in.
The Church always experiences
sola fide, sola scriptura, solus
We believe that there is the faith
change, though sometimes the
Christus.
the fides quae, the faith once
change is more dramatic than
delivered to the saints, sola gratia,
others.
One area of change for the American church is the sola fide, sola scriptura, solus Christus. The Scriptures
impact of globalization. Dr. Collvers paper marvelously teach this one, true, catholic and apostolic faith and as
shows (1) the hermeneutical circle that is church and such, this faith is as true and unchanging as the God who
pastoral formation; (2) the manner in which our global revealed it in the Scriptures. The faith does not change. At
partners can help us in capturing a vision for the future of the same time, we all know that the Church today exists in
rapidly changing circumstances. The theological/religious
pastoral formation domestically and internationally.
The increasingly global character of human life con- questions of the post-Constantinian age in which we find
fronts the Church with the waning dominance of Europe ourselves are framed differently than those of Luther in
and the West to a growing importance of China (at least the sixteenth century; just as the questions Luther framed
economically), coupled with the emergence of the global differed from those of Augustine. Yet at the same time
South. Philip Jenkins enormously influential study, The we strive as did Augustine, Luther and all the faithful
Next Christendom, argues that it is in the global south over the ages to apply the unchanging message of the
that Christianity is growing most rapidly and that in the Gospel to these differently framed questions.
next 50 to 100 years, a number of the most Christian
Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global
Christianity (New York: Oxford, 2002).
2
1
Schwiebert, 27 [emphasis added].
18
Lutheran commitment to handing down the fides confession of the Lutheran tradition, and in the Lutheran
quae demanded absolutely required that its clergy Symbols that make up the Book of Concord 1580, because
be intellectually capable, academically trained and artic- these Lutheran Confessions are a faithful exposition of
ulately able. Historically, Lutherans have placed a high the doctrine of the Scriptures.
priority on the intellectual attainment of understanding
Hopefully there are no surprises is such statements
the faith yet it should be noted that this deep under- at least among this audience. But saying this is what
standing of the faith always was seen ultimately in the we believe and what we are is different from doing it.
service of teaching the faithful and reaching the lost While Wittenberg was the obvious center of the Lutheran
through the clearest possible proclamation of the Gospel. educational enterprise in the first century of German
And so Lutheran pastors have been theologically formed Lutheranism, without Frederick the Wise (d. 1525),
from the beginning in universities and seminaries. At John the Steadfast (d.1532) and, perhaps especially,
the same time, however, the settings and circumstances John Frederick (d. 1554) all electors of Saxony it is
in which Lutherans have found themselves have indeed unlikely that the Lutheran Reformation would have succhallenged assumptions about the extent the duration ceeded as it did.4 Indeed, as John the Steadfast lay dying,
and character of pastoral formation a conversa- he charged his son John Frederick to maintain the education that is going on even today. But I would submit it tional work begun at Wittenberg.5
is a conversation that we need to
engage more intentionally, straIt is important that we have
Historically, Lutherans
tegically and collegially. And by
clergymen and ministers who
collegially, I mean two things speare mighty in the defense of
have placed a high
cifically: (1) that we do so within
the Word of God and in the
priority on the intellectual
our own Synods context; and (2)
attainment of understanding maintenance of its purity,
perhaps more importantly, that
especially in these recent
the
faith
yet
it
should
we engage our international coltimes when confusion and
be noted that this deep
leagues actually as colleagues.
misfortune appear to increase
This latter is something that the
daily.... Hence, we sound this
understanding of the faith
Global Seminary Initiative (GSI)
always was seen ultimately in solemn warning to our dear son
has begun to help us to do.
and his loved ones. Their father
the service of teaching the
kindly but most emphatically
I. Lutheran Identity and the
faithful and reaching the lost directs that they uphold the
Lutheran University
through the clearest possible institution of higher learning at
Lutheranism is an intellectuWittenberg, regardless of its cost
proclamation of the Gospel.
ally demanding confession.3 In a
or the energy required.
way this is not at all historically
surprising. Luther, after all, was a professor, in addition
Hear those words again: regardless of the cost or the
to being a pastor. And he was deeply committed to the energy required. This is a remarkable statement in that
Churchs historic, catholic, biblical confession. Lutheran it underscores the centrality of education for the success
identity is closely bound up with careful theological expo- of the Lutheran endeavor delivered as the elector lay
sition of the fides quae the faith once delivered to the dying it shows how near this was to his mind and his
saints. To put it a bit differently, the confession of the bib- heart. The prince knew that without well-formed, articulical witness the fides quae is the doctrinal content late pastors, the Reformation would struggle to survive.
of in the Augsburg Confession (1530) as the foundational That remains true today.
3
Affirmation of the Holy Trinity one divine essence in three

persons confession of the two natures in Christ two natures in
one person, undivided and unconfused, the justification of the sinner,
the sacramental presence of Christ, the communication idiomatum,
the genus maiestaticum, etc., all assume/all demand a high level of
intellectual commitment and capacity on the part of one who confesses
the faith fully.
The drafting of an educational method and a set

of pedagogical assumptions fell, in the end, to Philip
Melanchthon. In 1533 he drafted the Statutes, which
4
Note on Frederick biography.
19
outlined how the university would operate and what

The Scripture is clear on the requirements for pastoral
formation of students involved. First and foremost, candidates; the question for us has at least two aspects: (1)
Melanchthon pointed to the Augsburg Confession what does this mean for us in our context(s); and (2) how
because it confessed the true and perpetual teaching of do we do this?
the Catholic Church. In short, Wittenbergs theology
III. Context
would not be new, but Apostolic.6
What was important was the Churchs confession of Several years ago now, Daniel Aleshire, executive directhe Gospel, which Lutherans were convinced that Luther tor of the Association of Theological Schools, peered into
had recovered through his reading of the Scripture and the uncertain future of theological education and offered
that had been rightly confessed in the Augustana. Pastoral these thoughts on where theological schools might be in
formation was a process of shaping a man in the Churchs twenty-five years or so. First, he offered three dominant
confession so that he might preach the Scripture in its external pressures that he believes will shape the experience of theological schools. Ill offer them in bullet form
truth and purity.
This kind of intense pastoral formation took time and with little comment.
1. The changing social status of religion in American culmoney. Weve seen how John the
ture. The culture-shaping power
Steadfast made provision for this.
of religion has weakened and conAssumptions regarding the time
Lutheranism
is
an
tinues to dissipate not because
that this took were embedded
intellectually
demanding
the seminaries are employing or
within the process of higher edueducating less talented people, but
confession.
cation itself.
because the broader culture has
II. T he Substantive Issue
reassigned religion from a social
When Is a Man Apt to Teach?
role of culture shaper to one that is more personal and
The biblical requirements for the candidate for the Office private.
of the Ministry are well known to us all.
2. A demographic shift. By 2040 the American populaThe saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the
tion will have completed a fundamental shift that began
office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore
in the late nineteenth century: this nation of immigrants
an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of
largely from Europe and the British Isles will be become a
one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable,
nation in which white will be the racial minority.
hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent
3. The shifting character of Protestantism. If the curbut gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money (1
rent mainline trends continue for the next two decades,
Tim. 3:13).
a significant number of congregations will close, and a
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace
considerably larger number will have joined the ranks of
that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard
those that used to be able to support a full-time pastor but
from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust
are no longer able to do so. The enrollments of mainline
to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Protestant theological schools will be influenced by the
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus (2
number of positions available for graduates. Enrollments
Tim. 2:13).
in evangelical Protestant schools are not as closely related
The Lords servant must not be quarrelsome but
to pastoral positions because evangelicals tend to be more
kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring
free-market and networked in their structures.
evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.
God may perhaps grant them repentance leading
Second, he expounded on the characteristics of theoto a knowledge of the truth, and they may come
logical schools. Ive included five here.
to their senses and escape from the snare of the
1. Multiracial and multiethnic. The majority of the
devil, after being captured by him to do his will
student bodies of most seminaries will comprise racial/
(2 Tim. 2:2226).
ethnic students.
6
Ibid, 29.
20
2. A changed community of theological schools. New

schools will reflect the growing edges of American
religion, as they always have, while schools that close will

most typically be related to religious movements that have
declined or lost their unique identity.
that brings more people to campus for shorter periods

of time, blends learning that is both web and classroom
based, provides classroom instruction simultaneously in
3. Educational diversity. Theological education prac- multiple locations, and utilizes contexts of ministry for
tices will be more diverse in almost every way. Schools more educational purposes. All of these, of course, already
will have to decide what practices they will engage, dis- exist, but they exist for some schools and as exceptions to
cern why they choose the practices they do, and assess the norm. In another twenty-two years, they will likely be
the impact on mission and service that is inherent in their the normative pattern.
On this last point, it is striking that just last week, the
choices. Seminaries will be much more different from one
another than they are now. Even within one degree pro- Religious News Service published an article that outlined
8
gram, such as the MDiv, there will be greater educational the sale of the historic campus of Andover Newton A
couple of paragraphs from that article:
variability.7
And over Newtons move is likely a harbinger of
4. Continuation of current patterns of institutional supwhat lies ahead for about 80 percent of Americas 100
port. Future financial realities will resemble and amplify
mainline seminaries, according
the current financial status of
to Daniel Aleshire, executive
schools. The dominant patterns of
director of the Association of
The prince knew that
funding will be either endowment
Theological Schools. Built more
without well-formed,
or current gifts from a committhan a century ago, theyve
articulate pastors, the
ted constituency. Denominational
relied primarily on residential
Reformation would struggle
support, except for Roman
education models that are
Catholic schools and a handful
to survive. That remains
fast becoming unsustainably
of Protestant schools, will be gone
expensive and ill-suited to
true today.
for all practical purposes. Schools
current needs.
will have expanded missions and
Andover Newton is a canary
programs in an effort to broaden their bases of support,
in the mineshaft on the issue of, what is the future of
but individuals will continue to be the primary source of
mainline institutions? Aleshire said. Youre going
institutional support.
to see some mainline schools seek to affiliate with
5. Different facilities. The facilities for most Protestant
other larger institutions. And the primary reason for
schools will be built or modified to sustain program more
that is the reduction of their indirect costs.
than community. [Seminary facilities will look more like
What we see from this canary in the coal mine is the
a University of Phoenix location than a traditional liberal quickly shifting reality for many seminaries in the United
arts campus. They will have classrooms and offices, gath- States and Canada. Increasing costs are driving many
ering spaces, and information commons, but they will seminaries out of their historic buildings and into coopnot have the residential, eating, and recreational space erative relationships that were unthinkable a generation
that support communities of people who live and study ago. Weve had conversations along these lines ourselves.
together.] For many schools, facilities will reflect the pro- 9But the conversation has usually been a bottom line one
grammatic needs of a web of educational programming ways to reduce costs. Of course thats important. But
the first question should be, how we understand the biblical injunction of apt to teach, and, having defined that,
7 Here the perspective of Anya Kamenetz is particularly important
we can then turn to the questions of how we get there
(DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of
Higher Education [White River Junction, Vt.: Chelsea Green, 2010],
institutionally and financially.
xii): Self-directed learning will be increasingly important. Already,
the majority of students attend more than one institution during their
college careers, and more than half seek to enhance their experience
with an internship. In the future, with the increasing availability of
online courses and other resources, individuals will increasingly forge
a personal learning path, combining classroom and online learning,
work and other experience. In Pastors by Degree, (Christian Century
[December 15, 2009]), L. Gregory Jones, Dean of Duke Divinity School,
wondered whether there will even be an M.Div. degree in thirty years.
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Oldest US Graduate Seminary to Close

Campus, Religious News Service, November 13, 2015, http://www.
religionnews.com/2015/11/13/oldest-u-s-graduate-seminary-to-closecampus-denominations-secularization-andover-theological/, accessed
November 17, 2015.
9
Sauer in FL.
21
Conclusion
Lest we end on an especially negative note, let us
return to the biblical texts that frame this conventions
work.
And they devoted themselves to the apostles
teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and the prayers (Acts 2:42).
Note how Gods people devoted themselves to
the apostles teaching and the fellowship. There is no
theological synergism here. This is the response of the
regenerated will of Gods people called by the Spirit
through the Word and Sacraments. It is something that
they work at, something they commit themselves to.
In the post-Constantinian West, the Church must
recommit itself to the highest level of theological articulation. This is what our GSI colleagues are challenging us
to do. Their desires are becoming the new benchmark in
an increasingly minimalistic American context. But pastoral formation is never an end in itself, nor is it primarily
about institutional survival, whether that be Synod, seminary, district or any other institution. It is all for the sake
of the proclamation of the Gospel to a world that increasingly no longer shares basic Christian assumptions about
the Bible, sin and redemption.
It is important that we have clergymen and
ministers who are mighty in the defense of the
Word of God and in the maintenance of its purity,
especially in these recent times when confusion and
misfortune appear to increase daily. ... Hence, we
sound this solemn warning to our dear son and his
loved ones. Their father kindly but most emphatically
directs that they uphold the institution of higher
learning at Wittenberg, regardless of its cost or the
energy required.10
The Rev. Dr. Lawrence R. Rast, Jr., is president of Concordia
Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.
10
22
What can and should a seminary
Response to Dr. Albert Collver,
look like?
and the Global Seminary Initiative
A Review and Look to the Future
LCMS Mission Summit, Nov. 19, 2015
by Jeffrey Kloha
r. Collvers essay focuses on the nature of a

seminary: What is a seminary? What should its
programs look like? These are important questions not only for seminaries around the world but even
perhaps especially for established and successful
seminaries in North America, which draw students from
around the world. Hence, I find helpful a comment by Dr.
Collver near the end of his paper:
When conducting theological education overseas,
it is important to listen to the needs and desires of the
overseas partner, and not simply to impose or export
the latest discussions about theological education
paradigms upon the partner. [p. 18]
I might add that it is not only the latest theological
education paradigms that sending churches should avoid
imposing on partner churches. Always foremost should
be the needs and desires of the partner church that is
seeking to confess Christ faithfully in accordance with the
Lutheran Confession, not the sending churchs goals.
For this reason, I will reflect here on possible futures
for the Global Seminary Initiative. What are the ways
that this remarkably successful project can bear even
more fruit, not only in the partner churches of the LCMS,
but also within the LCMS itself? As a framework for
my remarks, I would like to reflect on one aspect of the
church, as described in Philippians 4:
And you Philippians yourselves know that in
the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia,
no church participated together [the verb is
] with me in giving and receiving, except
you only. (Phil 4:15)
In the New Testament, church is always a manifestation of , a result of being united to Christ by
faith and by being united with Christ, therefore united
to one another through Christ. Neither nor

church () are abstract ideas; they are always
concrete manifestations of people being gathered together
in Christ (to use NT language) or by Word and sacrament (to use Lutheran vocabulary).1 For Paul, the people
gathered by the word in Philippi were now actually working with him in his own service to Christ, even though
Paul was in prison in Rome, 1300 kilometers away from
the baptized in Philippi. Specific people, in fact, are mentioned as embodiments of this participated together with
Paul: Timothy, who is also a co-author of this letter (Phil.
1:1) and whom Paul will send to Philippi (2:1924), who
will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. Likewise,
Epaphroditus was sent from Philippi to minister to Pauls
need in prison (2:2530). Paul describes him as his
brother, his coworker, and his fellow soldier (2:25). Again,
the shared in Christ resulted in actual people
being sent from one place to another, from one congregation to another, to encourage, strengthen, and teach one
another as a manifestation of the unity that they have in
Christ. That Paul singles out Philippi as unique among all
the churches in manifesting the desired unity in Christ
(no church participated together with me in giving and
receiving, except you only) shows both the power of the
Gospel at work in Philippi, but also a reminder that such
unity seems difficult to achieve in this present age. Even
Corinth big, wealthy, powerful Corinth had to be
called to task and reminded that the poor little church at
Philippi had outdone them: their abundance of joy and
their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of
generosity on their part. For they gave according to their
means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their
own accord (2 Cor. 8:23).
1
Jeffrey Kloha, Koinonia and Life Together in the New Testament,

Concordia Journal 38 (2012): 2332.
23
What does all this have to do with seminaries?

Seminaries are not, at their core, institutions of higher
learning and advanced study; they are not, at their core,
buildings; they are not, at their core, books and libraries and they are not programs of study. Rather they are
at their core people: People who have gathered from different locations around the teaching of the Word, for the
purpose of sending them out again to serve in the name
of Christ. Gathering and sending, gathering and sending
the rhythm of a seminary. Year after year, 176 of them
now at the institution known as Concordia Seminary.
Seminaries, at least confessional Lutheran seminaries,
would not exist but for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and
their sole purpose is form pastors and teachers and deaconesses and missionaries so that the Word of the Lord
increases and prevails mightily into this generation and,
until the Lord comes again, future generations.
The New Testament does not describe seminaries, but
it does describe people gathering and being sent out from
different locations, different churches, for the purpose of
teaching, encouragement, formation, and manifesting the
unity that they have in Christ. To look to the future of the
Global Seminary Initiative is to look to the future of the
church, and one of the things about the LCMS that gives
me pride is that our church body commits significant
resources, indeed millions of dollars, to the formation
of pastors and not only LCMS pastors, but also those
of our partners in the Gospel around the world. When I
meet with colleagues from other seminaries around the
country, they are surprised at the large number of international students at Concordia. That is possible only
because the people of Missouri generously participate
together in the giving and receiving, all for the sake of the
Gospel. In this brief response, I offer five ways that this
partnership of giving and receiving might be strengthened through GSI.
1. Focus on Student and Teachers

Dr. Collver notes, with concern, some trends in education in general and past experience in some forms of
education overseas. There is, and always will be, in any
educational program and especially in seminary education, a tension between the urgency of the mission and
the desired length of study; a tension between cost and
quality; a tension between what is good enough and what
is excellent. We should not forget that stand-alone seminaries were invented by the Roman Catholic church at the
Council of Trent, in the seventh session in 1563. Martin
24
Luther and Philip Melanchthon were university professors, not seminary teachers. And, as Dr. Collver pointed
out, different models of seminary have existed throughout the churchs history. One that is receiving a great deal
of attention is online education, in particular Massively
Open Online Courses (or MOOCs).
Discussion of MOOCs has resulted in a great deal of
spilled ink or rather, many pixels in the last several
years. The prophesied radical revolution in higher education has not materialized, however. Already in late 2013
the Chronicle of Higher Education reported a University
of Pennsylvania study that found that fewer than 2% of
students who signed up for a MOOC course actually
completed the course.2 Perhaps not surprisingly, The
researchers say that courses with lighter weekly workloads
and fewer assignments had somewhat higher completion
rates than those that expected more of participants.
Those championing online education as a panacea
have failed to observe what teachers for centuries already
knew: It is in access to information that results in learning
and formation, but encouragement, accountability, some
to walk alongside the student and by turn encourage or
chasten, praise or correct. One observer in the Chronicle,
commenting on the failure of MOOCs, notes:
The real obstacle in education remains student
motivation. Especially in an age of informational
abundance, getting access to knowledge isnt the
bottleneck, mustering the will to master it is. And
there, for good or ill, the main carrot of a college
education is the certified degree and transcript,
and the main stick is social pressure. Most students
are seeking credentials that graduate schools and
employers will take seriously and an environment in
which theyre prodded to do the work. But neither of
these things is cheaply available online.3
So we are back to the ancient paideia model, where
students come together alongside those who have both
drunk deeply from the well of Scripture and knowledge
of Christ and have themselves served in congregations
where they have had to bring the condemnation of the
law and the light of the Gospel to actual people. Who
2
Lawrence Biemiller, From a Million MOOC Users, a Few Early

Research Results, Chronicle of Higher Education December 6, 2013.
Available online: http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/from-amillion-mooc-users-a-few-early-research-results/48841
3
Kentaro Toyama, Why Technology Will Never Fix Education,

Chronicle for Higher Education, May 19, 2015. Available online at: http://
chronicle.com/article/Why-Technology-Will-Never-Fix/230185
know both the content and the urgency that the content
brings into the lives of people; that study of theology is
not an end in itself but the theological content of the
Gospel propels, prods us, and forces us to bring that
Gospel into hurting lives. Seminary students, then, learn
with professors in the sense that they are brought into
the same experiences, come to the same understandings,
learn from the same mistakes that the professor himself
has had. To this day a sure and certain way to recapture
the attention of wandering students on a warm, breezy St.
Louis spring afternoon is to tell one of my sure-fire when
I was a pastor stories that connects the text to a context,
that allows the students to imagine for themselves why it
actually matters that they are studying Greek instead of
tossing a Frisbee in the quad at that particular moment.
Now if the teaching moment is most critical in the
formation and education of pastors, it should be quite
obvious that it is the teacher, even more than the curriculum, more than the content of the class itself, more
than the length of the program, certainly more than
the buildings, and, indeed, even more than whether the
course is delivered in person or online, the teacher will
have the most significant impact on student learning and
formation.
In this light, that of focusing on the teacher-student
interaction, I want to emphasize that technology is not a
panacea, but neither is it inherently harmful to theological education. Concordia Seminarys experience with
online pastoral formation has been very successful, both
in terms of student confession and in terms of fruitful
ministry in their first calls. But it comes at a cost; in our
experience, in order for the courses to be successful, we
must limit classes to 12 students at time, so that there is
significant faculty/student interaction; students must do
10+ hours of reading and writing per week, and faculty
must provide feedback and grades on 57 pages per student per week; there is a required two hour live online
class session each week; and the student must meet with
his local mentor/supervisor each week as part of the
assignment. Furthermore, students are required to come
to the St. Louis campus at the beginning of the program,
near the middle, before ordination, and again at the
end of the program for a residential course. So we have,
in reality, a hybrid distance/residential program. And
while we are very pleased with the courses and the student learning, the fact is that it costs the seminary more
to deliver an online course than it does to deliver a residential course. This model is effective for 21st century
tech-savvy Americans, most of whom have high-speed

internet access. But it would likely not translate well into
contexts where technology is not so readily available.
Again, a focus on student learning should determine
method of delivery, not ones own personal experience of
seminary education.
Therefore, the future of the Global Seminary Initiative
is solely to be found in the students it forms. What is critical is that the student learns, that the student grows, that
the student graduates not merely with a degree, not merely
because he has sat in the mandated number of classroom
hours and credits, but because he has been fundamentally
shaped by the Word of God and the Confession. He does
not merely receive a set of lecture notes that he can return
home to read back to others. He himself is called by the
Gospel and enlightened with the gifts that come from the
Spirit through the Word about Christ. Therefore, I concur
with Dr. Collvers concern:
The challenges, needs, and desires of North
America (or Europe) often shape worldwide
theological education because it is what the churches
of the Global North export, whether or not such a
form or shape for theological education is desired by
churches in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. [p. 12]
I could not agree with this statement more, hence
the best thing that we can do is to teach, that is, bring
others to the same source from which we have drunk, the
Gospel, the Scriptures, the Confessions. Allow them to
drink deeply, and to return them to their homes eager and
capable of teaching the faith and future pastors in ways
that are informed and shaped by biblical and Lutheran
patterns of thought. These teachers are then able to bring
biblical, Lutheran theology to bear on the situation before
them in their own setting. They may well develop teaching methods and programs that are very different from
ours, but also much more effective in their situation. A
four year, residential, masters degree model of education
is what has developed in the LCMS as the gold standard
over the last 50 years, but that is certainly not the only way
to do pastoral formation, nor should it be the way that we
expect other churches around the world to form their
pastors. There are different economic, governmental, and
cultural realities that must be taken into accountjust
as they had to be taken into account in the US. Lets not
forget that the vicarage year was added to the seminary
curriculum in the 1930s, during the Great Depression in
America, when congregations could not afford to call a
25
new graduate as pastor. An extra year of off-campus, in

context training was instituted primarily for economic
rather than formational purposes. Now, I happen to agree
that time in a congregation, being mentored and guided
by an experienced pastor, is of inestimable value. But why
stop at one year? Why not two, as other Lutheran seminaries do? The point is, just because the LCMS does it and
is effective at it does not mean that it must be duplicated
in other settings.
2. Develop a Core of Culturally Sensitive and

Effective Faculty
Not every theology professor can effectively teach every
topic; neither can every theology professor effectively
teach every student. Students learn from some professors more readily than they do from others. Much of this
has to do with the students learning style, but also with
the faculty members gifts in teaching, in particular in a
classroom setting that in North America is becoming
increasingly varied, with students from different backgrounds, different levels of exposure to theology and
the biblical languages, different ways of interacting with
technology.
It is also the case that not every North American faculty member is able to teach effectively in a non-western
setting. There is a sensitivity to the student and the willingness to listen to what the student is saying back to the
teacher, so that the teacher can be sure that the material is not only taught but most importantly learned. In
Concordia Seminarys experience, it is our best teachers in our traditional classroom who are also our best
teachers online and also our best teachers in overseas settings. For years Robert Kolb, Robert Rosin, and William
Schumacher have spent significant time in teaching in
other seminaries; this spring Dr. Schumacher will spend
the entire semester at Mekane Yesus Seminary, the third
consecutive year in which we have given him up for this
work. In this generation we are raising up Joel Elowsky,
Paul Robinson, and Erik Herrmann, also all excellent
teachers, to be available on a regular basis for teaching at
our partner seminaries. Ft Wayne, I know, has likewise
cultivated faculty who are particularly adept at teaching
students from backgrounds different than their own.
3. Focus on the Scriptures

We are living in an age where the biblical revelation is dismissed as outmoded, antiquated, and merely a collection
of traditions and opinions. Even among some who claim
26
the name of Christ there is a dismissive attitudes toward

the Scriptures, as if they cannot provide the truth in an
age of many truths. As a result, we have seen in the West
in a single biblical generation of 40 years a loss of
our human identity as Gods creatures, gifted to live in
accordance with his will and according to his purposes.
Divorce is commonplace; a culture of death is celebrated
at both the beginning and end of human life; consumerism is, indeed, all consuming while a life of service and
sacrifice is forgotten; a persons gender and sexuality is no
longer a gift from God but an individuals choice, so that
a man can choose to identify as a woman and we are all
forced to act as if it were actually so.
It is only the grace of God and the power of his Word
which preserves us; this should result in pride but in a
humility which drive us ever again and ever deeper into
the Scriptures and under their power. The need to study
the Scriptures in depth, in their original languages, was
deemed essential by the Lutheran Reformers. Luther,
after all, was a professor of the Old Testament. He knew
enough Greek to translate the New Testament into
German in mere weeks. One weakness in what the LCMS
has been able to provide to our sister churches is that we
have not produced teachers of the Bible in their original
languages. Ft Wayne does not offer a Ph.D. in Bible, and
St. Louis program has proven exceedingly difficult, perhaps more Wissenschaftlich than ecclesiastically oriented
(which is always a tension in a seminary graduate program). We must find a way to make it possible for future
teachers of the church from around the world to attain
advanced degrees in biblical studies, to become teachers
of the Bible.
Luther is famously quoted as saying that if we lose the
biblical languages, we lose the Gospel. He said that, but he
also said much more in that essay, To the councilmen of
all the cities in Germany that they establish and maintain
Christian schools:
There is a vast difference therefore between a
simple preacher of the faith and a person who
expounds Scripture, or, as St. Paul puts it, a prophet.
A simple preacher (it is true) has so many clear
passages and texts available through translations that
he can know and teach Christ, lead a holy life, and
preach to others. But when it comes to interpreting
Scripture, and working with it on your own, and
disputing with those who cite it incorrectly, he is
unequal to the task; that cannot be done without
languages. Now there must always be such prophets

in the Christian church who can dig into Scripture,
expound it, and carry on disputations. A saintly life
and right doctrine are not enough. Hence languages
are absolutely and altogether necessary in the
Christian church, as are the prophets or interpreters.
As a professor of exegetical theology, I happen to
agree. This is one area where I think the seminaries collectively need to communicate and coordinate so that we
can identify and train and form outstanding readers and
teachers of the Bible. I think a goal of the GSI should be
that each church body that is able to sustain a seminary
would have at least one professor with a PhD in Bible who
can teach Greek to their pastors and guide them faithfully through the Scriptures. After that, we can work on
Hebrew.
4. Accreditation
Dr. Collver raised issues of accreditation. This is a changing landscape in North American higher education. In
the U.S., the federal government is putting pressure on
accrediting agencies because of perceived concern about
abuses particularly in the student loan system and are
students getting value for what they are paying for. The
accrediting agencies are responding by putting even more
pressure on education institutions for data regarding
costs, student completion rates, student debt upon completion, and beginning salaries for graduates. I receive a
weekly email update that links to articles related to higher
education accreditation issues; yesterdays email had these
headlines:
Challenges of an Accreditor Crackdown
Senator Asks Government Accountability Office to
Review U.S. Department of Education Oversight of
Higher Education Institutions Eligibility for Federal
Financial Aid that senator, incidentally, is Claire
McCaskill, senator from Missouri.
Accreditation Reformers Propose a Model of
Their Own
You might think that this puts seminaries at a distinct
disadvantage; indeed, some seminaries in North America
are dealing with increased external probing, particularly
about cost to students and the institutions own financial
model and sustainability. And, it is the case the Concordia
Seminary has found the need to have two staff persons
whose primary responsibility is to handle accreditation

and federal loan program issues, which ironically adds to
costs and further strains the financial model.
On the other hand, accreditation can be very helpful
to seminaries. At least it has been to Concordia Seminary,
which received its fourth consecutive ten year reaffirmation of accreditation with no notations from both
the Association of Theological School and the Higher
Learning Commission, just 18 months ago. In fact, our
accreditation review was so positive that the HLC has
shifted us into a rolling accreditation process, where
we submit regular updates on program and operations
improvements and avoid altogether the ten year cycle.
This is one example of how a good relationship with an
accrediting body can be helpful to a seminary; they provide resources as well as someone, in a sense, peeking over
your shoulder to make sure that you are doing what you
are supposed to be doing anyway. And accrediting agencies offer consultation and resources to move forward in
strengthening the mission of the seminary. Concordia
Seminary has never been forced by an accreditor to do
anything that it did not want to do; in our experience,
accreditation has allowed us to do what we need to do
even better.
Accreditation will be a challenge for non-western
seminaries; standards of accreditation for what a North
American seminary should look like have, in some cases,
been foisted upon non-western seminaries. This is not
helpful. However, seen as an opportunity to do self-assessment and improvement, all within their mission of
providing pastors for the church, accreditation has the
potential to be helpful. One area where North American
seminaries can be helpful to our partner seminaries is,
in addition to providing professors to teach courses and
graduate programs to train their own professors, to assist
with curricular, administrative, and student processes in
order to not only satisfy accreditors but, more importantly, to strengthen their service to the church.
5. Focus on the Gospel

If may express one caution regarding a point of emphasis not disagreement, but emphasis in Dr. Collvers
paper, he places the development of seminary education
on the view of the office of the ministry: Ultimately, the
shape of theological education is determined by the views
held about what is the church and what is the ministry
(Articles VII and V of the Augsburg Confession) [p. 8]. If
I may place the emphasis in a slightly different place: while
27
certainly ones view of the office of the public ministry

does determine the nature of the training and theological
formation that is developed, it is the Gospel itself and the
doctrine of justification by faith which is central to any
teaching done in the name of Christthe teaching on justification by faith alone is the article by which the church
stands or falls, after all. And in the Lutheran Confessions
the public office always follows and is derived from the
Gospel itself; Article IV of the Augsburg Confession on
justification precedes Article V, and the Apology likewise
keeps the office in its place as a servant of the Word: It is,
however, the opinion of merit that we exclude. We do not
exclude the Word or Sacraments, as the adversaries falsely
charge us. For we have said above that faith is conceived
from the Word, and we honor the ministry of the Word
in the highest degree. This is simply repeating the New
Testament teaching on faith being conceived through
the spoken word: How can they hear apart from those
preaching? And how can they preach if they are not sent
faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word
about Christ (Rom. 10:1417). So the sending of pastors
is derived from the message which God himself has sent
in the person of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirits giving
of the Word. This word is an effective word, regardless of
the speaker, because it is Gods Word. The office of the
public ministry serves only to speak that Word, preached
and connected to water, wine, and bread. But the ministry
itself is never the focus; the spotlight never shines on the
office. Hence the apostle Paul had to remind the church in
Corinth: What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants
through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So
neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but
God gave the growth (1 Cor 3:57). The pastor is important only in so far as he speaks the true Word.

We should not take for granted that justification
by Faith is easy, and that the teaching on the office of the
ministry is what is difficult. Not only around the world,
but even in North America the centrality of Christs work
on the cross and in his resurrection is obscured. A social
gospel orientation, which views salvation as merely justice
in the present age has lost the centrality of justification by
Faith; a Pentecostal orientation, which focuses on what
I claim to have received from the Spirit, apart from the
work of Christ, obscures the centrality of justification by
Faith; a prosperity gospel, which seeks to turn God into a
provider merely of wealth and success have each certainly
lost the centrality of justification by Faith. This is the
28
Lutheran contribution to the churchto focus on Christ,

on his work for us, and on the Word which bestows that
righteousness on us. These must remain our focus, in any
seminary which genuinely claims the name of Christ, and
even more so the name Lutheran. We are not teachers
of the office of the ministry, we are servants of Christ. I
know that Dr. Collver agrees completely that justification
by Faith is central; may the Lord keep us steadfast in this
Word.
Conclusion: Giving and Receiving

Finally, returning to the letter to the Philippians, no
church participated together with me in giving and
receiving, except you only. This model of being partners in both giving and receiving should be the model
that we adopt as we develop closer relationships among
seminaries that share the Lutheran confession through
the Global Seminary Initiative. We should not presume
that the large, apparently successful seminaries are the
givers, and everyone else the recipients. North American
seminaries need to learn from our partner seminaries,
including biblically and theologically, even practically. If
you would permit a personal example: I am working right
now with a Master of Arts student from Liberia, a very
bright young man. In Liberia he started several churches
from nothing. This is his second year of studies; he has
now learned Greek and was actually excited yesterday
when I told him that the next step in his thesis project is
to translate and do the exegetical work on some key passages for his projectand I know that when I see him on
Tuesday he will have it done. His project is to develop a
theology of giving, specifically giving to the local congregation, in support of its mission and to allow pastors
to serve the congregation without the encumbrance of a
external employment. He explained that when western
missionaries came, they brought the Gospel and, out of
good intentions, taught the people that they did not need
to pay them or support them financially in their work. It
made sense; here are westerners being paid western salaries and they are serving people who earn comparatively
very little. But now that the missionaries are gone and the
local pastors are responsible for the work, the good intentions of the missionaries are proving challenging, because
people do not a habit or a theology of giving and pastors
are not being supported. Yet, the student explains, his culture is one of community and hospitality and giving. It is
an honor to welcome someone into your home, share a
cola nut and a glass of water. His work with the Scriptures
shows that in some ways he understands the point of a

text better than I might; for example, in 2 Cor. 8 when
Paul commends to the Philippians for their generosity, I
hear that as a rebuke on wealthy Corinth and of people
like me. But he hears that as praise and encouragement
for Philippi, and for people like those that he serves. His
context allows him to teach me something about a text
that I have read scores of times. His work on a theology
of giving might also be of benefit not only in his context
in Liberia, but also in our congregations, particularly
among immigrant populations. How do we, together,
develop a theology and practice of giving among what we
would consider low income people, one that retains the
Lutheran focus on Christ and life together in him, rather
than a prosperity Gospel?
Examples can be multiplied. The more that North
American faculty and students have the opportunity to
study the Word together with our colleagues and students from around the world, the more faithful we will
all become. Blind spots that we have become more obvious when we interact with other people who do not have
those same blind spots. To name a few that merit exploration: A theology of prayer, especially in conversation
with those who do not have western, Enlightenment
notions of a materialistic, closed universe. We live in an
environment that assumes that there is not transcendent;4 this has perhaps shaped our prayers, so too often
it seems to me, we ask too little and do not exhibit the
kind of trust and confidence that is encouraged both by
our Lord and by Luthers Small and Large Catechisms.
Another possibility: A theology of persecution, suffering, and even martyrdom. The North American Lutheran
church has never been forced to endure persecution; in
fact, we fled religious persecution to come to America to
be free to worship according to our confession. My great
grandparents were part of that migration to Michigan
in the mid-nineteenth century. Other churches face this
daily. Mekane Yesus have been strengthened by martyrdoms; Kenya and other African churches are facing life
and death threats from radical Muslims. North American
Christians have never been forced to think about, let
alone live through, life-and-death persecution. We will
have much to learn, I suspect, from our brothers around
the world when that comes to our shores.

Giving and Receiving that is the future of the Global
Seminary Initiative. The seminaries of the LCMS are
grateful for the partnership that we have already, and look
forward to sharing teachers and students with our sister
churches and seminaries in the days and years ahead. May
the Lord of the church, who has brought us together in
his name, allow the Gospel to flourish among us all.
The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Kloha is provost and director of the

Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts at Concordia
Seminary, St. Louis.
For a narrative discussion of Western thinking, see the massive

narrative by Charles Taylor, A Secular Age (Harvard, 2007). A
recommended summary and commentary on this book is James K.
A. Smith, How (Not) to be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor (Eerdmans,
2015).
29
The Word of God creates and
A Reflection on
in the Twentieth Century
forms pastors.
by Robert H. Bennett
Brief Historical Origins
hen I was invited to speak tonight, I was enter the seminary, I remember asking my wife to come
told me to keep it light and tell some jokes sit outside with me because I had something to tell her.
Well, I could tell you few great and hilarious Ours has never been a relationship built on formalities so
jokes, but I dont know any; and if I did, they would no she thought it odd that, rather than just blurt out what
longer be recognizable as jokes by the time I was done was on my mind, I would set a date and a location to talk
with them. I simply dont have such abilities. So I will talk to her about something affecting our relationship. After
waiting for my three (at that time)
to you about what I know.
children to go bed, we sat down
But before we get to that, first
Confessional
theological
together outside for the talk. I
let me say that I am both honored
remember it going something like
and thankful for the opportunity
education is about Jesus
this, I want to go to the seminary
to be the banquet speaker for such
forming those He calls to
to study to be a pastor. When
an important event. As we gather
go out into a lost world
I finished telling her the great
here at the Mission Summit we
and preach the Gospel that
news, she responded in laughcontinue to engage the difficulties
changes
lives
and
brings
ter, falling off the backyard swing
of a fallen world, but we do so in
where she was sitting. The words
the light of our Lord and Savior
people from spiritual death
I remember her saying when she
Jesus Christ who has rescued us
to eternal life.
realized I was serious sounded
from the domain of darkness and
something like this, You?
transferred us to the kingdom of
Now you must not think too negativity about my
[the Fathers] beloved Son (1 Col. 1:13).
One of the major themes of todays Mission Summit wifes response, because she was right in her observations.
was the topic of pastoral formation and the role of theo- You see, my wife knows me like no one else knows me.
logical education. While many times the necessity of After her initial shock wore off, she reminded me of four
theological education is minimized within our culture, it important obstacles that were in the way of my new dream
remains Gods prescribed method of formation for those to become a pastor. She reminded me that I could not
He calls to be His pastors. This is what I mean: the Word read more than a few words out loud without falling all
of God creates and forms pastors. Pastors must abide in over them. She knew that public speaking was terrifying
and confess the Word of the Great Shepherd before they for me. She knew that I had only a high school educacan be under-shepherds. Based on my experience, this tion. Moreover, she knew that both of us had just recently
best takes place within a residential program, or at a min- returned to the Church. She was right on every point.
imum, a program that provides an opportunity for men However, neither of us had remembered or maybe we had
to engage with one another in confessional theological not even yet read St Pauls words to the Corinthians:
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men,
reflection.
and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For
If you will allow me, I would like to demonstrate this
consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were
point with a personal story. When the idea came to me to
30
wise according to worldly standards, not many were

powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God
chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise;
God chose what is weak in the world to shame the
strong. God chose what is low and despised in the
world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing
things that are, so that no human being might boast
in the presence of God. (1Cor. 1:2529)
In view of these words, I guess the idea of the ministry
is not so hard to accept. I definitely had the foolishness
and spiritual weakness requirements down cold. Well,
to make a long story much shorter, my wife eventually agreed. Within a few years we were on our way to
Concordia Theological Seminary (CTS) in Fort Wayne,
Ind. It was in the residential program at CTS that I was
formed to be a pastor.
students? I see and interact with the seminary students,

but I dont teach them. In my role as professor, I teach
pastors who are seeking higher degrees. Many of the
pastors I teach are not Lutheran. Many different denominations from around the world send their pastors to
our seminary to study for their Ph.D.s. Moreover, many
of these non-Lutheran pastors have never experienced
the theological education that our Lutheran seminaries
provide. To be sure, they have all received some form of
seminary education, but for most of them the seminaries
they attended focused only on teaching theology. What
was missing from their programs was an emphasis on the
Word of God within a confessional subscription. In other
words, these pastors learned theology that was separated
from confession. Jesus taught His disciples, If you abide
in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know
the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:3132).
Pastoral Formation and the Role of Theological
The truth of Jesus Word must be confessed, not as an
Education
individual truth, but as the objective truth for all people
So what does any of this have to do with our conference at all times and in all places. Such a confession is contrary
or with theological education?
to the worldview of our times, but
Our Lutheran system of theologwhen taught it is formative upon
Pastors must abide in and
ical education is unmatched in
the individual. It sets them free
confess the Word of the
this world. Let me explain. We
from themselves and makes them
Great Shepherd before they
have a strong theological system
to be the voice of God, as Jesus
can be under-shepherds.
that provides our pastors with
speaks through them with His
the very best. It includes all of the
Word, a Word that brings life and
necessary disciplines such as exegetical theology, histori- salvation, a Word attached to water, bread and wine for
cal theology, systematic theology and practical theology. the forgiveness of sins!
But our program does more than that! Our theological
This is something that is difficult to find outside of
program does not only inform the mind and provide Lutheran theological education, something my non-Lupractical skills for the ministry. Our theological programs theran students remind me of all the time. It is formative!
change hearts and make the foolish into new men of God, The world is sending their pastors to our Ph.D. Program
at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind.,
those who are foolish in the world to shame the
because they recognize the formation that is taking place
wise; those who are weak in the world to shame the
within our institution. World Christianity is beginning to
strong; those who are low and despised in the world,
recognize that CTS is the place to learn missiology that
even things that are not, to bring to nothing things
speaks in a confessional way to todays context.
that are, so that no human being might boast in the
I am also wonderfully blessed to be the executive
presence of God.
director of Luther Academy. For those who are not aware
This is what theological education does! It is not of the
of Luther Academy or its mission, let me give you a short,
intellect alone, but it is formative upon the entire personvery short, description of Luther Academys ongoing
hood of those who are called to speak in the stead of the
work. Luther Academy seeks to provide Confessional
Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lutheran theological materials and continuing educaAs the executive director of Luther Academy and as
tion for Lutheran pastors around the world. We do this in
a guest professor of Missions at CTS, I have the wonthe United States through our publishing and worldwide
derful opportunity to see the formation of pastors on a
by sending the best theological minds to teach pastors
daily basis. Did you notice I said pastors, not seminary
31
around the world, pastors, who for the most part, have
not had the benefit of a theological education. Our focus
is reaching pastors that cannot make it to seminary or
those who have received minimal theological education
and deeply desire to learn theology. Each year Luther
Academy provides approximately 20 conferences all over
the globe for pastors. The content of these conferences
is prescribed by the presidents or bishops of each of the
Lutheran Synods. The point is that Luther Academy only
provides instruction in the areas of need.
World Lutheranism is an astonishing phenomenon
that too often is not recognized by the members of our
churches. Too often churches are looking for some new
way to present the Gospel. However, as I will demonstrate, the Lutheran Church is a growing church, not one
of decline or collapse. Therefore, for the remainder of my
time with you this evening, I would like to tell you a little
more about some of the pastors I have met over the past
year. Tonight I will focus on the Lutheran churches of
Madagascar and the Philippines.
serve. Moreover, these churches average between 400800

members per congregation. Few if any of these pastors
have cars, but the distances they must travel to their
churches is great. Even with so many churches to serve,
only the pastors preach and administer the Sacraments.
To do anything else would be inconceivable to them.
They recognize that theological education is about far
more than academic degrees. They recognize the necessity of formation that is attached to theological education.
Moreover, they recognize the special calling given to the
pastor to fulfill that role.
The Office of the Holy Ministry is not a functional
office. It is an office filled by Jesus as He creates and forms
His pastors. The workload on these pastors is inconceivable to us here in the LCMS. There is no time for these
pastors to come up with new strategies of mission, nor
is there time to rethink the traditional liturgies. These
pastors simply confess the faith and trust that which was
handed down to them from the early missionaries. In
spite of the problems that would drive some of us insane,
these pastors are faithful and their
Madagascar
churches are growing.
Our Lutheran system of
I was recently in Madagascar.
The growth of their churches
theological education is
Luther Academy was there in
is amazing when we understand
connection with LCMS Disaster
unmatched in this world.
the culture in which they operate.
Response. The purpose of the trip
Most of the islands population
was to provide a theological conference on the theology remains animistic. This means they worship the spirits
of mercy. The location of the conference required two and the ancestors through their traditional rituals, which
days of travel through the bush and into some of the most include a very subjective and emotional component of
beautiful rainforests you could imagine. While the travel worship. In other words, their worship is as far away as
seemed long and difficult for us, it was nothing when you could imagine from our understanding of a liturgical
compared to the travel endured by the Malagasy pastors service. Nevertheless, this growing church in Madagascar
who attended the conference. They had traveled unbe- does not attempt to adjust their theology or practice to
lievable distances, some by foot for days in the tropical meet the culture. They are instead as countercultural as
climate of coastal Madagascar. When the pastors arrived, one could imagine. The Lutheran Church in Madagascar
they slept together on the floors of some local church is a liturgical church. The liturgy they use is similar to that
members who had offered their homes to the pastors. you would have once found in all of your LCMS churches.
This particular conference drew more than 50 pastors. Their churches are growing in ways that we could not
They suffered through the travel and the accommodations believe possible.
because they understand the importance of theological
Another interesting thing about the Lutheran Church
education. To them such education is a dear luxury that of Madagascar is that while we are forming them by profew are able to receive.
viding theological resources and education they are, in
By now most of you have heard about the Lutheran turn, forming us. They are reminding us that a confesChurch of Madagascar. It is one of the largest Lutheran sional church holding to the Scripture and the power of
churches in the world. To date there are around 5 mil- Jesus Word is the only real possibility of reaching lost
lion Lutherans on the island. This church body continues people. Their interaction with our pastors and seminaries
to grow by the tens of thousands each year. The average is teaching us things we have lost because of the influence
pastor has up to five or sometimes more churches to of Rationalism and the Enlightenment.
32
If you were to travel to Madagascar and speak to the

average Lutheran on the street, he would speak to you in
the language of the Word and the Sacraments of Baptism
and the Lords Supper. Moreover he would do so in the
framework of Luthers Small Catechism. The Lutheran
Church in Madagascar is a prospering and a thoroughly
Confessional Lutheran church that wants what we so
often take for granted. Yet, at the same time they have
what we so desperately need. They have answers for us on
how we can speak the Gospel to a world that is claiming
to be spiritual but not religious. In other words, they can
teach us how to speak the Gospel to a culture that is seeking spirituality apart from organized religion.
Lutheran churches that are growing are the confessional

ones, but they also share something that has always been
found in the Lutheran Church. These growing churches
are liturgical. This should not surprise us. A liturgical
church is simply practicing in an outward manner what it
confesses. A liturgical church is a biblical church.
Theological education is the hope for our future. While
the future of Western Christianity seems bleak to many,
the future of world Lutheranism is exciting and vibrant.
Moreover, our Lutheran partners are exactly where our
hope can be found. As pointed out in a few of the papers,
these mission partners are showing us our blind spots.
As I travel the world as the director of Luther Academy
I have the benefit of seeing Lutheranism at its best.
The Philippines
Moreover, reflecting on Lutheran theological education in
The Lutheran Church in the Philippines is much smaller the 21st century, it is clear to me that our theological eduthan the Lutheran church in Madagascar. But there are cation does not need a new roadmap to follow, but simply
many similarities between the
a firm hold on the road that has
two. The cultural circumstances
lead from the Reformation and to
The growing churches
are similar in the sense that both
the great history of our Lutheran
around the world have a
are islands and both are heavily
Church Missouri Synod as a
high regard for theological
influenced by animism, or what
confessional Lutheran church
education that is biblical and sought out by the world for our
we generally refer to as spiritualism. Much like the pastors of
confessional.
faithfulness to Holy Scripture and
Madagascar, the Lutheran pasthe Lutheran Confessions.
tors in the Philippines also serve six or more churches.
Therefore, the summary of my speech tonight is simLikewise, many times these churches are only accessible ilar to our Synods 2017 Reformation theme: Its still all
by foot. While the church is relatively small in number its about Jesus! He is the one that creates and holds all things
growth comes from the countryside not the cities. Once together. He is the Savior who carries the sins of the world
again the Gospel is precious to those who are under the to a cross and rescues us by His resurrection. He is the
law of the false gods and spirits. Moreover, the Lutheran one who promises to attach Himself to the simple words,
Church in the Philippines is a liturgical and confessional water, bread and wine. Confessional theological education
church. They are growing by simply following a confes- is about Jesus forming those He calls to go out into a lost
sional subscription to the Confessions and the historic world and preach the Gospel that changes lives and brings
Lutheran forms of worship. These are faithful pastors that people from spiritual death to eternal life. Confessional
have much to teach us as we provide for them the theo- theological education is formative; it shapes pastors by
logical education they so desire.
the biblical and confessional truths and provides a residential opportunity for the men to grow in the confession
Lutheranism in the 21st Century Is Encouraging
of the faith through the dialogue with their teachers and
As we look at the problems of our own culture and the
fellow students. Confessional theological education is the
losses we are experiencing in our churches, such stories
roadmap for our future in the 21st century.
are encouraging. However, there is more to be found in
these stories than encouragement. These stories should
inform us as to how we proceed in our churches, semi- The Rev. Robert H. Bennett is guest professor of Missions
naries, universities, high schools and church schools. at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., and
Only the Word of God grows the Church. The growing executive director of Luther Academy.
churches around the world have a high regard for theological education that is biblical and confessional. In fact, the
33
The Lutheran World Federation

released Understanding the Gift
of Communion in 2014 to allow
Colonialism in the Global

South: The Imperialism of
Western Sexual Ethics*
churches who hold differing views

on homosexuality to remain in
fellowship with one another.
Colonialism is a practice of domination, which

involves the subjugation of one people to another it
is hard to distinguish it from imperialism. Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy1
these cases, the perpetrators of colonialism were Western

powers exploiting the developing world.3
In 2014, the LWF identified another form of colonialism expressed in the rejection of homosexual love. The
failure of the church and Christians to accept homosexual
Introduction/Background
love given in the framework of faithful and conjugal relaations and churches in the global South tionships reverts into a condemnation of homosexuality
have long sought freedom from the colonialism that is a reenactment of exclusionary categories inherof Western nations and Western churches. The ited from a colonial and patriarchal past.4 Colonialism
dialogue between peoples in the West and in the global historically has been the subjection of a people through
South has brought an increased awareness to colonialism political or economic means.5 In this essay, the LWF
and moved the world into a
extends colonialism to include
post-colonial era. Organizations
the ethical realm, in particular,
To overcome the impasse
such as the Lutheran World
those who reject homosexual
that divides churches like
Federation (LWF) often speak
love are the colonialists. In the
the EECMY and the CoS or prior two examples of colonialagainst colonialism. For instance,
the LWFs Tenth Assembly
ELCA, the Gospel must be
ism, the perpetrators were the
called for international financial
properly understood.
Western nations. In this example
institutions to forgive the debts
of sexual colonialism, the perpeof developing countries and
trator is the global South, in general, and the Ethiopian
urged member churches to campaign with individual Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), in particugovernments for fundamental human rights, which lar. The EECMY, although not alone in the global South
apparently includes debt reduction/forgiveness by in its rejection of homosexual love, took the bold move
corporate banks. The LWF identified external debt of severing fellowship with the Church of Sweden (CoS)
connected to the historic exploitation of colonialism, a and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA)
modern tool for domination.2 The official report of the
LWF Eleventh Assembly from July 2010 when discussing 3 Lutheran World Federation, Give Us Today Our Daily Bread Official
the effects of climate change called on the wealthiest Report (Geneva, Switzerland, 2010), 69.
4 Guillemo Hansen, Faith, Culture and Power: Communio and
nations to assume responsibility for the ecological debt the Churchs Mind, in Understanding the Gift of Communion: The
they have created, and for the disasters that perpetuate Quest for a Shared Self-Understanding of the Lutheran Communion,
Department for Theology and Public Witness, 85101 (Geneva,
carbon colonialism in the developing world. In both of ed.
Switzerland: The Lutheran World Federation, 2014), 96.
Margaret Kohn. Colonialism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,

2014. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2014/entries/colonialism/.
1
2
Lutheran World Federation. LWF Tenth Assembly: External Debts

to Developing Countries Should Be Cancelled, 2003. http://www.lwfassembly2003.org/lwf-assembly/htdocs/News-035-EN.html.
Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, Colonialism and the Biblical Revolution in

Africa, The Journal of Religious Thought 41:2 (1985):59. Colonialism
the enforced economic dependence of one society on another and often
its political subordination continues in the form of neocolonialism to
define the relationship between the nations of the North Atlantic and of
the southern hemisphere.
* Since the writing of this paper, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the International Lutheran Council (ILC) will discuss next year hermeneutics as it relates to
the unity of the Church. The goal is to better understand each others approach to the Holy Scriptures and discuss how this affects the Churchs unity.
34
in 2013, impairing the declared communion among

LWF member churches.
agreements over ethical matters are not church dividing.

The sorts of ethical matters in mind are not only situations where people debate between two difficult options
A Brief Examination of Understanding the Gift of
but also matters that the Church since her beginning
Communion
at Pentecost has regarded as sin and forbidden by the
The LWF released Understanding the Gift of Communion Decalogue, such as the practice of homosexuality. The
in 2014 to help repair the communion and to allow essay states, Ethical unlike doctrinal issues are somechurches who hold differing views on homosexuality to times said to be not church dividing the ecumenical
remain in fellowship with one another. A basic premise movement has focused on consensus in faith expressed
of this document is that ethical issues are not doctrin- in worship since, so it is believed an affirmation of faith
ally divisive because ethics is based upon the Law, not is not troubled by cultural and ethical differences.9 The
the Gospel. The Augsburg Confession, Article VII, states, model for agreement within the LWF is reconciled diverAnd for the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree sity, meaning that a church cannot engage in an activity
concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the adminis- for itself due to cultural or contextual reasons, but that
tration of the Sacraments. The interpretation of doctrina church may not condemn another member church for
evangelii found in AC VII is key.6 The churches of the practicing what it does not. The essay continues with
International Lutheran Council (ILC) typically have two examples that divided the Lutheran communion.
understood the phrase doctrina evangelii in a broad way Important to this discussion are the changes made in the
that means agreement in teaching and all articles of the LWFs constitution in the Helsinki Assembly held in 1963,
faith as well as agreement in the use of the Sacraments. chiefly the adoption of Article IV, which says the assemIn contrast, the churches of the
bly can vote not only to admit
Lutheran
World
Federation
The acceptance of
a church into membership but
(LWF) have understood the
also to withdraw or expel. In the
the Gospel in all its
phrase doctrina evangelii in a
course of these developments, it
articles, including the
narrow way that focuses on the
became possible for the churches
Bibles teaching about
definition of Gospel as justiof the LWF to decide together to
fication.7 As a result, the LWF
homosexuality, is something discipline a member church.10
can find itself in communion or
the LWF relegates to a
The ability to discipline a member
fellowship with any Christian
church became important for
hermeneutical difference.
group that professes justification
one of the examples that divided
by grace and administers the
the communion, that of apartheid. In 1977, the LWF
Sacrament. Agreement in articles of faith is not necessary acknowledged that Christians normally may have differor required. The next step in this Gospel reductionism is ent opinions about political questions unless the political
an ethical reductionism that does not require agreement and social system is so perverted and oppressive that it is
on basic ethical matters, nor is it necessary for churches to consistent with the confession to reject them and to work
recognize or agree that certain actions are sinful.
for change. 11Despite the fact that apartheid is reprehenIn an essay titled, Dealing with Difference in sible on a moral level, looking at the judgment from the
Communion Relationships,8 the LWF states that dis- perspective of the most recent LWF documents, it is not
clear exactly how apartheid is against the LWFs confes6 Roland Ziegler provides an excellent overview of the different ways
sion, provided that the churches that practiced apartheid
to interpret doctrina evangelii. See Roland F. Ziegler, Doctrinal Unity
and Church Fellowship, Concordia Theological Quarterly 78:34
professed the Gospel and administered the Sacraments.
(2014):5979.
Nevertheless, the LWF determined that apartheid was not
7 Communion: On Being the Church. (Geneva, Switzerland: The
Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed
Churches, 2014), 3536. Unity in Word and sacrament is based on
agreement on the understanding of the gospel. This agreement begins
with the common understanding of the gospel as the message of Gods
justifying action in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
8
Elisabeth Parmentier, Dealing with Difference in Communion

Relationships, in Understanding the Gift of Communion: The Quest for a
Shared Self-Understanding of the Lutheran Communion, ed. Department
for Theology and Public Witness, 6984. (Geneva, Switzerland: The

Lutheran World Federation, 2014).
9
Parmentier, Dealing with Difference in Communion Relationships,

69.
10
Ibid., 72.
11
Ibid.
35
consistent with its confession. The concrete consequence the Reformed Church in Poland decided to ordain women
was the suspension (not the expulsion) of these church- to the pastoral ministry, the Lutheran bishops conferes.12 With the discipline of two white churches over ence of the same country issued a statement forbidding
apartheid, the LWF has the precedent to discipline other Lutheran believers to participate in celebrations led by a
member churches who depart from the LWFs confes- woman. This was clearly a transgression of the Leuenberg
sion. In the present situation, the LWF could discipline Agreement, which requires mutual recognition: the minthe EECMY not so much for rejecting homosexual love istry of a female Reformed pastor of this communion has
for itself, but for severing fellowship with the CoS and to be at least recognized by the others.15 The Lutheran
the ELCA. Although the sheer size of the EECMY, not Church of Poland was not disciplined, for it accepted
to mention the difficulty in obtaining votes for a censure to recognize that the ordination of women in the other
from Africa and Asia, make it an unlikely prospect that churches was not in contradiction to the gospel.16
the LWF will in fact discipline the EECMY.
This example is very telling of the direction the LWF
The second example of a controversy that threatened seems to be going. Individual member churches will not
to divide world Lutheranism is the ordination of women. be required to ordain practicing homosexuals (or lesbiThere are parallels to the LWFs policy toward womens ans) as pastors, but they will need to recognize that their
ordination (which the LWF prefers to call women in the ordination in other member churches is not in contraordained ministry of the church). Since 1984, the LWF diction to the gospel. Presumably, if a church such as the
has recognized and affirmed the goal
EECMY refused to recognize the
of seeing women in the ordained
ordained homosexual ministers in
The portrayal
13
ministry. The LWF supports womother member churches they could
of opposition to
ens ordination through its gender
be disciplined. Even under the rechomosexuality as a new
justice policy. Funding grants are
onciled diversity model, churches
form of paternalism and that accept the ordination of homoattached to the LWFs gender juscolonialism recasts the
tice policy, through which the LWF
sexuals and those who do not cannot
secures quotas for womens particibe reconciled. Ultimately, the LWF
discussion.
14
pation in member church bodies.
communion will need to decide if
It seems quite possible that the LWF could encourage the a general position is possible and if pastoral exceptions
acceptance of practicing homosexuals in the ordained are acceptable.17 It is quite ironic that the problem in
ministry through a policy similar to its gender justice the LWF is seen to be the churches (EECMY, Evangelical
policy. For an example of the way in which womens ordi- Lutheran Church of Tanzania, et al) that reject a decision
nation provoked a controversy among member churches, made by a minority of members (CoS and ELCA).
Dealing with Difference in Communion Relationships
In the essay, Faith, Culture, and Power, homosexuprovides examples from two different church bodies. The ality is not seen as the real reason for the dispute. The
first example involves the Evangelical Lutheran Church essay asserts:
of Latvia, which began ordaining women in 1975 but
This estrangement cannot be reduced to the ethical
stopped ordaining women in 1993. The Latvian church
issue of homosexuality, for the latter functions as a
was not disciplined by the LWF. The second example
quasi placeholder for a host of issues ranging from
involves the Lutheran Church of Poland, which does not
cultural biases, economic interests and geopolitical
ordain women. The article recounts the situation, When
developments to divergent hermeneutical responses
and the disruptions unleashed by modernity;
industrialization and post-industrialization; identity
12 Ibid., 7374.
politics and the anthropological and psychological
13 Interview with LWF General Secretary on International Womens
valuation of desire, to name but a few.18
Day, 2014. https://www.lutheranworld.org/news/women-ordainedministry-reflects-gods-call.
14
Ibid. I hope and pray that we move from securing quotas for
womens participation to securing conditions for womens participation.
And I hope and pray that more churches will own the commitment to
women in the ordained ministry as we engage in open and respectful
conversations that are faithful to the Word of God that invites the
baptized to become a prophetic sign of Gods powerful reconciliation.
36
15
Parmentier, Dealing with Difference in Communion Relationships,

77.
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid., 84.
18
Hansen, Faith, Culture, and Power, 87.
The rejection of homosexuality is not seen as an eth- only a symptom of another problem.23 The author sees the
ical issue but connected to among other things such problem as two issues: On the one hand, the nature of
as cultural biases and differences in hermeneutics. The sexuality that is engraved at the center of our theologiglobal South, more so than the Western church, tends to cal symbolic order, which leads us to an exploration into
read the Bible literally, while the West reinterprets what the powers of the body. On the other, that divisions are
appears to be a clear prohibition into something like a call inscribed in the way in which previously existing themes
for greater hospitality.
are mediated by theological language and hermeneuAlthough the essay acknowledges that the EECMY tics. 24In regard to the nature of sexuality, the author
wants to guard the truth of the teaching of the Bible,19 deconstructs sexuality using a structuralist framework.
it finds more significant the fact that the EECMY wanted The author asserts that the traditional view of sexuality
to influence the CoS through communication. The essay has been replaced. He writes, An initial approach must
states that this was doomed to failure since there are no consider the place that sexuality had it mediates the
organizational mechanisms that create an environment basic condition for life, procreation. Using higher critithat presupposes the involvement of the other in the cism to repeat the tired JEPD theory of the Pentateuchs
process of a churchs reaching a decision. In other words, authorship, the author asserts the Priestly version of the
there is no way in which the mind of the EECMY can text links, sexual differentiation and biological repromeaningfully interact with the mind of the CoS when duction with the image of God.25 The author argues that
their bodies (churches) pursue autonomous existenc- viewing sexuality from the perspective of reproduction
es.20 The essay sees a problem with
would be to leave sexuality at the level
the LWF model, which has declared
of animality.26 The author argues that
The divide over
itself a communion but is organized
once reproduction could be separated
homosexuality is a
along the lines of a federation of
from sexual desire, a new (sexual)
symptom of a far greater embodiment of identity became posindependent churches. Each indeproblem.
pendent church can take an action
sible.27 He argues that the womens
that affects the other churches in the
movement of the 1960s led to the
communion, and no mechanism exists for the members gay and lesbian movements. His identification with the
of the communion to influence the individual members. womens movement as the beginning of a radical change
The author notes that the inability of one member to of mind28 which opened the door to the gay and lesinfluence another member is the only point the EECMY bian movements, parallels the developments within the
made. He says, The EECMY has posited a very import- church, where the acceptance of womens ordination led
ant issue that is key for the Lutheran communion as a to the ordination of practicing homosexuals.
whole.21 Despite this acknowledgement that the EECMY
According to the author, the womans movement is the
pointed out a weakness in the LWFs structure, the author beginning of the end for patriarchalism and colonialism.
is sympathetic to the CoS and the ELCA. He writes, Yet The acceptance of homosexuality is the complete destructhis is as far I can go with the claims of the EECMYs tion of patriarchalism. He writes, Therefore the struggle
leadership I am very supportive of the position taken
by the CoS as well as the ELCA both in what pertains to 23 Ibid. The issue of same gender relationships comes to the
bylaws regarding ministerial functions and their sensitive fore, however not as a cause of division but as its symptom... the
of the ordination of persons of same gender
reading of a cultural and social context that has mutated problematization
orientation in committed relationships and the liturgical blessing of
our hermeneutical coordinates in relation to sexuality in same-sex marriage is the symptom of a division that already existed and
transcends the issue of homosexuality.
general, and homosexuality in particular.22
24 Ibid., 90.
The author continues by noting that the so-called eth25 Ibid.
ical issue of homosexuality is not the core issue but rather 26
19
Ibid., 88.
20
Ibid.
Ibid. But approaching sexuality only from the angle of its

reproductive power would be tantamount to remaining merely at the
level of animality. Human sexuality has a meaning that transcends
its biological attributes, for it is the zero level from which the whole
apparatus of symbolic thinking and thus culture arises.
21
Ibid., 89.
27
Ibid., 91.
22
Ibid.
28
Ibid.
37
initially concentrated on womens rights unleashed a powerful shockwave: the calling into question of patriarchy
also challenged heterosexuality as the exclusive norm
for sexual desire. Soon other emancipatory movements
emerged around the vindication of gay orientation and
lifestyles that had a radical critique of patriarchal constellations in common with the womens movement.29 The
author argues that sexuality is not just about reproduction
or pleasure, but it also serves as a symbol that communicates which and what type of relationships are considered
to be desirable, expected, or required.30 By viewing sexuality through the lens of power, the author can equate
traditional male and female sex roles with colonialism.
Same sex relationships shatter this colonialism. Rather
than seeing the church accommodating the culture by
accepting homosexuality, the author sees the full recognition and inclusion of persons of same-sex orientation
in the ministry and practices of the church as creatively
applying the gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of new
configurations of love and justice.31 The author equates
the acceptance and inclusion of practicing lesbians and
homosexuals in the ministry of the church as similar to
the voices of post-colonialism and liberationist demands
voiced by many churches in the global South since the
70s.32 Notice the shift. If the global South demanded the
end to colonialism by the West, then in the same spirit,
the global South should accept and include homosexuals
in the ministry of the church, as the rejection of homosexuality is one of the last forms of patriarchalism and
colonialism.
To overcome the impasse that divides churches like
the EECMY and the CoS or ELCA, the Gospel must be
properly understood. The author writes, Suffice it to say
that differences are insurmountable when the gospel is
confused with a particular sociological instantiation.33 By
this, he means the Gospel cannot be tied to a particular
social arrangement such as marriage between a man and
a woman. The author equates the position expressed by
the EECMY (although he does not mention the EECMY
by name) as virtually fundamentalist and delivered by
reactive leaderships. He regards the virtually fundamentalist position of rejecting homosexual ordination
and same-sex marriage as a blatant case of profanation

of the sacred, even impinging on the gospel as promise.34
Leaving behind colonial unilateral normativity, which
would allow the acceptance of homosexual clergy and of
same-sex marriage, allows inter- and trans-contextuality
to form the main trace of a communion.35
In summary, according to this essay, the break in communion between the EECMY and the CoS and ELCA was
not caused by the ethical issue of homosexuality but due
to a breakdown of the structure of the communion, which
operates more like a federation. He writes, As a federation
of churches the Lutheran communion leaned upon an
identity cemented by a diachronic trajectory provided by
Scriptures, confessions and, above all, the memory of the
Reformation and its missionary expressions.36 This forms
a symbolic tradition. For the author, the danger today is
to regard this symbolic tradition as if it did not emerge
from synchronic moments. This is to say, the Scriptures,
the Confessions and Reformation emerged from synchronic moments, and if placed in a context and time
such as the present, these items would have developed
differently. Yet (late) modernity and the post-colonial
situation have offered new perspectival approaches that
need to be assimilated if churches are to be in a communion that is expressed through the constant negotiation of
relationships mediated by (theological) language.37 The
author argues that the federation mindset needs to pass
as a communion mindset develops. Although the author
does not explicitly name the EECMY, CoS or ELCA, they
are implied. The statement is as much of an indictment
against the EECMY as it is against the CoS and ELCA.
The CoS and ELCA acted autonomously and as a federation by adopting same-sex marriage and homosexual
ordination. Likewise, the EECMY acted autonomously
and as a federation by breaking fellowship or communion with the CoS and the ELCA.
34
Ibid., 97. Virtually fundamentalist postures as the ones expressed

by the positions or reactive leaderships seem to be a blatant case of
profanation of the sacred. They impinge not just upon the particular
regard, opinion or even doctrine that one may have of the orders of
creation, but on what constitutes the promissio, the gospel as such.
35
29
Ibid., 93.
30
Ibid.
31
Ibid., 96.
Ibid., 98. It is as if the very reality of a globalized world demanded

the emergence of a new mind which leaves behind both the colonial
unilateral normativity and the contextualist necessary reactions,
in order to advance into a normed and normative inter- and transcontextuality as the main trace of communion.
32
Ibid.
36
Ibid., 99.
33
Ibid., 97.
37
Ibid.
38
Conclusion
Martin Junge, the general secretary of the LWF, in his
introductory essay, writes, I believe that the LWF communion needs to resist the current tendency in our
world to align ecclesial relationships along the criterion
of like-mindedness, particularly around specific issues of
ethics.38 Junges statement removes ethics from the realm
of scriptural truth and places them into the realm of
mores and social conventions. In the document, ethics
serves as a euphemism for homosexuality and lesbianism. Certainly, Schleiermachers conception that a church
is made up of like-minded individuals is not correct. Yet
the Augsburg Confession, Article VII, recognizes that the
Church is found where the Gospel in all its articles, that
is, both the Law and the Gospel, is taught and where the
Sacraments are rightly administered. The so-called ethical issues are a part of the Gospel in all its articles. The
acceptance of the Gospel in all its articles, including the
Bibles teaching about homosexuality, is something the
LWF relegates to a hermeneutical difference.
The portrayal of opposition to homosexuality as a
new form of paternalism and colonialism recasts the
discussion. The global South has experienced paternalism and colonialism first hand from Western churches.
Meanwhile, Western churches have attempted to avoid
being paternalistic and colonialistic. Everyone wants to
avoid paternalism and colonialism, much as the smoking of cigarettes in the 21st century is avoided or at least
hidden from public view. The argument that opposition
to homosexuality is colonialism turns the tables on the
global South, making the historic recipients of colonialism into the colonialist because of their position on
homosexuality. The Western churches become the victim
while the churches of the global South become the perpetrator of colonialism. These articles from the LWF portray
opposition to homosexuality as the new colonialism.
Yet the reality is somewhat different. As an
African pastor stated, Homosexuality is equivalent to
colonialism and slavery.39 The acceptance of homosexuality is being imposed and forced upon both African
nations and churches by the West. Governmental aid
and financial loans are connected to promoting a greater
acceptance of homosexuals in Africa. Such actions fit the
38
Martin Junge, Claiming the Gift of Communion in a Fragmented

World, in Understanding the Gift of Communion: The Quest for a
Shared Self-Understanding of the Lutheran Communion, 915 (Geneva,
Switzerland: The Lutheran World Federation, 2014), 15.
Fredrick Nzwili, African Clerics: Gay Rights Equal Colonialism, The
Christian Century 131:7 (April 2014): 15.
39
very definition of colonialism, the exercise of dominion40 or the enforced economic dependence of one
country over another.41 In a 2007 Pew Research Center
poll, 97 percent of surveyed Nigerians and Ethiopians,
96 percent of Ugandans and Kenyans, and 95 percent
of Tanzanians believed their respective societies should
reject homosexuality.42 Even the most progressive
Western nations do not have as much support in favor of
homosexuality as the African countries do against it. The
new colonialism is trying to force the African nations and
churches to adopt a Western, liberal sexual agenda that
accepts homosexuality. A call for greater acceptance of
gays and lesbians has put African and Western churches
on a collision course, with some African clerics likening
criticism from the United States and Europe to a new
wave of colonization by the West.43
In Understanding the Gift of Communion, the EECMY,
which took a stand against the practices of the CoS and
the ELCA regarding the ordination of homosexuals,
becomes the unnamed colonialist, the aggressor against
the poor Western churches. The irony of the former colonialists identifying the EECMY as colonialistic for taking
a biblical stand is rich. Such a move is the ultimate in colonialism, as it imposes both a position and a title. The Gift
of Communion does express some things correctly. For
instance, the divide over homosexuality is a symptom of
a far greater problem, as it demonstrates that some LWF
member churches hold to the Scriptures as the source
and norm of their teaching, while other LWF member
churches do not hold to the Scriptures in the same way.
The EECMY should be commended for its bold stand
and witness to the Scriptures. Perhaps, the EECMY will
serve as an example for others. The EECMY is an example of a church that stood up to the new colonialism and
resisted being colonized by a position foreign to the Holy
Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions.
The Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III is LCMS director of
Church Relations and assistant to President Matthew C.
Harrison.
40
Kohn, Colonialism.
41
Gilkes, Colonialism and the Biblical Revolution in Africa, 59.
42
Sarah Dreier, Disagreements over Homosexuality Divide African

Churches and the ELCA, Word & World 34:2 (2014):191.
43
Nzwili, African Clerics: Gay Rights Equal Colonialism, 15.
39
Will more intentional and effective

parish education practices have
Teaching the Faith

in the Parish
a significant, positive impact on

reversing membership losses in
the LCMS?
by Mark Blanke
s we reflect on parish education in the 40 years. If we had been implementing intentional and
church, we inevitably align with one of two effective educational practices during that time period
possible frames of reference. Either we focus on a it would be hard to find support for my hypothesis, but
philosophy behind our parish educational efforts (usually indications are that we have not been implementing such
linked to a theological orientation) or we consider a practices. Insights into our educational practices can be
methodological focus. The methodological focus allows one found in various sources, including the 1970 Report on
to consider the way that parish education is implemented Confirmation and First Communion, the 1970s research
within a church regardless of the philosophical lens, that led to the book How Different are People Who Attend
except in those few cases where the methods might run in Lutheran Schools?, the 1995 Congregations at Crossroads
opposition to a certain philosophical orientation.
study of the LCMS, the 2006 Institute for Religious
This paper will elaborate on the
Education study of parish educamethodological aspect of parish
tion practices in the LCMS, the
An effort to educate
education. It will focus on research
2010 Whats Happening in LCMS
our educational leaders
into how we are presently doing
Confirmation study, data from
on the value of designing
in the church, what implications
several Lutheran Annuals and
educational experiences that the 2014 study of healthy conthere are for specific methodoloseek to apply learnings to
gies and make recommendations
gregational characteristics and
for change.
educational practices.
the process of living a
Full disclosure requires that
The
Congregations
at
Christ-like life has the
I share that I consider myself to
Crossroads report said that
potential to greatly enhance
be an advocate for parish educaNowhere is the need for a culture
the educational experiences
tion. This paper is written with the
shift more evident than in the
that are already happening
biases and prejudices that accomfindings on Christian education,
pany the role of advocate. I would
which it described as having too
in our churches.
wish for the readers of this paper to
low a participation level, being
increase their advocacy for parish education.
too often seen as something that is only for children and
My operational hypothesis for this paper is that more too teacher-centered, offering content that is neither releintentional and effective parish education practices would vant or engaging in content and process.
have a significant, positive impact on reversing membership
This study gives us some idea of the state of religious
losses in the LCMS.
education in our church body in the 1990s, but what
In order to construct an argument that supports the other data is available to give a glimpse at our more recent
hypothesis, we need to take a look at the current state of efforts? What do we know about what our people underparish education in the LCMS. Are we effective? Are we stand and what we are doing in religious education efforts
using techniques that are consistent with known effective in the LCMS?
methodologies? How intentional are we in planning and
In an article in The Lutheran Witness titled How
executing our educational ministries?
Do We Get to Heaven? Rev. Andrew Simcak quoted
data from the Barna Research Group regarding how
State of parish education within the LCMS
adults from different denominations answered the quesThe decline in membership in the LCMS goes back about tion Can a good person earn his way to heaven? The
40
percentages below are the percentages of those from each

denomination who said yes to the question:
Assembly of God
22%
Baptists 38%
Presbyterians
52%
Lutherans
54%
Episcopalians
58%
Methodists
59%
Mormons
76%
Catholics 82%
Bergmans 20062007 report on
Confirmation:
1.
77 percent of pastors report
that there are no classes for
youth (other than Sunday
school) prior to the start of
Confirmation instruction.

In Holy Communion, one receives:
1) 28% Bread and wine as symbols of Christs
presence
2) 40% Christs body and blood and bread and wine
3) 31% Christs body and
blood which replace bread and
wine
One of the greatest errors

an educational leader can
make is to believe that
their learning experience is
somehow exempt from the
truths that we know to be
operational everywhere else.
2.
82 percent of pastors agreed
with the statement that For
most Lutherans, youth confirmation is the most important
Christian education event in their lives.
3. 77 percent of pastors report that the percentage of confirmands still involved in the congregation as seniors in
high school is less than 60 percent; 22 percent of pastors report that less than one out of five seniors are still
involved.
4. While 92 percent of pastoral respondents indicated that
Concept
to prepare confirmands to receive Holy Communion

was a very important or important goal of
Confirmation instruction, post-Confirmation youth
answered the following question with these responses:
4) 1% Im not sure
What LCMS Youth and Adults

Understand
In a 2001 article in Lutheran

Education, Dr. Lou Jander revisited some of the findings from the
1995 study of LCMS congregations. The study, which involved mainly active members
of our church body, asked respondents to indicate their
understanding of key concepts in our theology. The following table shows the percentage of respondents who felt
they had a good or very good understanding of the concept and the percent that felt the concept was important
or very important.
Understanding
Importance
Adults
Youth
Adults
Youth
Sanctification
27
13
47
30
Grace
66
54
79
62
Justification
38
30
51
41
Law
60
63
51
47
Gospel
70
62
84
67
Priesthood of all believers
25
12
29
17
Baptism
90
85
89
83
Evangelism
65
30
45
27
Stewardship
66
20
50
22
Means of Grace
47
29
61
42
Lords Prayer
91
86
90
78
Original Sin
73
64
47
36
Apostles Creed
80
67
72
56
Confession
78
66
71
64
Absolution
58
25
68
37
Righteousness
48
41
52
46
Taken from a survey of the LCMS completed in 1995 by Benson, Roehlkepartain and Andress.
41
The data from these sources provides evidence that, on

the very basic level of developing a cognitive understanding of our faith, our educational programs are proving to
be ineffective.
Statistical data from The Lutheran Annual:
1. Retention

a. 65.3 percent of the children baptized in 1963

were confirmed in 1976
b. 54.9 percent of the children baptized in 1977

c. 46.9 percent of the children baptized in 1990

d. 46.9 percent of the children baptized in 2000

While there are likely many factors that influence the

retention of children in the church, educational programming (or the lack thereof) is likely one of those factors.
2. Pastoral support statistically, there seems to be
enough pastoral resources to justify an adequate
focus on religious education in the parish.

a. In 1971, when we had the largest number of

baptized members, there was one pastor for
every 570 members.
b. In 1993, there was one parish pastor for every

488 baptized members in the Synod.
c. In 2003, there was one parish pastor for every

d. In 2013, there was one parish pastor for every

When one considers the increase of DCEs, DCOs, deaconesses, DPMs and other commissioned ministers
added to congregational ministries since 1971, we can
assume that the ration of member to church professional
is even lower. It is not likely that inadequate staffing can
be to blame for our membership decline.
3. Sunday school
While the Synod has lost 19.5 percent of its baptized membership between 1993 and 2014, Sunday
Classes and Bible Study Groups have had the
following statistical changes over the same ten year
period:

Ages 23: -62%
Grades 56: -54%
42
Ages 45: -52%

Grades 12: -57%
Grades 34: - 54%
Grades 78: -54%

Grades 912: -32%
Young adults and Adults: -28%
While it is obvious that our membership is aging, which

may account for some of the decline in grade school
age classes, one could assume that an increase in adult
membership would lead to an increase in adult study
attendance. Data from 2014 shows that attendance at
adult and high school Sunday morning Bible studies represents only 9.5 percent of our confirmed membership.

State of Religious Education (2006) data from research
done by CUNE and the Institute for Religious Education
(IRE):
1. Pastors estimate that around 50 percent of eligible
children participate in Sunday School at least one
half of the time.
2. On average, pastors say that 46 percent of youth
are still active in their congregation four years after
confirmation (lower than the estimate in Bergmans
study.) If this estimate is accurate, it means that we
lose over 50 percent of our youth between Baptism
and confirmation and an additional 50 percent
between confirmation and graduation from high
school.
3. Only 32 percent of congregations offer some sort
of midweek learning experience for their children
(other than confirmation classes).
4. Pastors estimate that about 21 percent of adult members participate in adult learning experiences, but
attendance data from the same congregations show
the number attending Sunday study is close to 9 percent and an additional 5 percent attend midweek
studies at the church. Pastors also estimated that 19
percent of members attend more than one study at
a time. Synod data suggests attendance figures closer
to 14 percent for adults.
5. Pastors were asked to rate the following items from
110 with 1 being low.
6.0 The degree to which the congregation makes
parish education a priority.
4.1 The degree they are satisfied with the education participation levels in

their congregations.
6.0 Their congregations effectiveness in education of children
5.2 Their congregations effectiveness in education of youth

6.0 Their congregations effectiveness in education of adults
our service to the poor and hurting in our world, especially during the past few years, so it is unlikely that we
are being seen as more detached from society today as
we may have been in years past. In the past 30 years we
6. 45 percent of pastors say they feel parish education havent seen a major schism or split related to theological
effectiveness in the LCMS has diminished over the differences. Changing societal perceptions of Christianity
past 15 years. Thirty percent say it has stayed the and religion in general has definitely contributed to
our membership losses, but there are other evangelical
same and 17 percent say it has improved.
denominations that are seeing fewer losses or even slight
7. A majority (57 percent) of pastors have had no college growth. I believe that through the process of eliminating
coursework that focused on educational methodol- some of the variables and identifying the deficiencies that
ogy other that the one required seminary course and
are obviously present in our cura similar percentage have not
rent education ministries, we can
taken any continuing educaWe have a poor
make an assumption that education that has focused on the
tional deficiencies contribute to
perception of the state of
topic yet, pastors estimate
our membership decline.
our educational ministries,
that 23 percent of all their
we have poor attendance
Making changes that would
time is spent on Christian
help our educational efforts
at all levels, participation
education efforts for their
to be intentional and effeccongregations.
is declining faster than
The research is clear: we have a

poor perception of the state of
our educational ministries, we
have poor attendance at all levels,
participation is declining faster
than our membership losses and
pastors are expending a great deal
of time preparing and leading
educational ministries without
having adequate preparation for
the task.
our membership losses and

pastors are expending a
great deal of time preparing
and leading educational
ministries without having
adequate preparation for
the task.
Summary of the state of parish education in

the LCMS
While one cannot determine causality from the data, it is
clear that too many members of the LCMS are deficient in
their understanding of our faith and too few are active in
our education offerings (as well as other congregational
activities.) In fact, virtually all of the data points to significant inadequacies in our educational ministries in the
church. What is missing from the data is the exact cause
of these inadequacies.
The problems cant be linked to inadequate staffing,
and all of the findings cant be attributed to the changing demographics (primarily an aging population) of
our Synod. All indications are that the Word is still being
preached in our churches and the Sacraments are being
properly administered. Synod efforts have amplified
tive
As we consider our educational practices, Id like to

propose the following operational
assumptions:
1) It is only effective education
if people learn. The difference
between teaching and talking
is that teaching has happened
if the recipient gains a changed
perspective. Talking is effective if a person has formed
words and expressed them.
2) There are better ways to teach and worse ways to

teach. This seems an obvious statement but it means
that there are preferred methodologies. Acceptance
of this simple assumption would lead one to a
search for the educational methodologies that have
the greatest potential for success. For example, the
research from many sources show the inadequacies
of teacher-centered learning experiences, especially in adult education, so we can assume that
the focus on teacher-centric methods (which the
Congregations at Crossroads study said are prevalent in the LCMS) would be detrimental to effective
learning and less-effective than alternative methods.
43
3) Content knowledge is not synonymous with teaching capability. Some have advocated that teaching
ability is influenced only by knowing the material
in a greater amount than your learners. Experience
should tell all of us that there is more to teaching
than merely knowing the content. We have all had
teachers who have done a better job of educating
us than have other teachers yet all of our teachers have probably known the content better than
the students they teach so the mere knowledge
of content must not be a significant determinant of
capability at teaching.
4) The Church is an open system, affected by things
outside of the Church. While our doctrines shouldnt
be swayed by societal trends and the preferences
of our members, things that take place in society
(wars, court decisions, technology, calamities) do
influence our programming and how our message
is interpreted. We can make the assumption that
the characteristics of learners (developmental capabilities, teaching style preferences, personal goals,
retention capabilities) should be considered when
planning educational programs within the Church.
5) Pastors are the key to improving education in the
church. While it is true that our Synod has developed the office of the DCE to provide leadership
for the educational programs of the church, only
600 or so DCEs serve the 6200 congregations of
our synod and they are responsible to their senior
pastors to design the educational efforts that fit the
pastors vision for the best direction for the church
and how to best use its resources. The data indicates
that the deficiencies of our educational ministries are
systemic to the entire synod and as such, should be
prioritized by those who have the authority to make
these prioritizations.
What evidence exists to show that effective and

intentional Christian education may help with
growth in membership?
The most significant reason for prioritizing education in
the church is because we are commanded by God to make
study of His Word a priority (Matt. 28:20; 2 Tim. 3:16
17; Deut. 4:9, 11:19; Acts 2:42). Also, ample data exists
to show a connection between positive congregational
outcomes and effective educational efforts. This data is
found in research done by Search Institute, Thom Rainer,
44
The Institute for Religious Education and Daniel Olsen

among others.
The Search Institutes Effective Christian Education
study was released in 1990. It is a study of around 11,000
members of six major Protestant denominations. It is
the most extensive research conducted on the topic of
Christian education in the church in the past century or
perhaps ever. Among other things it found that:
o Effective educational methodologies could be
identified
o There was a correlation between the use of these
methods and:
1. Dedication to ones denomination and
congregation
2. The presence of characteristics of faith maturity in members
The authors stated that Christian education matters
much more than we expected. Of all the areas of congregational life we examined, involvement in an effective
education program has the strongest tie to a persons
growth in faith and loyalty to ones congregation and
denomination. While other congregational factors also
matter, nothing matters more than effective Christian education [emphasis added]. And this is as true for adults as
it is for adolescents (pg. 2).
Thom Rainer and LifeWay Research has also found
correlations between educational methods and positive
outcomes. In studies of 500 churches of the Southern
Baptist Conference (SBC) and 500 non-SBC Protestant
churches, Rainer defined a category of churches that had
higher than average growth rates and greater retention
rates of new members. He called these churches evangelistic churches and stated that:The research is clear if
not overwhelming. Sunday School [children and adult]
is the [emphasis in original] most effective assimilation
methodology in evangelistic churches today (pg. 47).
Regarding intentional and effective education, Rainer
went on to say that the mere existence of a Sunday
School [children and adult] does not produce assimilation. The classes must have the best and most thoroughly
trained teachers. Sunday School works, but only if we
work Sunday School (pg. 47).
The Institute for Religious Education at Concordia
University, Nebraska, together with the Office of
National Mission of the LCMS conducted a study in
2014 that looked at the characteristics of congregations
that considered themselves to be healthy (health was

self-defined by pastors but was related to growth, worship
attendance, availability of resources, absence of conflict
and other factors.) Congregations that exhibited a high
level of intentionality in Christian education (measured
by the degree to which they followed effective educational
methodologies) are more likely to report being healthy.
In a study of 1,424 congregations in Indiana, which
included LCMS congregations, Daniel Olsen found that
the prioritization of Christian education for youth and
adults had the highest correlation relative to congregational growth among the program functions of a church
(included were Christian education, local evangelism,
social action and world mission support.)
The data contained in the first two sections of this
report should lead a person to two conclusions: (1)
Effective Christian education is an integral and vital part
of the ministry of the church, and (2) The churches of the
LCMS are presently doing a poor job of religious education attendance is poor, methodology is inadequate
and the knowledge base and discipling development of
our members is suffering. What can we do to enhance
the process and help bring the LCMS back to its historical
roots of excellence in education? Here are some possible
responses:
A. Renew a passion for parish education. In Luthers
Preface to the Small Catechism he states that those
who refuse to learn are not to be admitted to the
Sacrament, accepted as sponsors at Baptism or
allowed to exercise Christian liberty in any way and
that such individuals should be denied food and drink.
While Luthers enthusiasm for education can be appreciated, his approach may be a bit more drastic than we
would wish. Still, his writings speak of a passion for the
importance of education that is too often missing from
churches today.
B. Aim at application and lifestyle changes. Sociologists
tell us that the majority of adult learners are goal oriented; yet most congregationally-based studies are not
designed with clear goals for the learner. Knowledge of
doctrinal content is always a good thing, but it is often
the sole focus of a curriculum especially adult education in the church. The Congregations at Crossroads
showed us that many congregations have educational
experiences that are passive and teacher-centered
experiences that do little to enhance faith formation.
An effort to educate our educational leaders on the

value of designing educational experiences that seek
to apply learnings to the process of living a Christ-like
life has the potential to greatly enhance the educational experiences that are already happening in our
churches.
C. Enhance pastors preparation help them to see religious education as an open system. One of the greatest
errors an educational leader can make is to believe that
their learning experience is somehow exempt from
the truths that we know to be operational everywhere
else. This closed system mentality sees the church as
somehow unaffected by what is happening elsewhere.
We see this exhibited when known methodologies that
enhance educational effectiveness are not implemented
or even considered for application within a parish education experience. Educational leaders seem to feel
that religious education is somehow independent of
influencers such as methods, developmental characteristics of the learner and motivational factors. An open
system perspective encourages educational leaders to
seriously consider the factors that are influencing educational effectiveness and to construct experiences so
these factors are dealt with appropriately.
D.
Identify district educational consultative experts.
Districts and other synod judicatories are facing significant resource demands. Difficult decisions need to be
made relative to district priorities and where energies
will be placed. As little as 10 to 15 years ago, more districts were able to have staff persons who were experts
in the area of parish religious education. Resources
seldom allow such specializations today, and often
districts appoint dedicated and well-meaning staff to
multiple responsibilities, but they often do not have
the passion or the expertise to serve as an competent
resources and advocates for parish religious education.
There are individuals within each district who could
serve as a consultative expert in the area of parish religious education. One or more pastors who come from
a teaching background, DCEs or lay leaders who have
been prepared for work in educational fields, have a
passion for parish religious education and who have
competencies to serve as consultants to congregations
seeking to enhance their educational efforts could be
identified. These individuals may serve for little or
no pay, but need to be lifted up by district presidents
and be given access to district resources in order to
45
adequately service the needs of congregations and to

consistently promote religious education efforts within
the district.
E. Define characteristics of a healthy congregational
education program. Many congregations may be completely unaware of the criteria at which they should be
aiming in order to have a healthy parish religious education program. What constitutes a good level of adult
participation? What type of training should be present for
educational leaders in the congregation? How much of a
congregations budget should be aimed at religious education efforts? What does a comprehensive curriculum
look like? How can you structure small groups so that
they work together with your other educational efforts?
What confirmation practices seem to enhance retention? How might the Sunday worship schedule enhance
or detract from educational efforts? The answer to these
and many more questions might benefit congregations
in their planning and in working to enhance educational
ministries. While these questions can be answered fairly
easily, it is hard to get the answers out to congregations
in a way that gets noticed and has an impact on congregations. Districts have better access and influence with
congregations than any other synod source. It would have
the potential of enhancing any information if the districts
chose to serve as the distribution source and advocate for
the use of this resource for congregations.
Awareness of a problem is the first step in resolving
it. I have been surprised in my 35 years of serving within
the LCMS to hear so little from leadership on the issue of
enhancing religious education in the church especially
in light of the overwhelming evidence pointing at systematic decline in regards to education. Perhaps this article
will raise awareness so that key leaders will take up the
cause of reviving our educational efforts and thereby
help our beloved Synod to regain some of the membership losses that we have seen over the past few decades.
References
Benson, P.L., E. C. Roehlkepartain and I. S. Andress.
Congregations at Crossroads: A National Study of Adults
and Youth in The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod.
Minneapolis: Search Institute, 1995.
Benson, P.L. and C. H. Eklin. Effective Christian
Education: A National Study of Protestant Congregations.
Minneapolis: Search Institute, 1990.
Bergman, M. Whats Happening in LCMS
Confirmation? 2010. http://www.cune.edu/resources/
docs/Research/youth-confirmation-report-July-2010.pdf
Blanke, M. The State of Christian Education in The
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Concordia
University, Nebraska: The Institute for Religious
Education, 2006.
Blanke, M. Congregational Education Practices
and Congregational Health: A Survey of LCMS
Congregations. Concordia University, Nebraska:
Institute for Religious Education, 2014.
Brekke, M. How Different are People Who Attend
Lutheran Schools? St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House,
1974.
Jander, L. C. Revisiting Congregations at Crossroads.
Lutheran Education 137:2 (Winter 2001): 104-115.
Olson, D.V.A. Congregational Growth and Decline
in Indiana Among Five Mainline Denominations. In
Church and Denominational Growth, ed. Roozin and
Hadaway. Nashville: Abingdon, 1993.
Rainer, T.S. High Expectations. Nashville: Broadman and
Holman, 1999.
Dr. Mark Blanke is DCE program director, director of

Strategic Planning and University Institutes and chair of
Christian Educational Leadership at Concordia University
Nebraska.
46
The Church cannot afford to
Book Review and

Commentary
skirt the work of apologetics.
Making the Case for Christianity: Responding to Modern Objections

Edited by Corey D. Maas and Adam Francisco (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2014)
by Jacob Corzine
ervice on the mission field that is a university certain modern objections to Christianity that allow
campus places the real need for apologetics regu- me to pass along responses with depth, responses that,
larly if not daily in front of me. Most often I find because they are based on depth of understanding, can
myself making an apologetic for Christian beliefs to the be better tailored to the individual or individuals specific
very Christian students Im called to serve, something objections.
that comes as no surprise to someone who was also
The book contains seven essays by Lutheran authors
once a Christian college student. Less often, but still not versed in apologetics. Joshua Pagan presents and defends
infrequently, I find myself attempting to equip Christian the Kalam Cosmological Argument, which makes the
students to make an apologetic to inquiring friends. Only case for a first cause in the universe; he defends the posion a few rare occasions have I been, as a campus pastor, tion that first cause is a personal God. Mark Piersons
directly involved in debates, arguments or conversations engagement of Bart Ehrmann on the reliability of the
with adamant or skeptical unbelievers.
history as presented in the Gospels first casts doubt
Thus the perspective out of
on Ehrmanns own assumpwhich I take a book like Making the
tions about the study of history
Lutherans
are
not
Case for Christianity: Responding
before summarizing the mass
carrying out the
to Modern Objections in hand.
of evidence that undergirds the
apologetic task alone.
Im concerned with being aware
reliability of the New Testament
of such modern objections and
texts. Craig Partons assessment
being prepared with responses,
of Christs resurrection is cast
mostly for the friendly interlocutor who actually antici- as a matter of proper assumptions, as he contends that
pates that a good response exists. He (or she) is seeking it legal investigation is more apt than the historical sort
either to satisfy personal concern or to more convincingly for addressing the resurrection, and then makes the case
speak about the faith with another. Whether I like it or for a preponderance of eye-witnesses. A second, much
not, the students I serve are closer to the apologetics front more confrontational engagement with Islam (the Kalam
line than I am myself.
Cosmological Argument was the first) is found in co-edMaking the Case, however, is written for me, the itor Adam Franciscos response to Muslim polemicist
pastor. For the most part, its authors dont employ the Louay Fatoohi. Fatoohi, and with him a millennium of
engaging style of a Craig Parton (Partons own contri- Muslim assaults on the divinity of Christ, are pinned to
bution to the volume notwithstanding) or Gene Veith. the wall on their hasty rejection of the reliability of the
While I dont doubt that the necessary combination of biblical texts.
comprehension and interest exists among many Christian
John Bombaros essay on the Scandal of Christian
university students, Im sure that some do not possess it, Particularity turns to a different kind of objection than in
even though they are struggling the apologetic struggle. the previous essays as it defends Gods prerogative to save
For them, those other books exist, but also for them, I some and damn others by prioritizing righteousness over
bear the responsibility.
fairness in Gods kingdom. Angus Menuge deals with the
This is where Making the Case shows its value in problem of evil in a way that shows not only the limitaproviding me with the material of quality responses to tions of atheist objections but also draws attention back
47
to the cross of Christ as that which finally must stand

front and center in the discussion. In the last essay, on
Christianitys Cultural Legacy, co-editor Korey D. Maas
turns the apologetic to the offensive, defending the moral
contribution of Christianity to Western society but also
neatly recognizing that the heart of the apologetic matter
is actually defending the existence of God revealed in
Jesus Christ. Finally, the skeptical reader would do well to
begin with Adam Franciscos conclusion, a concise apologetic for the discipline of apologetics.
The individual essays are followed by bibliographies
that are particularly valuable but also drive home a point:
Lutherans are not carrying out the apologetic task alone.
On the contrary, in this we are reliant on any number of
other Christian writers. At the same time, this is what
helps the book be unique, since it takes the good work
of those writers and casts it in terms in which Lutherans
learn to think, also poking it with the hard questions
about the proper distinction between Law and Gospel
and the pre-eminent place of the cross.
In one place I would hesitate with my praise for the
book. Sometimes the objections being addressed are too
quickly trivialized at the beginning of the essay. I would
expect this to frustrate some readers with genuine concerns about the respective objections. Assessing the whole
of the book, however, as someone fairly new but not
entirely foreign to apologetics, Im quite pleased. Already
in the last few months, its helped me to more competently speak to some modern objections to the Christian
faith. Ive heard a rumor that another volume is coming,
and I hope this is true. We cannot afford to skirt the work
of apologetics.
The Rev. Jacob Corzine is campus pastor at Lutheran
Campus Ministry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South
Africa.
48
We receive no particular
Book Review and

Commentary
explanation for suffering, but

we do receive Gods promise
that He will be faithful to His
loving pledge to sinners for
Jesus sake.
Mercy in Action: Essays on Mercy, Human Care and Disaster Response

Edited by Ross Edward Johnson, introduced by Matthew C. Harrison (St. Louis: The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod,
2015)
by Mark C. Mattes
his volume is a collection of twenty-nine disaster-struck area in order to help repair and rebuild (16),
essays or written resources compiled by Ross and to provide food, water, clothing and shelter. This book
Edward Johnson, director of Disaster Response for the seeks to assist not only these workers but all church leaders
LCMS. These essays highlight a definitive characteristic who want to understand the basis for the way in which proof Matthew Harrisons presidency of the LCMS: diakonia, viding for neighbors in need is an outgrowth of Gods prior
service or mercy. In a word, Harrison has placed an service to the faithful in Word and Sacrament.
agenda before the LCMS that values not only witness
When bad things happen to good people, some people
(martyria) and worship (leitourgia) but also service to demand an explanation from God. Some who request such
those in need, whether or not they confess Jesus as Lord explanations or theodicies assume that humans actually
(169). For Harrison, the Church is to be a mercy place, own or possess their own lives. But, in truth, even our own
which offers Christs love and service to the needy lives do not belong to us. Instead, they belong to God, who
(111). Given the fact that the last decade has seen an is not obliged to give explanations for His ways. In the
uptick in natural or humanmidst of disaster, humans expericaused disasters, this book, along
ence God as hidden or absconded,
We
receive
no
particular
with Harrisons highlighting of
not seeing Gods face but instead
explanation for suffering,
mercy, seems most pertinent.
his backside, as Luther put it.
In addition to the Scriptures
Hence, the contributors to this
but we do receive Gods
appeal to Christians to be agents
book claim a theology of the
promise that He will be
of mercy in the world, Harrison
cross in contrast to a theology
faithful to His loving pledge
harkens back to Luther, who
of glory as a solid platform from
to
sinners
for
Jesus
sake.
noted that since Christians are
which to minister to those sufferall one cake in Christ, then they
ing. A theology of the cross does
must care for one another and that insensitivity to the not futilely avoid pain by means of bargaining with God
plight of others is never justified (225). Likewise, as part or developing theodicies, but instead like Jesus suffers pain
of his reform of the Church, Luther advocated a common when it invariably comes. In contrast to secularism, it is not
chest for the church to offer gifts and loans to those in the meaninglessness of fortunes wheel that we encounter
need (305). If we are to be faithful to the Reformation, in disasters, but instead we meet God, but precisely in a
then we have an obligation to provide for those in need.
way that deflates our sense of control. Such destabilizing
A disaster is an event beyond the control of affected experiences call sinners not to theodicies but instead to
individuals that results in great harm, suffering, destruction repentance and faith, since sinners have nothing of their
and damage. Disasters damage a communitys ability to own to which to turn. We receive no particular explanation
sustain life without outside assistance (15). That Christians for suffering, but we do receive Gods promise that He will
must respond to the needs of others is an outgrowth of the be faithful to His loving pledge to sinners for Jesus sake.
fact that their Lord, in His earthly ministry, was a healer Believers are promised resurrection and eternal life.
of the sick, a feeder of the hungry and one who assisted
Ross Johnson notes that although repentance is humthe poor (20). For that reason, the LCMS has developed bling, its renewing power resides in that it moves sinners
an Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) that enters a out of their self-centeredness and allows them to trust in
49
Gods mercy granted in Christ. With pastoral sensitivity, Christians offered one another, thereby embodying Christs
Johnson notes that when something bad happens, that love, as they cared for the needy, the impoverished, the
does not necessarily mean that one is being punished: We enslaved and the imprisoned. Essays from Martin Luther,
all participate in a world subject to death (34). Likewise, Martin Chemnitz, Johann Gerhard, C. F. W. Walther,
John Pless points out that repentance lets go of the point- Theodore Julius Brohm and Wilhelm Loehe offer reflecless questions that we would use to hold on to life on our tions on the pastors role in leading congregations to serve
own terms, motivated by the quest to protect ourselves as places of care and verify that diaconal service is genetagainst the God of the Scriptures who kills and makes alive ically hardwired into a confessional Lutheran perspective.
(48). Most importantly for those who suffer, Pless shares In light of Loehes revitalization of the office of deaconthe promise given to Paul in Rom. 8:28: We know that ess, Arthur Just notes that while a scriptural perspective
for those who love God all things work together for good, reserves ordained pastoral ministry for men, the office of
for those who are called according to his purpose. We are deaconess in the context of the congregation along with
not privy to Gods wider plan but we are privy to a God a pastor helps a congregation experience both a paternal
who promises and empowers us to lead us through afflic- and maternal approach to care (128). In addition to essays,
tion to eternal life. In light of this Gospel promise, William the book offers several hymns which describe and advoWeedon recognizes that a Christian can give thanks at all cate social mercy and the Lutheran Church in Australias
times, even during intense suffering and tragedy since our Statement on social mercy.
lives are secure in Gods loving arms.
Not only does this book do exactly what it sets out to
Eschewing any modernistic social gospel that under- do, show that social mercy is natural outgrowth of gospel
mines the truth that salvation
confessing ministry, but it also prois from sin, death and the devil,
vides a potent alternative to the
This book seeks to
Matthew Harrison points out that if
justice drum-beating of mainline
assist all church
a Christian sees injustice going on in
Protestant churches who invariably
leaders
who
want
to
the community, then one must act.
take the stance of the political left.
understand the basis
As citizens we have social responFor the LCMS, caring for the needy
sibilities for that community (38).
need not be pitted against Gospel
for the way in which
Such action on behalf of those in
forgiveness. Both go hand in hand.
providing for neighbors
need is an expression of social mercy.
In mainline Protestantism, all too
in need is an outgrowth
Diaconal love is born of the incaroften denominational structures are
of
Gods
prior
service
nation and humiliation of Christ
used to advocate for leftist politito the faithful in Word
(40). Extending this emphasis on
cal causes and a view of justice far
faith active in love independently
more indebted to Marx than Amos.
and Sacrament.
of left-wing ideology, Reed Lessing
This current endeavor of social mercy
notes how such mercy was expressed by the prophet by the LCMS is to be applauded and affirmed. Unlike
Amos, advocate for the poor. The poor were not righ- mainline Protestantism, it honors the proper distinction
teous because they had been denied their rights, but rather between Law and Gospel and church and state. Christians
because Yahweh had reckoned their faith as righteousness are to do social mercy, not as an evangelistic ploy solely to
Amos did not advocate class warfare; the righteous get the needy into church, but simply because it is right.
poor will be vindicated by Yahweh and Yahweh alone. The How any given congregation will discern how to be an
prophets oracles call for conversion, not revolution (63). agent of mercy in its community or wider society is in that
Hence, assisting the poor is not in any sense salvific but congregations hands. But that congregations should be
instead is the material and economic poverty is an outrage agents of mercy in the world is not up for debate at least
that is not in accord with Gods will (67).
in confessional Lutheranism.
The volume includes several relevant historical essays. A
selection from Adolf von Harnack is offered not to endorse Dr. Mark C. Mattes is associate professor of Religion and
his Liberalism, but instead because he ably itemizes the Philosophy, Grand View University, Des Moines, Iowa.
many manifestations of welfare and social relief that early
50
In a world of conflicting
Book Review and

Commentary
narratives, who is to say what

is true?
Why Christian Faith Still Makes Sense: A Response to Contemporary Challenges

by C. Stephen Evans (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015)
by John T. Pless
he author, a professor of philosophy and

Chapter three takes up the concept of a natural
humanities at Baylor University and a leading sign for God (29). In countering the claim of the New
Kierkegaard scholar, has provided a short apologetic Atheists that there is no evidence for reality of God, Evans
against the so-called New Atheism, which is thoughtful, says that there are indeed signs of Gods existence, but
engaging and accessible.
like other signs, they may be ignored or misread. These
The first chapter introduces readers to the four horse- natural signs point to a sensus divinitatis or an intuitive
men of the New Atheists: Richard Dawkins, Christopher theism. According to Evans there are five theistic natural
Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett. His presenta- signs: (1) the experience of cosmic wonder; (2) the expetion of their unbelief is both balanced and nuanced. Yet rience of purposive order; (3) the sense of being morally
Evans notes that there is little new in their arguments. accountable; (4) the sense of human dignity; and (5) the
They are not original. The Church has encountered such longing for transcendent joy. These signs are for Evans are
objections to belief in God before. Key aspects of the widely accessible but also easily resistible.
tenets of the unbelief champiEvans
observes
that
oned by the New Atheists are
Evolutionary theory gives at
examined and critiqued. Evans
least some empirical confirThe chief task of
especially gives attention to their
mation of Calvins idea of the
apologetics is accurately
claim that religion is not only
sensus divinitatis (35). Evans
identifying and dismantling
irrational but so ethically toxic as
seems to tip his hand toward an
these
false
gods
that
promise
not to be tolerated.
acceptance of theistic evolution,
identity, meaning and
Karl Barth was well known
arguing that there are no reain the twentieth century for
sons why a Creator who guided
security to their makers
his rejection of any form of
the evolutionary process could
but finally leave them
natural theology, in contrast
not have wired the development
alone with their sin, empty
to Emil Brunner, Werner Elert
of this sense of the divine into
of
purpose
in
life
and
and Hermann Sasse. Without
human beings: Far from showdefenseless against death.
replaying the totality of that
ing that the order in nature is
debate, Evans acknowledges the
illusory, evolution actually shows
value of natural theology in the
that the order we experience
apologetic task. Evans shows sympathy for the Reformed on the surface of things, so to speak, depends on a still
epistemology associated with Alvin Plantinga. Plantinga deeper, hidden order (45). Thus it is a mistake to think
has developed a sophisticated account for human that evolutionary theory defeats the claim that the natural
knowledge to support his arguments for belief in God. world contains purposive order (4546). This tilt toward
Yet Evans avers that Reformed epistemology should theistic evolution should not detract from the overall
not be the whole of our response to the New Atheism value of Evans discussion of purposive order in creation.
(16). In contrast to Anthony Flew, Evans holds that
Evans recognizes that no natural theology can lead to
some form of theism, not atheism, is the default position saving faith in Christ. His goal is simply to demonstrate
intellectually (21).
that there are good and plausible reasons for belief in
51
God over and against the claims of the New Atheists. The non-foundationalist approaches to faith centered in narfinal section of the book deals with revelation and how we rative rather doctrinal assertions. Colin Gunton rightly
recognize Gods self-revelation. Evans sets forth three cri- observed that the anti-foundationalist song is the voice
teria for divine revelation: (1) miracles; (2) paradox; and of a siren. The allusion to fideism indicates the perennial
(3) existential power. In this secweakness of non-foundationalist
tion, Evans critical indebtedness to
epistemologies. They may appear
Kierkegaard is most evident.
to be attempts to render their conThe First
The chief task of apologetics is
tent immune from outside criticism
Commandment will
accurately identifying and dismanand so become forms of intellectual
allow for no other gods;
tling these false gods that promise
sectarianism. In other words, they
thats Law. But the Law
identity, meaning and security to
may appear to evade the challenges
is
followed
by
the
good
their makers but finally leave them
of the universal and objective and to
alone with their sin, empty of purrun the risk of the rank subjectivism
news that Christ Jesus
pose in life and defenseless against
and into which their extreme reprecrucified and raised
death. A Lutheran apologetic will
sentatives have fallen. Theologically
from the dead is the
work from the First Commandment.
speaking they evade the intelleconly God you need.
The First Commandment will allow
tual challenge involved in the use
for no other gods; thats Law. But the
of the word God (Colin Gunton,
Law is followed by the good news
The One, the Three and the Many:
that Christ Jesus crucified and raised from the dead is God, Creation, and the Culture of Modernity [Cambridge
the only God you need. His lordship is the Gospel. His University Press, 1993], 134). Gunton goes on to note that
life, death, resurrection, ascension and the promise of His such approaches tend to create their own subjective founcoming again are the foundation that we confess and pro- dations and hence become guilty of the foundationalism
claim as most certainly true.
they so dread. Evans would seem to resonate with Gunton
Luthers bold conclusion to his explanation of each here and helpfully so.
article of the Apostles Creed, This is most certainly
Why the Christian Faith Still Makes Sense: A Response
true, is hardly in vogue today. In a world of conflicting to Contemporary Challenges is a helpful contribution. I
narratives, who is to say what is true? Truth is replaced by could envision this slim volume being used in a congreperspective. Renouncing propositional theology, theolo- gational book discussion group or especially in a campus
gians who have embraced postmodernism call instead for ministry setting.
The Rev. John T. Pless is assistant professor of Pastoral
Ministry and Missions and director of Field Education at
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.
52
Too many Christians
Book Review and

Commentary
Handling the Word of Truth: Law and Gospel in the Church Today
(Revised Edition) by John T. Pless (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2015)
today do not hear the hard

accusation of the Law
concerning sin, while at the
same time they also do not
hear the soothing comfort of
the Gospel.
by Mark Loest
or more than ten years, this handy volume is very apparent that the author is drawing on his many
by John Pless has been guiding pastors and laity years of pastoral work, first in the college setting, and
alike as they seek to master the art of distinguishing since 2000, as a seminary professor.
between the Law and the Gospel. The proper distinction
I like the way he gives common examples of the misapbetween the two is essential to understanding the Bible. plication Law and Gospel today (the popularity of posting
The Lutheran understanding sees this art coming from the 10 Commandments in courtrooms and classrooms
the Holy Spirit, who uses experience to teach it. Luther without explanation), discusses modern ideas of faith
got it right, and this made all the difference with his and of spirituality (theyre not what people usually think
reformation.
they are) and shows how Walther contended with the
In the nineteenth century, C. F. W. Walther taught his same kinds of doctrinal problems that we contend with
students this art, and his evening lectures on this topic (he had revivalists like Charles Finney and the Lutheran
were published as The Proper Distinction between Law and Samuel S. Schmucker, while we have modern evangelisGospel. Others have also taken up
tic movements, such as Campus
this important doctrine, includCrusade or Promise Keepers).
Too
many
Christians
ing more recent theologians like
All of this and more makes this
today do not hear the hard
Werner Elert, Gerhard Forde and
an extremely informative, and at
accusation of the Law
Oswald Bayer. An abridgement
the same time practical, book.
of Walthers work was published
Each chapter includes several
concerning sin, while at the
as Gods No and Gods Yes.
points for reflection and discussame time they also do not
In 2004, Concordia first
sion. These will be found useful
hear
the
soothing
comfort
published Handling the Word
for personal study and devoof the Gospel, which speaks
of Truth. It was met with favortion, for a Bible study or Sunday
the forgiveness of sins.
able with reviews. Unlike Gods
morning class and even in a more
Yes and Gods No, it is not an
formal instructional settings.
abridgement of the Walthers classic. Rather it is a short
At the end of each chapter there are endnotes and
study that includes Walthers main points with short an appended sermon by Martin Luther, The Distinction
commentary and instruction. The newly revised edition of Law and Gospel, from Jan. 1, 1532 both from the
(2015) came about, in part, because of the new translation original edition. The book includes a Foreword by Mark
of Walthers classic on Law and Gospel, Law and Gospel: Mattes and the authors Preface with a new preface for the
How to Read and Apply the Bible (also by Concordia revised edition. A useful epilogue has been added, along
Publishing House).
with a bibliography at the end for further reading and
First, Pless gives us a solid introduction to Walthers study.
treatment of Law and Gospel. Here the original twenJohn Pless has provided the Church with a wonderty-five theses are condensed to thirteen chapters. By using ful explanation and defense for Law/Gospel distinction,
Scripture, Luther, the Lutheran Confessions, quotations especially by taking aim at modern theologians who more
from Walther and everyday examples, the reader is shown often than not mishandle these doctrines. Why do they
what it means to properly handle the Word of truth. It mishandle them? The obvious answer from Pless book
53
is that they dont have or follow Luther and Walther as

their guides. They carelessly approach Scripture without
the necessary skills that can only be acquired by the Holy
Spirits teaching. The result is that too many Christians
today do not hear the hard accusation of the Law concerning sin, while at the same time they also do not hear
the soothing comfort of the Gospel, which speaks the forgiveness of sins. Proficiency in this art will make for better
pastors, preaching and listening, and for better hearers, as
the Word is applied to peoples lives.
The book is well written and fairly easy to read.
Footnote 9 on page 23 incorrectly names essayist
Christoph Barnbrock as Christian Barnbrock.
I remember many years ago being told by one of my
theology professors at Concordia College to read, because
of its importance, but also because it was relatively short,
Gods No and Gods Yes once every year. I make that recommendation with Pless book. Here is an example of
something you would not have thought could have been
improved upon, but is now even better.
The Rev. Mark Loest is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran
Church, Frankentrost, Mich.
54
In addition to serving as a
polemic against Rome and as a
Book Review and

Commentary
visual catechism, Reformation

coins and medals served as a
visual witness and confession
of faith.
The Reformation Coin and Medal Collection of Concordia Historical Institute

by Daniel Harmelink (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2016)
by Journal of Lutheran Mission Editors
t first blush, a book review about Reformation spoken and printed word was not the only way this concoins and medals in a mission journal seems a fession of faith was expressed. Dr. Harmelink writes:
bit out of place. After all, shouldnt books about medals
But most histories fail to mention one significant
and coins be found in a journal about history, archeology
element of the Reformation that rivaled the power
or medals? Yet, in the front matter, Dr. Daniel Harmelink
of the printing press: the potential of the medallists
explains that Reformation coins and medals (the study of
press to inform and inspire. In 1983 Otto Schnell
which is called numismatics) are a confession of faith, a
wrote that the Reformation had its spread with the
polemic, a catechism and a visual witness. In this sense,
advent of not one, but two new media: the moveable
a review about Reformation numismatics fits this issue
type of Gutenberg and the art of the German medal,
of the Journal of Lutheran Mission well,with its focus on
which also saw its zenith in the decades following the
teaching the faith. Reformation coins and medals teach
posting of the 95 Theses. It is noteworthy that just as
the faith and provide a witness, that is, they serve the
printed leaflets were reproduced by other printers, so
mission of the Church.
early Reformation medals were
The purpose of the book is
copied by other medallists
The
Reformation
was
to make available the Concordia
The
Reformation
was
about the confession of
Historical
Institutes
(CHI)
confessed in gold and silver
faith expressed through
Reformation coin and medal
and bronze and circulated
collection, which has been in
among the princes and the
teaching and preaching.
the making for over ninety
merchants and peasants
Yet the spoken and printed
years. Concordia Historical
Along with these pamphlets
word
was
not
the
only
way
Institute (CHI) is one of the few
coins and medals quickly
this confession of faith was
North American institutions to
began to also reflect the newlyexpressed.
hold a significant collection of
discovered confession centered
museum-grade pieces from the
in Wittenberg.
Reformation era. For the past couple of decades, the colIn addition to serving as a polemic against Rome and
lection of Concordia Historical Institutes Reformation as a visual catechism, the Reformation coins and medals
coins and medals has been kept in a vault, causing its sig- served as a visual witness and confession of faith. Since
nificance and even its existence to be forgotten by students some of the coins were legal tender, every time the coins
and experts alike in both North America and Europe. This were exchanged for goods or services, the message of the
book hopes to remedy the situation by bringing the entire Reformation was passed on. Some people used the coins
835-piece collection to the public through high definition and medals as jewelry. Harmelink writes:
photos. Detailed descriptions of each piece include inforThe reason many of extant pieces have been pierced
mation on weight, diameter, visual elements, legends,
or a hanger soldered to its edge is because these pieces
designer and mint. Scripture references and information
were not only legal tender or secret commemoratives
about locations and persons are included.
to keep in a private place, but they were often
The Reformation was about the confession of faith
modified into treasured jewelry and worn in public
expressed through teaching and preaching. Yet the
as a testament to ones belief and legacy. Elaborate
55
gold and silver mounts were crafted in order that

the coin or medal, as a fine painting or print, might
be properly framed and displayed around the neck,
pinned on clothing or worn as a ring.
In this way, the Reformation coins and medals served
as a visual witness to the Gospel. They are a confession of
faith that bore witness to the Gospel; they were mission
cast in bronze, silver and gold.
Reformation coins typically employ symbolism to bear
witness to the Gospel. Scholars have identified nineteen
typical or common symbols that represent or teach the
Reformation. Some of these themes or symbols include,
the divine eye/all-seeing eye/divine triangle, an angel or
messenger of the Gospel, the Holy Scriptures, a fortress/
castle, chalice, blood and water flowing from Christs side,
a tiara, a goose/swan, the Luther Rose and Martin Luther.
Many of the symbols are easily understood by students
of the Reformation. For instance, the tiara is a symbol of
the papacy. The author writes, The earliest piece in the
collection using this symbol is from a 1617 medal from
Worms depicting the Word of God as light from a candle
resting upon an open Bible. The divine hand points to the
flame. The Word of God, however, does not go unchallenged. A dragon/serpent with a broken tiara fights
against the light of the Gospel and attempts to extinguish
the flame. The date of this piece is not surprising as 1617
was the first centennial anniversary of the Reformation,
the celebration of which marked the beginnings of the
Thirty Years War.
To the uninitiated, the thought of Reformation coins
and medals invokes the image of Martin Luther. Yet, the
image of Martin Luther was not as common as one might
expect in the first centuries after the Reformation. When
images of Martin Luther initially appeared they depicted
him as the messenger or bearer of the Gospel. By the
18 th and 19th centuries, Luther became more of a figure
to support various philosophies or political ambitions.
Harmelink writes,
Every major philosophy or regime has been forced
to make use of Luther and the Reformation. From
the forces that created the Prussian Union to the
Third Reich, Luther was reinterpreted and recast
as a disciple of the current movement. This can be
most plainly seen in the presentation of Luther as
nationalistic hero among the 1917 commemorative
pieces. It is not by accident that the first coin struck
by the Nazi regime was a 2 and 5 mark coin of
Martin Luther. Later, the socialist government of East
56
Germany turned Luther into a fellow revolutionary,

right along side the warring Thomas Mntzer (ca.
14901525).
Yet glorification of any personality connected
to the Reformation was never the initial goal for
the Reformation era medallists. The 500th anniversary
of the Reformation appears to be headed toward the first
ecumenical Reformation, when Lutheran, Reformed
and Roman Catholics celebrate together with Luther
being recast as an ecumenical hero.
The Reformation Coin and Medal Collection of
Concordia Historical Institute is a tour de force in the
field of numismatics and the most comprehensive book
written on the topic found in the English language.
The photography is gorgeous, and the book is printed on
high quality, museum-grade paper. The book is a must for
libraries and for Reformation institutes. Yet, the book is
not for specialists alone but also for those who want to
understand more thoroughly the Reformation and the
ways in which it was confessed. The book would adorn
any coffee table well.

Journal of Lutheran Mission - April 2016

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Journal of Lutheran Mission - April 2016

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Journal of Lutheran

The Journal of Lutheran Mission

Rev. John Fale, executive director, LCMS Office of International Mission

From the President

Teaching the Faith

he third annual LCMS Mission Summit:

of pastors to proclaim the Gospel each week. This issue

Martin Luther, To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany that

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

n the morning the LCMS Mission Summit

Synod, coordinating its youth department. After two

April 2016 | Vol. 3 | No. 1

Novosibirsk: A Lutheran Seminary Model for Theological Education in Russia

2016 The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod.

Published by The Lutheran Church

Member: Associated Church Press Evangelical Press Association (ISSN 2334-1998)

Every pastor is what he is because

Brief Historical Origins

n 1993 I was asked by the newly formed Concordia

EDITORS NOTE: On March 25, 1997, President A.vL. Barry issued

from the CTS from 19962010. After 2010, the work in

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Siberia to establish a seminary in Russia for the training

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Rev. Alan Ludwig was deployed to serve as a full-time

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Communities of faith need scholarly inquiry

Ernest G Schwiebert. The Reformation and Theological Education at

Wilhelm Loehe, The Pastor: The Pastoral Theology of Wilhelm Loehe,

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

the Modern Communication Technologies. Streltsov

Alexey Streltsov, Lutheran Education in the 21st Century in View

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

to whom he preaches (1 Tim. 4:16). And this is why the

The Theological Curriculum: Learning, Teaching

Alexey Streltsov, Letter from the Rector, Aug. 31, 2000.

The program requires four years on campus and one

Library and Information Resources

Full Time Faculty

The Commission on Accrediting. General Institutional Standards

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Student Recruitment, Admission, Services and

Activities beyond the Seminary Classroom

Summer Seminars. The seminary faculty play a major

Ingria Seminary in Koltushe, Russia

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Spalteholz thanked all for coming and then added with

Major challenges facing the Novosibirsk Seminary:

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

The single most effective way the

Council can have an impact on

by Albert B. Collver III

Introduction and Future Trends

Kenneth Cracknell, Theological Education in Missionary Perspective:

Mission, 20th Anniversary Edition, American Society of Missiology,

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, Concordia Triglotta

Albert B. Collver, Ecclesiology, Mission and Partner Relations: What

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

Part of the Answer to This Need

Established Lutheran churches outside of the United States typically

The Global Seminary Initiative (GSI) is a part of the answer

Journal of Lutheran Mission | The Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod

2. Develop a Core of Culturally Sensitive and