Pastoral Studies Institute History

2003: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary’s faculty and board launch the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in order to assist non-traditional students in their preparation to become WELS pastors.

2003-2017: Forty men from various ethnic communities become WELS pastors serving WELS ethnic congregations; Six second career (Anglo) students who receive their pre-seminary training through the PSI program became WELS pastors serving WELS congregations.

2016: PSI ministry to non-traditional students is reconfigured to address increasing pastoral training opportunities overseas. The International Operations Group (IOG), consisting of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, WELS Missions, and Ministerial Education administrators, is created to manage the PSI Team and to prioritize pastoral training opportunities. Funding of the PSI Team is shifted from the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary budget to the WELS Joint Missions budget.

2016: Rev. Jon Bare is called by the International Operations Group to serve as the International Recruitment Director of the PSI Team, after serving eight years as a missionary in East Asia.

PICTURES OF PSI

Browse through and share pictures of the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) in action.