Tag Archive for: Called to Prepare 2019

Martin Luther College

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The mission of Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minn., is to train a corps of Christian witnesses who are qualified to meet the ministry needs of WELS and who are competent to proclaim the Word of God faithfully and in accord with the Lutheran Confessions and the Book of Concord. In fall 2018, 764 undergraduates were participating in this training.

To meet the current ministry needs of WELS, Martin Luther College

  • prepares men for pastoral training at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary;
  • prepares men and women for service as teachers and staff ministers in the synod’s churches, schools, and other institutions;
  • prepares men and women for other church ministries, both full- and part-time, responding to the needs of WELS;
  • prepares international students (pictured, right) for ministry in partnership with WELS mission fields; and
  • provides programs of continuing education that meet the ministerial needs of WELS.

For more information, visit mlc-wels.edu.

 

Did you know?

Martin Luther College’s staff ministry program celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018. The program prepares students to serve as specialized workers at WELS churches, schools, and parasynodicals. Students are given a background in theology and trained in skills like counseling and leadership. Upon graduation, staff ministers may be called to assist with youth and family ministry, evangelism, music and worship, administration, and more.

 

Ten Martin Luther College (MLC) students volunteered with WELS Christian Aid and Relief to help with the cleanup and rebuilding of Amazing Grace, Panama City, Fla., following Hurricane Michael. “These students had so much energy and enthusiasm,” says Elizabeth Zambo of Christian Aid and Relief. “They gutted the church and parsonage that had been flooded, ripping out drywall and insulation. It was messy work, but they never complained.”

“It was an eye-opening experience,” says Hailey Stade, a sophomore at MLC. “I had no idea what to expect until we crossed the bridge to Panama City. Buildings were flattened. Every tree you saw was on the ground or bent in half. Power lines lay all over the sides of streets and sidewalks. Large boats were tipped to their side in the water, and a building was considered lucky if it even had some of its roof intact.”

“This experience was definitely life changing,” notes Becky Pruss, a junior. “When people who have lost so much still greet you with a smile and genuine conversation, it puts everything in perspective. Our God is definitely greater than the storms that may come our way in life. It really showed me that every day is an opportunity to live your faith.”

Izak Jirik, a freshman, says, “I saw the hope we have in Christ bless the members of Amazing Grace. Faith in Christ not only has eternal blessing, but it provides us amazing peace here in a sin-stricken world.”

Student Teaching

“My student teaching experience in the Lutheran grade school was such an eye opener!” says Elissa Koch (pictured). Koch taught first grade at Bloomington Lutheran, Bloomington, Minn., during the fall of 2018. “Growing up in the public school system, I never knew how much I was missing by not having God’s Word being present each and every day through Bible lessons, encouragement, and even the occasional discipline. Up until this experience I was impartial to public school teaching, and now I want nothing more than to teach in our Lutheran grade schools and share God’s Word every single day.”

Graduation

In May 2018, 29 students earned their Master of Science in Education degrees and one student earned a Master of Science in Educational Administration degree from Martin Luther College. In addition, 145 undergraduate students earned their bachelor’s degrees, including 36 preseminary students and 109 education students.

 

 

International Service

Preseminary student Caleb Christopher (pictured, front left) spent the summer of 2018 sharing Jesus with people in Ukraine. “This trip was the experience of a lifetime,” notes Christopher. “It changed my outlook on outreach and the power of God’s Word.” For over a month, Caleb assisted two churches—aiding them in worship services and vacation Bible school programs. “I was able to convey Jesus’ love to kids whose language I hardly spoke,” says Caleb. “The experience gave me friendships that will last into eternity and taught me that God’s love spans cultural and linguistic borders.”

About two dozen 2018 MLC graduates are now teaching abroad. Some were assigned to congregations, and some opted to teach in conjunction with a WELS world mission field. In the last 10 years, 145 MLC graduates have opted for international service in 13 countries.

Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

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In May 2018, 27 men graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary (WLS), Mequon, Wis. WLS prepares men to begin pastoral ministry by providing them with spiritual, theological, and professional training.

The seminary also provides pastors with opportunities for continued growth in all their callings through its institute, Grow in Grace. Grow in Grace offers continuing education courses, a mentoring initiative for new graduates, a clearinghouse of resources for pastors, and an annual retreat for pastors who are celebrating milestones in their ministries.

For more information, visit wls.wels.net.

Preparing pastors—then and now

Rev. Bill Tackmier (pictured), professor of Old Testament and homiletics at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, shared these thoughts in the 2018 issue of Preach the Gospel.

Sometimes when I walk past the statue of Martin Luther on my way to my classroom, I’m reminded how long the Psalms have been taught to young men who are training for the ministry. Luther taught the Psalms several times during his years at the University of Wittenberg.

In the classroom I’m reminded how much has changed, though. I walk into a room brightened with electric lights. Our students all have laptops. I project much of what I’m teaching on a screen. We have so many more resources available than Luther and his students had. The first time he taught Psalms, he didn’t even have the Hebrew text. He taught it on the basis of the Latin text. At the click of a mouse, our students can access the latest studies in the Psalms and even draw up high resolution photographs of the Psalm manuscripts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

But many things have not changed. We are sifting through every word of God’s inspired Scriptures to mine even the subtle nuances in meaning from them. I help my students discover what it means that Christ was begotten by his Father from eternity (Psalm 2:7), how he would die on a cross for our sins (Psalm 22), and how he would rise from the dead (Psalm 16:9,10).

Many seminaries today teach that the Psalms that foretell what Christ would do really were not intended as messianic prophecies at all. We test such theories and rediscover why men like Luther have recognized that these prophecies cannot refer to anyone but God’s incarnate Son. The other professors at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and I are helping these pastors-in-the-making discover these wonderful truths so that they can proclaim them to their congregations in years to come.

 

Did you know?

During the 2018–19 school year, 88 students are attending classes on campus and 26 students are serving as vicars for congregations throughout North America.

 

Pastoral Studies Institute

Dr. E. Allen Sorum (pictured), a professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, travels around the world teaching and sharing the gospel in his role as director of the Pastoral Studies Institute, a partnership between WLS and WELS Missions. The Pastoral Studies Institute guides and assists spiritual leaders around the globe through their preseminary and seminary training.

Sorum notes, “After an intense week of gospel teaching, people respond with an outpouring of affection in the name of Jesus. This man is one of the key leaders in Liberia, and his hard exterior soon melted in the face of gospel teaching.”

Summer Assistant

Mark Zondag (pictured with his wife, Sarah) served at Grace, Scroggins, Texas, as a summer assistant, but his situation was different than that of his peers. “The church I was serving didn’t have a pastor, so my main duties were to lead the members in worship and preach every Sunday, as well as lead Bible class,” Zondag explains. “I had to write new sermons while I was serving at Grace, under the direction of retired district president Vilas Glaeske.”

Zondag learned many lessons in those six weeks. “The greatest lesson I learned is that everyone comes to church with a different struggle,” he says. “As someone training to be a pastor, I need to present the gospel clearly to them, because they came to hear about Christ. This is the greatest joy a pastor has, to preach Christ to the world, especially those struggling.”

Senior Thesis

In 2018, Erik Janke and Scott Henrich (pictured with President Paul Wendland) received the seminary’s Timothy and Titus Awards for their senior theses.

Janke’s paper explored the pastor’s weekly question, “Have I been faithful?” Henrich’s paper, titled “Race and the Lutheran Pastor,” underscored the importance of discussions about race and the necessity of careful communication between the pastor and his members regarding race. All the senior theses are available at essays.wls.wels.net.

Preparatory Schools

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Liz Waldo, a senior at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, is listening to memory work recited by the children of Trinity, Bay City, Mich.

Featured photo: In November 2018, senior boys visited Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and learned more about WELS’ pastoral training program.

Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, Wis., and Michigan Lutheran Seminary, Saginaw, Mich., prepare high school students for future service as pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. For the 2018–19 school year, Luther Preparatory School has 419 students and Michigan Lutheran Seminary has 192 students.

For more information, visit lps.wels.net or mlsem.org.