Tag Archive for: Pastoral Studies Institute

Faces of Faith – Daniel

My name is Daniel, and I was born and raised in East Asia. I attended St. Croix Lutheran Academy in St. Paul, Minn., for high schooland then was accepted at Colby College. I am currently studying Computer Science, Statistics, and Mathematics. While the courses are intellectually challenging, I was still looking to continue my spiritual education. My studies at Colby enable me to make a living, but my studies with PSI give me a purpose and life as I learn God’s Word and prepare to share the good news of Jesus with others. I even found an opportunity to explain the great exchange on the cross to my Chinese friends at a statistics tournament! I would not have been able to do so without training through PSI.

As I prepare to enter society fully, I often feel anxious that I do not know enough about life and that I am not smart or virtuous enough to face its challenges. It really comforts me that God’s wisdom is always by my side. The modern world is full of temptations, chaos, and sin, and it made me confused and resentful, while at the same time, I am arrogant and sinful from within. God’s Word is like music to my ears and medicine to my soul. It is what gives me direction, courage, and wisdom in life.

I hope to continue growing intellectually, morally, and spiritually through my college and PSI education. I pray that by God’s guidance, I can become someone who lives by faith, and my knowledge can be used in God’s kingdom.

Pastoral Studies Institute: Winterim 2024

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous WELS member, the Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) was able to bring five of our East Asian PSI students to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary for an intensive one week of instruction. They were able to attend classes that were specifically focused on their course requirements but also upon their cultural background. One of the PSI courses is “History of Christianity in the Student’s Context.” Our students were able reap the blessings of being taught by Professor Emeritus Glen Thompson who served at Asia Lutheran Seminary teaching Historical Theology and New Testament. Professor Thompson shared his class “History of Christianity in East Asia.” Much of his course was new information for our students since most East Asian history is rewritten to coincide with the current government’s policies.

While on campus our PSI students were able to attend daily chapel and meet and interact with our traditional students who were also on campus for their intensive Winterim courses. Our PSI men made the most of their time on campus in a second course, “Engaging the Spirit World.” This was a very practical addition to their training as future pastors, given the high rate of spiritism in East Asian culture.

This is just one more way that the Pastoral Studies Institute attempts to be flexible in our training methods, but consistent and academically rigorous in delivering our Confessional Lutheran content. This is another fine example of our WELS members partnering with us to be able to provide these kinds of exceptional learning opportunities. For more information about the Pastoral Studies Institute, please visit wels.net/psi.

Written by Harland Goetzinger, Pastoral Studies Institute director

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Faces of Faith – David and Guili

It’s an enormous blessing for a congregation to have a PSI student in their midst, but two? Hope in Toronto, Ont., has been blessed with just that. In February 2021, Dr. David Shang was accepted as a Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI) student. He has been advancing quickly through his studies and gaining a large following through his monthly YouTube lectures. He currently has over 3,000 viewers in five countries which has led to approximately 19 baptisms (with 18 more on the way) in three countries.

In January 2023, Guili and Dujie Chi were received into membership at Hope. Guili also wants to reach more of his fellow Chinese with the gospel of Jesus. With some encouragement, Guili became the second PSI student at Hope.

David and Guili’s dream is to create a Chinese church within Hope’s congregation in Toronto. It’s beginning with David’s online lectures and carrying over to in person bible studies in Guili and Dujie’s home every Sunday night where they regularly have 10-15 in attendance. Guili recently shared, “Many Chinese immigrants come to Canada for a better life or better future for their children. It’s a country that God has blessed. People should come to know the true God, to know that only through Christ we can live in peace and preserve the future of our children. Live in his grace, share the gospel, live a godly life, keep the faith, and blessings from generation to generation will come.”

From Harland Goetzinger, Pastoral Studies Institute director

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Faces of Faith – Semson Lor

I remember being in high school 10 years ago and people would ask me if I wanted to become a pastor, just like my father (Daniel Lor – Trinity Hmong, Manitowoc, Wis.). I would automatically answer “No” without giving it a second thought. This all changed when I left home and lived by myself. Suddenly everything I had learned growing up in the Lutheran church became something of the past. But as I fell into sin and personal struggles, the Holy Spirit kept tugging at my heart. I knew this wasn’t how God wanted me to live my life. As a child and a teen, I did not think much about my faith. But when struggles came, the foundations of my faith were what I could fall back on for hope and comfort. Even though I tried so hard to run away from the Lord, he was always pursuing me and being true to his promises that he had given to me in my baptism. I moved back home and became obsessed with reading scripture and studying theology and our Lutheran doctrine. I also started helping my father out at church, and I fell in love with ministry. It’s been a great blessing be able study in the PSI program. I’ve been able to learn from great teachers who are equipping me to proclaim this message of forgiveness to a world that is hurting, depressed, scared, and have no hope. They need to know that they have a Savior that lived perfectly for us so God could wash away all their guilt and sin. Though we may hurt, though we may suffer depression, though we may still be scared, we now have hope.

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