The “Holy Ordinary”
Every year for more than 150 years, men have gathered in the classrooms at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary to study the Bible in-depth. Paul O. Wendland, president of the seminary, calls this the “Holy Ordinary,”
that year-in and year-out men say, “Here am I, send me!”
Wendland notes, though, that preparing pastors for the worldwide
mission of WELS isn’t just about being in the classroom. “It is so valuable for a seminary student to have a wide range of experiences because it helps him transfer what is in his head and heart to his feet, his hands, and his mouth,” he says.
That’s why the seminary offers classroom experiences as well as practical experiences. Some students serve youth in urban ministries, others reach out to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, some visit nursing homes and assisted living facilities, others participate in prison ministry, and still more teach English as a Second Language classes.
Second-year students spend Tuesday mornings in Lutheran elementary school classrooms, learning how to teach catechism class to seventh and eighth graders. Two seminary students are assigned to one congregation. The first two weeks they simply observe the local pastor. The next six weeks, they alternate teaching so that each student ends up preparing and teaching three lessons.
“This is one way that our guys can get real world experience as part of their training,” says Prof. Tom Kock, who oversees the program. “It’s one thing to teach them the mechanics of putting a lesson together; it’s quite another thing to teach a lesson to real students.”
For more information, visit wls.wels.net.
Did you know? Grow in Grace, the institute for pastoral growth at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, coordinates a Pastor Partners Mentoring Initiative that includes 64 experienced pastors who serve as mentors to 74 newer pastors. Pastor Partners provides mentors for seminary graduates for the first three years of their ministry.
Pictured above: Ethan Boese teaches catechism at David’s Star, Jackson, Wis., as part of his seminary training.
Paul Spaude
Each Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary senior completes a thesis—a capstone paper in an area of his choosing. Students are encouraged to work with WELS congregations or ministries on research that will benefit the church. Throughout their senior year, under supervision of an advisor, they research and write the thesis. In the spring, the students present their research and papers. Pictured is Paul Spaude, a 2017 graduate, who researched adult learning techniques for his senior thesis. In his paper, Spaude offers steps that congregations can take to help potential members assimilate more naturally into congregational life.
