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EDUCATING OUR FUTURE PASTORS

One of the tasks looming ahead in no uncertain way is the question how to educate our future pastors. The characteristically Lutheran knee-jerk reaction is: why, let's start a seminary! I do not think this is at all a realistic option. For one thing the amounts of money needed for such a project simply would be enormous. No such money is available - and even if indeed it be available: would it really be good stewardship using it to create a campus and buildings, and a library, and so forth? I do not think so. But I also have my doubts from the point of view of efficiency: is a classic Lutheran seminary education really that useful in our time, and even more so in the future? It offers a mold into which the individual is forced, and the result these days seems to be not pastors but workers "doing ministry". It might well be worth trying forming the education according to the individual instead of the other way round. What to-day comes out of at least ELCA seminaries too oft' is not exactly confidence inducing.

Of course, we always could continue educating our future pastors at existing Lutheran seminaries, then adding something of our own. I certainly think this is going to happen, simply because it is such a simple solution to the task at hand. However, one needs to be aware that "Lutheran" these days no longer necessarily means what it used to mean just a generation or two ago. I am not much concerned about the Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and Church of the Lutheran Confession seminaries: they all have their different flavour and accents, but they all also squarely stand on the basis of the Lutheran confessions. However and alas, this no longer is the case with the ELCA seminaries; they could perhaps best be described as "Lutheranic", meaning they have not altogether lost their original Lutheran basis and flavour, but it is much weakened, and it will not take many years to turn them into just generic ecumenical seminaries teaching the latest follies. True, for a foreseeable time there likely will be available faithful Lutheran professors here and there, meaning: we could encourage our future ministers to take just their courses, and skip the rest.

But from where would then "the rest" come from? It is here we will need great flexibility, using all the means that to-day are available to achieve a sound theological education. This means, e.g., taking select courses taught by teachers we could trust, be it at Lutheran seminaries, at other seminaries, at universities, or where-ever. Pastors under call could be used to teach matters of faith individually, via for instance e-mail. It turns out that the many existing theological or churchly discussion Lists on the Internet actually are great teaching tools. Literature could be specified to be read, and the contents discussed. We could take a lesson or two from how Lutherans used to educate their pastors before there were any seminaries in this country, namely through personal tutoring by older pastors under call: a theological apprenticeship, in other words. In reality I think we are going to need a combination of all the above.

For starters we will at any rate need two things, to wit: First of all we need to establish standards and norms for knowledge and theological skills expected of our future pastors. No doubt we will want them to have a thorough knowledge in Scripture. The ability to work with the New Testament in Greek certainly is most desirable. A good and personally integrated knowledge of our Lutheran confessions is a must. Knowing church history certainly helps in understanding present trends. What else is needed? Some psychology? Conflict management insights?

Secondly we need to establish some kind of Board that works with future pastors, guiding and advising them, and that eventually examines each individual, either giving them free for a call into a congregation, or asking them to go back to the books for another term or two. Some kind of scholarship system certainly also will be needed.

However, first things first: somehow LCMC needs to begin by establishing standards and norms for the education of its future pastors. This is a matter of considerable urgency. 

Dr. Carl Heinrich A. Schmutzler

More information about the Augsburg Lutheran District can be found at: http://www.augsburgdistrict.org/ 

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