1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

March/April 2013
Empowering ELCA Leaders
for Vital Ministry
Magazine
Glimpsing
Resurrection
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Discovering the Holy for a deeper life of faith
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
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– Romans 12:2
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In The Liturgical Year, Joan Chittister
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The God who made us what
we are knows what we desire to be and waits with
infinite patience while we
become what we can. We,
on the other hand, know
that whatever we need to
become all that we can be,
this same great and loving
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that, we are thankful. From
that gratitude grow love
and commitment, faith and
trust, wonder and worship.
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2013
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Empowering ELCA Leaders
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March/April 2013
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| LMagazine.net
I received an email from Father A. Paul Dominic, Catholic
priest at St. Patrick’s High School, Secunderabad, India,
with an Easter story. He writes: “I had a glimpse of
resurrection from what a five-year-old did. A few days
after his mother’s death he went to church with his family.
There he went missing and his people searched for him
among the living, only to finally find him removing earth
at his mother’s grave. Asked what he was doing he said, ‘I
want to see Mummy. When we sow a seed it sprouts; we
put Mummy here, she also must come up!’” He had a sure
instinct of resurrection, Dominic writes.
In a second Easter story, Father Dominic tells of a
young nurse who, with faithfulness and good humor,
attended to an inactive Catholic, who noticed the nurse’s
joy. Dominic states: “The nurse’s faith in the resurrection
of Jesus led her spontaneously to do works worthy of her
faith, marking not only her way of living in a distinctly
Christian manner but also raising a depressed soul to an
awakening of her lost faith.” Her resurrection hope is of
the kind that “makes people ready to live their lives in love
wholly, and to say a full and entire Yes to a life that leads
to death” (a quote from Jürgen Moltmann).
The focus articles in this issue center on death and new
life. Carlos Eire’s “Protestant Challenge to Purgatory” lifts
up the sharply different theologies of death and salvation
at the heart of medieval Catholicism. The interview with
Shawn Collins is representative of reflective grieving and
remembrance. Jürgen Moltmann elucidates meaning for
our ancient confession, “I believe in ... the resurrection of
the body.”
Our departments continue the theme. This issue’s
humor by Jay Beech is a short sermon. (You’re welcome.)
Steve Willis transitions into the need for theological
imagination, even for long conversations on leaky roofs.
And Ruth Haley Barton defines corporate or leadership
discernment. Art Clyde explores garden imagery in
worship and Julie Aageson provides a focused list of
resources related to death and new life.
Looking ahead, the May/June 2013 issue covers the
festival of Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and begins the long
“Sundays after Pentecost.” Gospel readings include the
healing of the bent-over woman, anointing of Jesus by
Mary, the good Samaritan, the untimely barn building, and
Luke’s little apocalypse. Selections will be guided by what
Diana Butler Bass terms “the identity gap” when old forms
of belonging have waned or even disappeared.
God bless your arising,
Rev. Timothy Staveteig
Executive Editor, L Magazine
888-317-7270
[email protected]
Inside This Issue
L Magazine for March/April 2013
Focus Articles
4
16
Departments
• Humor. Jay Beech, a highly regarded Lutheran composer
Resurrection of the Body?
and church musician, tells the story of Sylvia, a golden
Jürgen Moltmann pauses at the end of a chapter on
retriever, being put to sleep. This recalls a light-bulb
medical ethics to ask what “the resurrection of the body”
moment during a religion class in college. The professor
– something Christians confess in the Apostles’ Creed (or
said, succinctly, “Christians believe in the resurrection of the
“resurrection of the dead” in the Nicene Creed) – means
dead, not the immortality of the soul.” Death is not just a
part of life, it’s the complete absence of life. (Well, the story
today. Moltmann writes, “Everyone can make something
is much funnier than this.) pp. 16-17
of his or her body, and do something on its behalf. But
• Ministry. Steve Willis has been a small-church pastor his
death is its end.” Does our conduct change whether we
entire career. Here he tells a story about a pastoral friend
take in the end of bodily life or its rebirth in resurrection?
who awakened him from his self-absorption about a
Moltmann prefers to speak of the resurrection of life
church council meeting that spent two hours discussing
because in the lived life we encounter the living God.
how to best fix a leak in the roof. “You can’t ignore a leaky
“Our senses are awakened and we live life.”
roof. The most important thing is what kind of imagination
you bring to the discussion.” pp. 18-19
•
Spirituality. Ruth Haley Barton calls leadership
The Protestant Challenge to Purgatory
discernment
“the capacity to recognize and respond to
Carlos Eire, professor of history and religion at Yale
the presence and activity of God as a leadership group
University, traces A Very Brief History of Eternity. The
relative to the issues we are facing, and to make decisions
purgation, the practice of praying for the dead, was
in response to that awareness” (emphasis added). Ruth
practiced by early Christians. Luther doesn’t reject
focuses on being committed to discerning important
purgatory outright until 1520. Yet, his protest on October
matters together. This yields a confidence and cohesion, of
31, 1517, was aimed precisely at this practice and its
course. It also results in a shared sense of God’s desire for
implications. Inheritances, especially property, were used
them and their community. pp. 20-21
by the deceased’s family to fund suffrages – either a single • Arts. Imagine a city with clean, flowing water, gardens,
mass or a perpetual chantry. Simon Fish, for example,
trees with abundant fruit, a choir singing and... That’s the
complained in 1529 to King Henry VIII that more than
image in the book of Revelation of God’s new creation. The
one-third of the realm was in the hands of the clergy.
photograph is of a mosaic created by community members
and installed at the Wellstone Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Art Clyde suggests four or five activities that can be
incorporated into worship and ministry. pp.22-24
Letters to My Unborn Children
• Resource Picks. Julie Aageson, coordinator of ELCA
“How many kids do you have?” is a hard question
Resource Centers, offers a selection personal and ministry
to answer, Shawn Collins says, in this interview. He
helps – focused on this issue’s theme – to assist you
frequently speaks of his three living girls, and just lets
and extend your ministry around issues of death and
people assume they make up the entire family. Between
resurrection. pp. 26-27
2004 and 2010, Collins and his wife experienced three
10
13
miscarriages. What has proved helpful? He notes
that “many times, walking beside a grieving friend or
engaging a challenging office dynamic has helped
us articulate to each other a little better what we
experienced with the miscarriages.”
28
Special Section
• ELCA Colleges and Universities: pp. 28-29
• Continuing Education: pp. 30-31
About the Cover
It can be easy for us to think of resurrection in purely spiritual terms, but the cover photo provokes us to ponder resurrection from a tangible and physical point of view. As Jay Beech reminds us, “Christians believe in the resurrection of the dead, not the immortality of the soul.”
How are you presently experiencing new and renewing life at the most essential levels?
– Cover photo: Human Egg Cell by iStockphoto.
March/April 2013
| The
Resurrection
of the
| LMagazine.net
Body?
An excerpt
from
Ethics of Hope
by Jürgen
Moltmann
March/April 2013
| In the lived life
we encounter
the living God.
So how do we
not encounter
in death the God
who raises?
I
t may seem surprising to come upon a chapter about the
resurrection of the body in a book about ethics. But in an
ethics of hope, we also have to ask about hope for bodily life.
The obvious answer is that after death the body dies and decays:
“earth to earth, dust to dust,” we hear when we stand at graves.
According to the view commonly held to be Platonic, the body
is the outward mortal garment of the immortal soul ... Modern
people see the body as something they can form as they want: from
high-performance sport to body building, from fitness to wellness,
everyone can make something of his or her body, and do something
on its behalf. But death is its end. Does it make any difference to
the conduct of life whether we reckon with the end of bodily life or
Photo previous page: Comstock
with its rebirth in the resurrection of the body? ...
| LMagazine.net
The Resurrection of Life
understand that eternal life will be
I would suggest that we talk about
lived in a glorified body. “The body
the resurrection of life instead of a
will rise, everything about the body,
resurrection of the dead, or of the
the identical body, the whole body,”
body or the flesh. By the living body
said Tertullian, emphatically, in his
we don’t mean the body without its
famed treatise De Resurrectione
soul, as an object; we mean the body
Carnis (written in 212) ... And he
as we experience it – the body with
declared that “the flesh” was the
which I am subjectively identical: I
key to salvation ... For God has “ap-
am body, that is, my bodily form and
peared in the flesh” and in the lived
my life history. Real life is the bodi-
life we encounter the living God. So
liness that I am. How would it be if
how do we not encounter in death
we were to talk in the creed about
the God who raises?
the resurrection of the lived life?
But in saying this we come up
We should then accept dying too as
against a difference between the
part of life and believe in the victo-
sexes. How do men experience
ry of life over death. We could then
their body, and how do women?
The woman’s body, with its capac-
nerable from without. Love lets us
ity for giving birth and its rhythms,
experience what life and death re-
was denigrated by the ancient
ally are, because in love we go out
world’s notion that it was at times
of ourselves, become capable of
impure and was in general a source
happiness, and at the same time
of temptation; it was assumed to
vulnerable. The opposite makes
be weaker than the male body,
this plain. The person who loses
and unreliable. Right through the
the love for life becomes apathetic
middle ages runs the idea that the
and indifferent. Nothing matters to
human being’s likeness to God be-
him. He cannot rejoice and cannot
gins only beyond the body, in the
shed tears. He bypasses the world as
summit of the soul, ubi sexus nul-
if it were nothing. This used to be
lus est – where there is no gender.
called the death of the soul. Today
But according to the creation story
we could perhaps talk about zom-
we must accept that we are made
bies, walking corpses, people who
in the image of God as male and
are spiritually turned to stone.
female, in our full bodiliness and
Rejected, unloved, negated life
should rejoice in the living God
is life we have missed out on, dead
with body and soul (Ps 84:2).
life. What we experience in it is
How would it be if
we were to talk in
the creed about
the resurrection
of the lived life?
We should then
accept dying too
as part of life.
death before life. This comes out
The Spirituality of the Body
very well in the biblical image about
That brings us to the relevance of
the grain of wheat. Until it is sown
the resurrection hope for bodily
and planted in the earth “it remains
life here and now. The person who
alone” (Jn 12:24 NRSV). It dries up
loves life in the light of the resurrec-
and loses its vitality. This is denied,
tion hope becomes capable of hap-
unlived and unfaithful life, a hope-
piness. All the senses come alive,
less death.
reason and heart are opened for the
Today we are learning a new
beauty of this life. But with this love
spirituality of the body and its
for life we also become capable of
senses. After the mysticism of the
suffering, and feel the pains, the
soul is now coming a mysticism
disappointments and the sorrow of
of the body. The mystical turning
this mortal life. Ultimately speaking,
away from the world of the senses
the life of people who love comes
is followed today by a new awaken-
alive from within and becomes vul-
ing of the senses and the attentive
March/April 2013
| We leave behind
the snail’s shell
of our soul. Our
senses awaken
and we live life.
life. The Spirit which gives life to
world, we again hear the melodies
Jesus and to us does not only lib-
of life, we can taste again, and our
erate the soul from its sadness. It
feelings draw us out into the world.
also frees the body from tensions,
We leave behind the snail’s shell of
and heals not only traumatic expe-
our soul. Our senses awaken and
riences but psychosomatic illnesses
we live life. This new sensuousness
too. In a great sadness, after the loss
is part of the new spirituality of the
of someone we have greatly loved,
body. In both senses and spirit we
it is as if all our senses were snuffed
perceive the coming springtime of
out. We no longer see colors, the
creation. In this way, the hope of
world around us becomes gray. We
“the resurrection of the body” has
no longer hear melodies, everything
its effect on our bodily and sensory
is monotonous. We no longer taste
life here and now.
anything, everything is insipid. It
✦
is as if our feelings have died. We
are cut off from the world around
Jürgen Moltmann is professor emeritus of systematic
theology in the Protestant Faculty of the University of
Tübingen, Germany. Excerpted with permission from
Ethics of Hope by Jürgen Moltmann (Fortress Press,
2012), pages 100-103.
as if by a glass wall. We
become apathetic and
as if turned to stone although we are still alive.
This is what the Spanish
mystics called “the dark
night of the soul.” If in
the divine Spirit we then
again experience the unconditional love for life
(it may be through other
people or through a flowering tree – I am speaking of an experience of
my own as a prisoner of
war in 1945), then the
us. We again perceive the
beauties of the colorful
| LMagazine.net
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March/April 2013
| The Protestant Challenge to
Purgatory
An excerpt
from A Very
Brief History
of Eternity by
Carlos Eire
N
o one can argue with the very exact date that can be given
to the death of purgatory: October 31, 1517, when Luther
began his challenge of Tetzel’s indulgence preaching.
Luther would not reject purgatory outright until around
1520, but had sealed its fate by challenging the church’s soteriology, its
theology of salvation.
10 | LMagazine.net
Goodshoot
The medieval Catholic afterlife was
a dimension constructed out of specific
behaviors, of “works,” as Luther would
say. The very formula salus hominis
in fide consistit, which placed such an
emphasis on the moment of death, and
the very notion of purgatory were both
inconceivable without a corresponding
belief in the relation between specific
acts and one’s status for eternity in the
afterlife.
By rejecting what he called “salvation by
works,” Luther also necessarily destroyed
the medieval Catholic conception of the
afterlife, and of the way in which the
living and the dead relate to one another.
Luther’s soteriological formula may have
changed only one measly letter, but
that single consonant made a world of
difference: salus hominis in fide consistit
(human salvation depends on faith). No
longer was it the end that determined
one’s place in the afterlife but faith – a faith
freely given by God in this life, a faith in
Christ’s once-and-for-all sacrifice on the
cross, which forgave all sins and made
purgatory totally irrelevant. Cleansing
in the afterlife was totally unnecessary in
Lutheran soteriology ...
The rejection of purgatory was universal among Protestants: Luther, Karlstadt,
Zwingli, Bucer, Oecolampadius, Calvin,
the Anglicans, and even the Radicals.
All of them denounced it as a fable, a
Salus hominis in
fide consistit –
human salvation
depends on
faith.
March/April 2013
| 11
The flow of
money to the
cult of the
dead came to
be seen as one
of the surest
signs of the
falsehood of
the Roman
Catholic
church
and of its
exploitation of
the people.
depraved invention designed by corrupt
clerics to fleece the laity. On a popular
level, the flow of money to the cult of the
dead came to be seen as one of the surest signs of the falsehood of the Roman
Catholic church and of its exploitation
of the people, giving rise to the English
expression, “Purgatory pick-purse”...
The unmasking of this “deception”
was one of the central messages of the
Protestant Reformation, and the logic
of purgatory and of the role of suffrages
seems to have been a vulnerable point in
Catholic theology, and perhaps the surest
entry point for doubt. As one sensible
Englishman from Lincoln put it:
If there were any Purgatory and every
mass that is said should deliver a soul
out of Purgatory, there should be never
a soul there, for there be more masses
said in a day than there be bodies
buried in a month.
Along with the death of purgatory
came also a concomitant rejection of all of
the “works” or suffrages that supposedly
helped to free souls from it. Gone were
the masses for the dead, the prayers,
anniversaries, chantries, and all else that
went with these rituals for the dead. The
expression “dead and gone” acquired a new
meaning among all Protestants, for once
dead, one was literally whisked to either
heaven or hell, to realms totally beyond
the reach of living humans, where, as that
all-important Gospel text (Lk 16:26 KJV)
put it, a “great gulf” was fixed, “so that
they which would pass from hence to you
cannot; neither can they pass to us, that
would come from thence.”
The Protestant dead, therefore, inhabited another dimension in eternity, and
12 | LMagazine.net
were totally segregated from the living.
Moreover, when it came to the last vestige of their presence among the living,
that of burial, the dead were subjected
to physical segregation as well, for it became common among many Protestants
to remove the dead from the churches
and churchyards, to suburban sites where
there could be no easy daily mingling of
the sort that had become so commonplace throughout medieval Christendom. Spiritual apartheid and physical
apartheid had come into existence, sundering almost all commerce between the
living and the dead, save for the disposal
of corpses.
This segregation, or apartheid, came
into existence rapidly and thoroughly
wherever Protestantism took root. One
incident alone reveals the depth of the
change. Commenting on the revision
of Nuremberg’s criminal code in 1521,
a jurist argued that punishments could
no longer be carried out against the
corpses of convicted criminals, as had
been customary. If a criminal died before
his execution, why bother with the full
sentence against him? Citing Luther
in his report, this jurist opined: “After
death a person is freed from all human
authority, and stands in God’s judgement
alone.”’
Such a change was not only momentous
but also very sudden in most places that
turned Protestant.
✦
Carlos Eire is Riggs Professor of History and Religious
Studies at Yale University. He is best known for his
memoir Waiting for Snow in Havana, which won the
National Book Award for nonfiction in 2003. This
selection is from A Very Brief History of Eternity
(Princeton Univ. Press, 2012), 119-124 passim.
Thinkstock Images, ©Getty Images
Letters to My Unborn Children
An interview with Shawn Collins
Why did you write Letters to My
Unborn Children?
First, only the mother grieves. This lack of
Like the open
attention to fathers during miscarriages ex-
hand, we are
I started writing because I needed to pro-
acerbates the grief of both parents. Letters
is a unique resource because it legitimizes
learning how
cess three miscarriages that my wife Kristine and I had between 2004 and 2010.
the father as a real person in the miscar-
Kristine’s initial response was skepticism
riage experience.
to encourage
each other
not to give up
that someone so intensely private (me)
The second assumption is that we should
would tell such a painful experience. But
solve our grief by taking steps toward whole-
when things
there is this common theme of feelings of
ness. But grieving parents are looking for
don’t go as we
isolation as we’ve talked with friends and
affirmation that they’re not alone and that
co-workers who experienced miscarriage.
their loss was real. They’re looking for en-
hoped.
couragement and support as they reorient
How is Letters different from
other miscarriage books?
their worldviews to respond to the loss(es)
Miscarriage is rarely discussed, but when
ways to offer care for people in these cir-
it is, two common assumptions emerge.
cumstances is to legitimize their story.
of their children. One of the most powerful
March/April 2013
| 13
Shawn Collins grew up in
Kenya as a missionary kid.
His work in the aerospace and
energy industries integrates
graduate degrees in mechanical
engineering and anthropology.
His book is Letters to My Unborn
Children: Meditations on the
Silent Grief of Miscarriage (Huff
Publishing Associates / Quill
House Publishing, 2012) ISBN
978-1-933794-58-7). See www.
LettersToMyUnbornChildren.
com.
How has your experience with
miscarriage shaped your view of
parenting?
ral. We have to be intentional about living a
“How many kids do you have?” is a hard ques-
open hand, we are learning how to encourage
tion to answer now. I frequently talk about
each other not to give up when things don’t
my three living girls, and just let people as-
go as we hoped. Sometimes we point to that
sume they make up my whole family. When I
theme of facing our grief redemptively so that
do discuss the miscarriages, it is easier to say,
our disappointment isn’t the last word.
“We had six pregnancies and three healthy
Does talking about miscarriage
help you in other areas of your
life?
births” than “We have six children, three of
whom are dead.” Sometimes during the year,
my grief is stronger. I am learning how to discuss the miscarriages during those times.
How has your experience shaped
your view of fear?
different narrative that faces disappointments
and unmet expectations graciously. Like the
One of my turning points was realizing that the
specific instance of hidden hopes, shattered
dreams, and silent grief I experienced with the
miscarriages is an extremely common pattern.
This has meant a couple of different things for
I think one of the biggest challenges that Kris-
Kristine and me. The first is the importance of
tine and I face is how to not live in fear of
situating our grief over the miscarriages in the
the unknown. Letters discusses a couple dif-
broader context of a broken world that needs
ferent places where we have faced this. Do I
redemption. Owning our grief redemptively
refuse to become a parent because I’m afraid
involves actively speaking into other areas of
of my real and imagined inadequacies? Do I
life where the same pattern exists. Second,
refuse to love my unborn child if I think we’re
we’re engaging these areas because that helps
going to have another miscarriage? Do I bar-
us understand our own ongoing processing of
ricade my home and my children from out-
the miscarriages. Many times, walking beside
side uncertainties because I want to control
a grieving friend or engaging a challenging of-
what happens to my family? It is an ongoing
fice dynamic has helped us articulate to each
discipline for us to hold these and other un-
other a little better what we experienced with
knowns with open hands.
the miscarriages.
Finally, we have to engage these areas
14 | LMagazine.net
Are there other things shaped by
your experience?
without any demand on what happens as a
Well, another challenge we face is our desire
Our presence may not have the impact we ex-
to not get things wrong. Letters shares how
pect. To be honest, this is not easy. I firmly be-
we understood intellectually that we couldn’t
lieve that this approach is helping us process
identify a reason for the miscarriages, but
our grief in a healthy way. But there are times
emotionally we wanted to find some mistake
when I just want my own pain, and the pain
or defect we could fix. Our girls share that
of others around me, to go away.
desire to not be wrong. Some of that is natu-
✦
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at 1-800-328-0200 or visit www.LogosProductions.com
Humor by Jay Beech
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come
O
16 | LMagazine.net
ne Sunday, a couple of friends tear-
gion class in college when my professor
fully described their 12-year-old
succinctly said, “Christians believe in the
golden retriever, Sylvia, being put to sleep
resurrection of the dead, not in the immor-
that week. Not comfortable with disposing
tality of the soul.”
of her body themselves, they opted for cre-
He then went on to tell a story about a
mation.
graveside service at which he once presided.
The vet then presented them with the
Someone in the family thought it meaning-
rather odd choice: They could return to
ful to release a white dove at the end of the
pick up her ashes later or take home ashes
ceremony, thereby symbolizing the spirit of
of some other pet. No, the vet didn’t offer a
their loved one departing this world. Un-
“to go” box. Yet apparently some folks are
fortunately, when the liberation time had
in quite a hurry.
come, the dove stayed in its cage. Several
They opted for Sylvia’s actual ashes. I’m
funeral directors attempted to coax the bird
sure she would have done the same if the
from its symbolic tomb. Finally, one uttered
circumstances were reversed.
in exasperation, “Come on! Get the hell out
Why would someone choose the generic
of there!” This in no way indicated the ulti-
ashes? Most people do not believe in death
mate destination for the departed.
or least they don’t think that death is real.
In the midst of our laughter, a girl in
Imagine the spirit of your beloved cat, Mr.
the class began to cry. With a broken heart
Whiskers, floating free to tear up a sofa in
she asked our professor, “Do you mean my
the great beyond – waiting for you to join
grandma is not in heaven with Jesus right
him so he can ignore you for all eternity.
now?” We were all brought back down to
I suspect that many leave the vet’s office
earth in an instant – six feet under, to be ex-
thinking the little urn they’re carrying no
act. Is this really what he was saying? When
more contains the true essence of their pet
you die are you actually…dead?
than does the can of cigarette butts outside
Nobody likes to talk about this, (espe-
the bus depot.
cially pastors during funeral sermons). It’s
Even those who confess their faith us-
a tough cyanide capsule to swallow. What
ing one of the ecumenical creeds seem not
could be more depressing? If death is real,
to understand what they are saying. For
then it’s not just a part of life as some say,
me, the light bulb went on during a reli-
but it’s the complete absence of life. And if
Photodisc
Jay Beech is a highly
regarded Lutheran
composer and church
musician whose published work is sung each
week in congregations
throughout the United
States. He is also the
owner of BaytoneMusic.
com, an online company
that provides downloadable music resources for
worship.
that’s true, then the life, death, and resur-
He died. You’ll die. God raised him up.
rection of Jesus becomes extremely impor-
Same deal for you and me.
tant. He didn’t just come to put on a pas-
As we talked about Sylvia, I was remem-
sion play for us. When they crucified him
bering a day 17 years ago when I took our
he didn’t move toward any light or hover
then five-year-old daughter along to the
around in the corners of his hospital room.
vet. We stood and petted our old basset
He actually died, just like you and I will
hound, Bill, and talked to him and prayed
someday. He laid there for three days. He
and cried as the vet administered a lethal
was dead.
injection. Then we wrapped him up and
And as hard as that is to talk about in
took him home. As I dug his grave in our
a culture where people don’t even know
backyard, I cried some more and thought
where meat comes from, it’s also the reason
about my own death and the deaths of the
we refer to that day as Good Friday. Death
people I loved. Then, I slid Bill’s empty dog
is our enemy, the worst and the last one
house over his grave and spoke the words
we will ever face. But, as the apostle Paul
that I had recited countless times: “We look
wrote, “If we have been crucified with him
for the resurrection of the dead, and the life
in a death like his, we will also certainly be
of the world to come.” Amen.
raised with him in a resurrection like his.”
✦
March/April 2013
| 17
Ministry
you have a very small imagination
An excerpt from Imagining the Small Church by Steve Willis
I
remember a coffee conversation with
a wise and thoughtful colleague who
was a great help early in my pastoral
journey. We met for coffee on Wednesday
mornings with a number of friends in
the surrounding area. Usually, our
conversations
roamed
wildly
from the state of the church
to theological perspectives
to which movies to go see.
On this particular grey,
wet morning, my mood
was about as dark as the
winter weather.
The weather kept
others away that day.
So Gil and I sat by ourselves, hunched over our
big mugs of coffee. I was
in a funk because a meandering two-hour session
meeting the night before had
been a useless argument about
how to fix a leak in the church
roof caused by the freezing and
thawing of February rains. I whined,
“How in the world can anybody talk
about a leak for two hours?” The conversation and ensuing argument over such
a narrow matter were symbolic of how
constricted and visionless the church
PhotoObjects.net. © Getty Images
18 | LMagazine.net
could be – I thought. I do not remember
how long I ranted on in my righ-
or mission studies can be helpful,
Many years ago I had my first
teous indignation.
but more than the programs them-
imaginings of the mountains as
On this particular morning Gil
selves is the imagination and atten-
a congregation in worship. How
abandoned the usual reflective lis-
tion to the Spirit we bring to them.
had I hiked so many trails and
tening practice that most pastors
Reflecting on how imagination
not previously seen the way that
employ when faced with such self-
works and how church leaders can
these magnificent trees were lifting
absorption. When I finally stopped
employ their own imaginations and
up their mighty arms in worship?
to take a breath from my diatribe,
inspire the imaginations of folks in
That image became so fixed in my
Gil slowly looked up from his cof-
the pews can be fruitful.
thoughts that I see it all the time
fee. He said, “You have a very small
I remember another older col-
imagination.” “I have a small imag-
league, a veteran of World War II,
Likewise, an integral part of
ination!” I retorted. Gil calmly re-
giving a valedictory sermon at the
my work as a pastor is imagining
plied, “You could help them imag-
end of his 40-plus-year service as
the people where I serve accord-
ine how working on a leaky root
a pastor. He spoke of the medieval
ing to the lively images I find in
might be a part of their service to
stone masons who had spent their
the Scriptures. Here are the very
the kingdom of God or you could
entire lifetimes crafting a small bit
children of the eternal God, Jesus’
patiently wait until they’ve com-
of a cathedral. He imagined that
own brothers and sisters. They are
pleted this task. You can’t ignore
they must have seen their work as
the body of the risen Christ; the
a leaky roof. The most important
building the kingdom of God. No
hands, feet, arms, and eyes of the
thing is what kind of imagina-
doubt they knew that they were
loving Lord of all, reaching out to
tion you bring to the discussion.”
merely constructing a window por-
touch and heal God’s beloved, bro-
I thought about his reflections for
tion of wall. But weren’t the most
ken world. Wendell Berry writes,
a moment and then asked him if
blessed of them those who envi-
“As the word [imagination] itself
he had seen any good movies late-
sioned that their small efforts were
suggests, it is the power to make us
ly. Today Gil still serves the same
given for the glory of God? They
see, moreover, things that without
congregation; he has been there for
had not completed the work to be
it would be unseeable. In one of its
20-plus years. Engaged pastors of
done, the entire cathedral; ultimate
aspects, it is the power by which
small congregations who have been
fulfillment rested in the hands of
we sympathize.”
in the same place for a long time
God. This pastor was looking back
✦
often approach ordinary matters
and imagining what his work had
with lively imaginations.
been, and he found a beautiful im-
Steve Willis, as a Presbyterian (USA) minister,
has pastored small churches in rural, town,
and urban settings for the past 17 years
and writes about the sustainability of small
church life. This is a selection from Imagining
the Small Church (Alban, 2012), 87-90.
A revival of faithful imagination
age to capture it. The challenge of
in the people of small churches is a
imagination, however, is also look-
powerful thing. New programs or
ing forward and considering what
long-range planning committees
may be.
now. I cannot shake it.
March/April 2013
| 19
Spirituality
BECOMING A COMMUNITY FOR DISCERNMENT
Excerpted from Pursuing God’s Will Together by Ruth Haley Barton
mind of each individual but also the
corporate mind.
Discernment literally means “to
separate, to discriminate, to determine, to decide or to distinguish
between two things.” Spiritual discernment is the ability to distinguish
or discriminate between good (that
which is of God and draws us closer
to God) and evil (that which is not
of God and draws us away from
God). There are many qualities that
contribute to good leadership, but
it is our commitment to discerning
and doing the will of God through
the help of the Holy Spirit that distinguishes spiritual leadership from
other kinds of leadership.
Brian Jensen, www.Studio-Arts.com.
Corporate or leadership discernment, then, is the capacity to recognize and respond to the presence and
activity of God as a leadership group
relative to the issues we are facing,
and to make decisions in response
to that awareness. Spiritual leaders
D
are distinguished by their commit-
iscernment, in a most gen-
apostle Paul says that we are to be
ment to discern important matters
eral sense, is the capacity to
transformed by the renewing of our
together so they can affirm a shared
recognize and respond to the pres-
minds so that we can discern what
sense of God’s desire for them and
ence and the activity of God – both
the will of God is, that which is
move forward on that basis.
in the ordinary moments and in the
good, acceptable and perfect (Rom
It is hard to imagine that spiri-
larger decisions of our lives. The
12:2). This includes not only the
tual leadership could be about any-
20 | LMagazine.net
thing but seeking to know and do
One of the challenges to leader-
the will of God, and yet many lead-
ship discernment is that it can seem
ership groups do not have this as
somewhat subjective and even
their clear mandate and reason for
mystical, which doesn’t always go
existence. This raises a question: If
over too well with hard-nosed
we are not pursuing the will of God
business people and pragmatists
together in fairly intentional ways,
– those who often make up boards
what are we doing? Our own will?
and other leadership groups. It is
What seems best according to our
one thing to rely on what feels like
own thinking and planning? That
a more subjective approach when it
which is merely strategic or expedi-
pertains to our personal life, but it
ent or good for the ego?
feels much riskier when our deci-
Discernment together as leaders,
sions involve large budgets, other
on the other hand, opens us to an
people’s financial investments, the
entirely different reality – the wis-
lives of multiple staff, reports to
dom of God that is beyond human
high-powered boards and serving
wisdom and is available to us as we
a “customer base” (congregation or
learn how to open ourselves to it (1
organization) with varying levels of
Cor 2:6-16). This approach to lead-
expectation. And yet many lead-
ership presents unique challenges
ers today are longing for a way of
because it requires us to move be-
leading that is more deeply respon-
yond reliance on human thinking
sive to the will of God than to the
and strategizing to a place of deep
latest ideas from a New York Times
listening and response to the Spirit
bestseller. We wonder, Is there a
of God within and among us. This
trustworthy process that enables
is not to dismiss what human wis-
Christian leaders to actively seek
dom and strategic thinking have to
God relative to decisions we are
offer us. Our ability to think things
making?
through and apply reason to our
The answer is a resounding yes!
decision making is a gift from God;
and it is why I have written this book
however, the Scriptures are clear
– to provide practical guidance for
that human wisdom and the wis-
leaders and leadership teams who
dom of God are not the same thing,
want to enter more deeply into the
and part of becoming more discern-
process of corporate discernment as
ing is the ability to distinguish be-
a way of life in leadership.
tween the two (1 Cor1:18-31).
✦
Ruth Haley Barton is founding
president of the Transforming Center, a
spiritual formation ministry to pastors
and Christian leaders and author of
several books. She has degrees from
Wheaton College, Northern Seminary,
and Loyola University. Excerpted
with permission from Pursuing God’s
Will Together by Ruth Haley Barton.
Copyright © 2012 by Ruth Haley
Barton, www.RuthHaleyBarton.com.
Used by permission of InterVarsity
Press, PO Box 1400, Downers Grove,
IL 60187, www.ivpress.com.
March/April 2013
| 21
Arts by Art Clyde
GROWING IN GOD’S GARDEN
I
magine a city with clean, flowing
ter is profuse with images – deserts,
water, gardens, trees with abun-
stones, palms, lambs, a shep-
dant fruit, a choir singing and …
herd. These form a tapestry as
That’s the image in the book of Rev-
we tell the stories in the midst of
elation of God’s new creation. The
current events.
photograph to the right is of a mo-
There is also the possibility of
saic created by community mem-
finding one broad symbol that can
bers and installed at the Wellstone
enfold the breadth of the two sea-
Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The
sons. As you look at the image of the
beautiful garden is a metaphor of
garden, notice a central figure that
a real mission – growing food and
appears to relate to what is around
raising funds to feed people of the
it. You might begin to think about
community.
sustenance, nourishment, procre-
This image also represents what
ation, diversity, or interrelation-
we rehearse and imagine in worship,
ships. The Lent and Easter seasons
does it not – that all are fed at God’s
are a wonderful time to explore the
table? That God’s dominion will
tensions of our contemporary lives:
come and that God’s will be done
between those who have much and
on earth as it is in heaven? With
those who are hungry; between
that belief we sing with all the saints
those who destroy forests for profit
Holy! and Hosanna!
and those who plant gardens in the
As we plan for worship we can
city; between those who tear down
find ways to connect images and
in the name of progress and those
symbols to the concerns and ques-
who preserve heritage.
tions of our real, here-and-now lives.
Throughout these seasons scrip-
Just as a garden mosaic was created
ture draws us to gardens (Gethse-
to celebrate the vision embraced by
mane and Mary at the tomb). Gar-
a community center, likewise sym-
dens and trees are often used as
bols can be chosen for worship to
metaphors. Christians often use the
celebrate not only the stories and
tree of life as a symbol for Christ.
traditions of the faith community
The specific image of the tree of life
but also its mission and its hopes.
in the city (Rev 22:1-5) appears later
The scriptural progression through
on the Sixth Sunday of Easter. As
the days of Lent and Sundays of Eas-
you prepare for worship in this part
22 | LMagazine.net
A Place to Grow, Community Garden Mosaic
Materials include Baltic Birch plywood, stained glass, mirror, porcelain tile, gems, beads, paper under glass,
gold leaf, and china. Size: 5 x 8 ft, 1 in deep. Installed at The Wellstone Center, St. Paul, Minnesota.
ArtWork 2006 Mosaic Art Program. Lead Mentor Artist: Sharra Frank
Apprentice Artists: Elizabeth Amundsen, Luke Chen, Edith Cho, P. Croix Farnham,
Xing Li, Yang Mee Moua, Claire Oslund, Carolyn Soley, and Anna Voskresensky.
Photograph by Mary Truran. Used with permission.
March/April 2013
| 23
Arts
In addition to his previous work in worship,
music, and liturgical arts for the United
Church of Christ and music editor (The New
Century Hymnal), Arthur Clyde is a workshop
leader in worship planning and has served in
several ecumenical worship-related settings
such as the Consultation on Common Texts.
He occasionally teaches at United Theological
Seminary of the Twin Cities in New Brighton,
Minnesota.
of the church year, think of ways that
you might use an image of a garden
that needs to be nourished and watered and cared for in order to flower
and grow. Alternately, think of ways
that you might be able to use the image of Jesus Christ as the tree of life
* A Place to Grow may be downloaded for projection at no cost.
Go to www.LMagazine.net and
click on “Extra.”
to tell the story of our never-ending
work to bring the realm of God into
being. Here are some possibilities.
Use the image A Place to Grow
as a discussion piece about
communities finding new life
together
Your engagement might begin with
exploring what is seen in the picture
and then moving toward the idea of
building community through engagement with art. (It can be downloaded
for projection at www.LMagazine.net
under “Extra.”)
Study and sing hymn texts that
explore the tree of life imagery
Make your own image
• “The Apple Tree Carol” – The text
Consider ways that the brokenness of
is an old Appalachian song, set to
community might be healed through
music by Jeremiah Ingalls c.1805
forming a mosaic garden like the one
and Elizabeth Poston in 1967. It
at shown here.
is available in many forms and set-
Perhaps the closing hymn for the
tings. Check the internet for a music
season could be “How Can I Keep
source that is convenient for you.
from Singing.” The first line captures
• “Tree of Life” – Text and tune are by
well the sweetness of the garden and
Marty Haugen. It can be found in
our longing for restoration:
Evangelical Lutheran Worship (334).
My life flows on in endless song,
• “There in God’s Garden” – The
above earth’s lamentation.
17th-century text is by Pécseli
Király Imre, translated by Erik
I catch the sweet,
though far-off hymn
Routley. It can be found in Evangeli-
that hails a new creation.
cal Lutheran Worship (342).
Consider constructing a
symbolic tree in the sanctuary
During Lent, think of ways to cover it
with vines that choke it and obscure
it, and then through the season, find
a way to reveal its blossoms at Easter,
perhaps ending with the “fruits of the
Spirit” at Pentecost.
24 | LMagazine.net
As you explore images of a garden in
the city or the tree of life, make connections to the yearnings of people to
care for the earth and restore what is
broken in order to bring in the realm
of God.
✦
Theology for Life
Listening to
Popular Music
Blessed Are
the Consumers
Compass: Christian
Explorations of Daily Living
Climate Change and
the Practice of Restraint
DON H. COMPIER
DAVID H. JENSEN, Series Editor
SALLIE McFAGUE
“In Listening to Popular
Music, Don Compier
turns out a masterful
conversation between
popular music of our
time and the mainstream
Western theological tradition. The result is an
immensely readable foray into beats and steps,
alongside the Word and words of crooners
theological and musical, offering a melliuous
riff at the crossroads between popular creativity
—James Perkinson
and venerable tradition.”
Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Detroit
McFague argues that
the root of restraint rests
in the ancient Christian
notion of Kenosis, or selfemptying. By introducing
Kenosis through the life
stories of John Woolman,
Simone Weil, and Dorothy Day, McFague
brings a powerful theological concept to
bear in a winsome and readable way.
978-0-8006-9960-4 208 pp pbk $24.00
Available wherever books are sold or
978-0-8006-9891-1 128 pp pbk $15.00
800-328-4648
fortresspress.com
www.alcm.org
God Is
Here
June 30 - July 3, 2013
Worship in a
Wireless World
A ssociation of Lutheran Church Musicians Biennial Conference
Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana
Chapel of the Resurrection
Valparaiso University
Bach Institute
David Cherwien and the
National Lutheran Choir
March/April 2013
| 25
Picks
Resource
by Julie K. Aageson
It is not easy to convey a sense of wonder – let alone resurrection wonder – to another.
It’s the very nature of wonder to catch us off guard, to circumvent expectations and
assumptions. Wonder can’t be packaged, and it can’t be worked up. It requires some
sense of being there and some sense of engagement.
– Eugene H. Peterson
Mondays with
Moltmann – On
Resurrection and the
Fear of Death
Surprised by Hope:
Rethinking Heaven, the
Resurrection, and the
Mission of the Church
For brief blogs by Jürgen
Moltmann go to www.
Diglotting.com. In particular, see xhttp://diglotting.
com/2011/06/27/mondays-with-moltmann-onresurrection-and-the-fear-of-death/
by N.T. Wright (HarperOne, 2008)
Practice Resurrection:
A Conversation on Growing
Up in Christ
by Eugene Peterson (Eerdmans, 2010)
This book is the fifth in Eugene
Peterson’s bestselling series,
Conversations in Spiritual Theology.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians forms the backdrop as
a “resurrection document.” This beautiful treatise on
the many meanings of resurrection concludes with
an appendix called “Some Writers on the Practice of
Resurrection,” a lovely finale about mature Christian
formation.
Equally engaging titles from Peterson’s
“conversations” series include Christ Plays in Ten
Thousand Places, Eat This Book, The Jesus Way, and
Tell It Slant (Eerdmans).
Friday, Saturday, Sunday:
Literary Meditations on
Suffering, Death, and New Life
by David Cunningham (Westminster
John Knox, 2007)
Using novels, plays, and poems,
Cunningham reflects on issues of
suffering, death, and new life.
26 | LMagazine.net
N.T. Wright deals with themes of
life and death in Surprised by
Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and
the Mission of the Church. Wright makes the case
that what we believe about life after death directly
affects our understandings of healing and hope in
the present life (HarperOne, 2008).
The Death and Resurrection
of Jesus
Six-session DVD discussion
led by Dr. Marcus Borg
(UM Comm Igniting Ministries)
Borg’s penchant for “talking to
people for whom an older way
of looking at the Christian faith no longer works”
makes for provocative, engaging conversation. Titles
include What Happened on Good Friday?; Jesus Is
Lord; and Jesus, God’s Love Revealed. Each program
is 17-23 minutes in length. Guide included.
The Passion
DVD presentation
(www.JoeCastillo.com)
For a dramatic live art
presentation on DVD, sand
artist Joe Castillo interprets the
passion of Christ in The Passion.
Scenes are taken from scripture
and provide a creative way for discussing the events of
Holy Week. Preview at www.YouTube.com.
Picks
Resource
Bread and Wine:
Readings for Lent
and Easter
Luke:
An Eight-Session
Book of Faith Bible
Study
(The Plough Publishing
House, 2003).
This is a beautiful
collection of classic
writings on themes of
resurrection and new
life from a distinguished
list of authors including Meister Eckhart, Kathleen
Norris, Walter Wangerin, Edith Stein, Dorothee Soelle,
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and William Willimon.
Gospel Food for
Hungry Christians:
John
CD by storyteller John Shea
(ACTA Publications, 2008)
A theologian and
storyteller, Shea offers compelling scriptural and
theological insights into the Gospel of John. Shea’s
captivating stories and examples relate John’s
Gospel to contemporary Christian life in ways that
are “preachable, teachable, and personal.”
by Dr. David Tiede
(Augsburg Fortress,
2011)
Luke scholar Dr. David
Tiede, contributes
fresh insights in Luke,
addressing themes
from this issue of
L Magazine including Let God Be God!; What Was
Jesus Doing?; Why Must Jesus Die?; Grace Will
Lead Me Home!; Ah, Holy Jesus, How Hast Thou
Offended?; and How Did Jesus’ Resurrection
Change the World?
Many of these resources can be previewed at your
area ELCA Resource Center.
✦
Julie K. Aageson is coordinator of ELCA Resource Centers and director
of the Eastern North Dakota Synod Resource Center. You may contact
her at [email protected] or [email protected].
That You
May Have
Life: Musical
Stories from
the Gospel of
John (GIA, 2005)
You may enjoy
listening to That You May Have Life, a new
musical by composer Marty Haugen. This
unique resource focuses on images and
themes from John’s Gospel and includes
talented artists like Tony Alonso, Valimar
Jansen, Melissa Cuddy, Serenity Fisher, Mary
Preus, Mike Mahler, Ray East, and David Haas.
You may sample tracks at www.GIAmusic.com.
CURRICULA
LeCtIonARy ResoURCes
foR woRshIp, fAIth foRmAtIon, And seRvICe
wood Lake publishing is the
one-stop shopping place for
all your curriculum needs.
visit us online or phone
1-800-663-2775 to
request a catalogue.
Order early!
Save when you order and
pre-pay on or before May 1, 2013
www.seasonsonline.ca
www.wholepeopleofgod.com
www.aplaceforeveryone.ca
March/April 2013
| 27
Section
Special
ELCA Colleges and Universities
ELCA Colleges and Universities
Augsburg College
Minneapolis, MN
www.augsburg.edu
Augustana College (Illinois)
Rock Island, IL
www.augustana.edu
Augustana College
(South Dakota)
Sioux Falls, SD
www.augie.edu
California Lutheran
University
Thousand Oaks, CA
www.callutheran.edu
Bethany College
Lindsborg, KS
www.bethanylb.edu
Capital University
Columbus, OH
www.capital.edu
CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY
THE
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Gustavus Adolphus College
Saint Peter, MN
www.gustavus.edu
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28 | LMagazine.net
Section
Special
ELCA Colleges and Universities
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Hickory, NC
www.lrc.edu
Luther College
Decorah, IA
www.luther.edu
Midland Lutheran College
Fremont, NE
www.midlandu.edu
GET INVOLVED.
LIVE YOUR FAITH.
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA
www.muhlenberg.edu
FIND YOUR
PURPOSE.
Newberry College
Newberry, SC
www.newberry.edu
DISCOVER HOW
YOU WILL TOUCH
THE WORLD.
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA
www.plu.edu
Roanoke College
Salem, VA
www.roanoke.edu
St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN
www.stolaf.edu
Susquehanna University
Selinsgrove, PA
www.susqu.edu
Texas Lutheran University
Seguin, TX
www.tlu.edu
Thiel College
Greenville, PA
www.thiel.edu
Wagner College
Staten Island, NY
www.wagner.edu
Wartburg College
Waverly, IA
www.wartburg.edu
Wittenberg University
Springfield, OH
www.wittenberg.edu
STEP UP
For a visit, call
1-800-GUSTAVUS.
gustav us.edu
PLU Summer Conference on Pastoral Theology
God is
with us:
Preaching,
teaching,
and living
the Gospel
of Matthew
June 17-19, 2013
Hosted by and on the campus of
Pacific Lutheran University
A CONTINUING CONVERSATION
ON THEOLOGY AND
PASTORAL LIFE
Information and on-line registration
www.plu.edu/congregations
253-535-7424
March/April 2013
| 29
Section
Special
ELCA LIFELONG
LEARNING PARTNERS
(Continuing Education)
Center Programs
Association of Lutheran
Development Executives
1737 Beach Rd.
Verona, WI 53593
Telephone: 800-458-2363
Fax: 608-848-2286
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.alde.org
Contact: Phyllis Castens Wiederhoeft
Augsburg Center for
Faith & Learning
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Telephone: 612-330-1773
Fax: 612-330-1676
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.augsburg.edu
Contact: Tom Morgan
Augsburg Fortress
P.O. Box 1209
Minneapolis, MN 55440-12090
Telephone: 1-800-328-4648
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.augsburgfortress.org
Contact: Scott Tunseth
Bethany House of Studies
871 Pioneer Road
McPherson, KS 67460
Telephone: 620-241-6003
Fax: 620-245-0767
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Rev. Richard Monson
The Center for Family Process
10601 Willowbrook Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
Telephone: 240-482-7231
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.centerforfamilyprocess.com
Contact: Rev. Marvin Tollefson
The Center for Renewal
Grand View College
1101 Grandview Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50316-1599
Telephone: 515-263-6021
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.gvc.edu
Contact: Rev. Dwight DuBois
30 | LMagazine.net
Continuing Education
Center for Theology and
Land Wartburg Seminary
PO Box 5004
Dubuque, IA 52004-5004
Telephone: 563-589-0273
Fax: 563-589-0333
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.wartburgseminary.edu
Contact: Joan Fumetti
Christ Lutheran Church
Lifelong Learning Partner
701 S. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21230-3835
Telephone: 410-752-7179 (Office)
Fax: 410-752-7881
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.christinnerharbor.org
Contact: Carlien Parlett
Continuing Education Task
Force of Wisconsin and
Upper Michigan
1005 Oxford Ave.
Eau Claire, WI 54703
Telephone: 715-579-1556
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Rev. Gregory P. Kaufmann
Crossways International
Healthy Congregations, Inc.
Lutheran School of Theology
2199 East Main St.
Columbus, OH 43209
Telephone: 614-384-4611
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.healthycongregations.com
Contact: Rev. Emlyn Ott
6325 Clayton Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63117-1808
Telephone: 314-725-9710
Fax: 314-962-4810
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lststl.org
Contact: Rev. Penny Holste and Rev. Keith Holste
Institute for Clergy and
Congregational Renewal at PLU
Pacific Lutheran University
12180 Park Ave.
Tacoma, WA 98447
Telephone: 253-535-7424
Fax: 253-535-8733
Website: www.plu.edu/crel
Institute for JewishChristian Understanding
Kogudus Renewal Center
2415 13th Ave. S.
Great Falls, MT 59405
Telephone: 406-453-1461
Fax: 406-761-4632
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.nrit.org
Contact: Jenny Kunka
diakonia Program
The Luther Institute
1117 Erie St.
Oak Park, IL 60302
Telephone: 708-763-0879
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.thediakoniaprogram.org
Contact: Ray Bebee
226 E. Capitol St.
Washington, DC 20003-1036
Telephone: 202-547-5555
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lutherinst.org
Contact: Paul Wangerin
Forum on Faith and Life
Lutheran Education
Network and Support (LENS)
700 College Dr.
Decorah, IA 52101-1045
Telephone: 563-387-2000
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.luther.edu/graceinstitute/
Contact: Rev. Bradley C. Hanson
Missional Leadership Academy
4423 N. 24th St., Ste. 400
Phoenix, AZ 85016-5544
Telephone: 602-957-3223
Fax: 602-956-8104
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Rev. Rick Rouse
7930 Computer Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55435
Telephone: 800-257-7308
Fax: 952-832-5553
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.crossways.org
Contact: Rev. Harry Wendt
Grace Institute for Spiritual
Formation, Luther College
2353 Rice Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005-2696
Telephone: 713-523-2864 Ext. 1030
Fax: 713-523-6578
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.melanchthon-institute.org
Contact: Rev. Robert Moore
Muhlenberg College
2400 Chew St.
Allentown, PA 18104-5586
Telephone: 484-664-3470
Fax: 484-664-5627
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ijcu.org
Contact: Rev. Peter A. Petitt c/o Our Savior’s Lutheran Church
1326 1st Ave. N.
Great Falls, MT 59405
Telephone: 406-799-9074
Fax: 406-761-4632
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.kogudus.org
Contact: Rev. Greg Karlsgodt
Concordia College
901 8th St. S.
Moorhead, MN 56562
Telephone: 218-299-3482
Fax: 218-299-3363
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.charisecumenical.org
Contact: Jacqueline Bussie
The Melanchthon Institute
6036 Hawks Prairie Rd. NE
Olympia, WA 98516
Telephone: 360-352-1094
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Marcia Riggers
Lutheran House of Studies
1245 New Hampshire St.
Lawrence, KS 66044
Telephone: 785-843-4150 x 208 or
785-842-6787
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.css-elca.org/lhs.html
Contact: Marilyn Clark
Northern Rockies Institute
of Theology
The Northwestern
Pennsylvania Institute for
Ministry Education
308 Seneca Street, Unit 6
Oil City, PA 16301
Telephone: 814-677-5706
Fax: 814-676-8591
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.nwpaelca.org
Contact: Bishop Ralph Jones
RevWriter Resources, LLC
P.O. BOX 81
Perkasie, PA 18944
Telephone: 215-453-8128
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:www.revwriter.com
Contact: Rev. Sue Lang
Sabbath Center Ministries
22782 Short Road
Lanark, IL 61046
Telephone: 815-656-4905
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sabbathcenter.com
Contact: Rev. Steven R. Myers
Section
Special
SELECT Learning
1175 Winston St.
St. Paul, MN 55108
Telephone: 877-675-6275
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ELCA.org/Select
Contact: Rev. Greg Kaufmann
Shalom Hill Farm
42194 County Rd. 3
Windom, MN 56101
Telephone: 507-831-2232
Fax: 507-831-5127
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.shalomhillfarm.org
Contacts: Revs. Mark L. and
Margaret Yackel-Juleen
Spirit in the Desert
Lutheran Retreat Center
7415 E. Elbow Bend
PO Box 3254
Carefree, AZ 85377
Telephone: 480-488-5218
Fax: 480-488-5426
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.spiritinthedesert.org
Contact: Rev. Paul Campbell
Vibrant Faith Ministries
1601 W. Old Shakopee Rd.
Bloomington, MN 55431
Telephone: 952-405-7300
Fax: 952-405-7310
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.vibrantfaith.org
Contact: Rev. Paul Hill
Seminary Lifelong
Learning Programs
The Center for Lifelong Learning
Luther Seminary
2481 Como Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108-1496
Telephone: 651-641-3444
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.luthersem.edu/
lifelong_learning/
Contact: Sally Peters
Lutheran School of
Theology at Chicago
1100 E. 55th St.
Chicago, IL 60615
Telephone: 773-256-0721
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lstc.edu
Contact: Laura Wilhelm
Continuing Education
Lutheran Theological
Seminary at Gettysburg
61 Seminary Ridge
Gettysburg, PA 17325-1795
Telephone: 717-334-6286
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ltsg.edu
Contact: Rev. Michelle Holly Carlson
Faith and Life Programs
Lutheran Theological
Seminary at Philadelphia
7301 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19119-1794
Telephone: 215-248-7352
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ltsp.edu
Contact: Kathie Afflerbach
Lutheran Theological
Southern Seminary
4201 N. Main St.
Columbia, SC 29203
Telephone: 803-461-3263
Fax: 803-461-3380
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.ltss.edu
Contact: Sandra Holland, AIM
Pacific Lutheran Theological
Seminary
2770 Marin Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94708-1597
Telephone: 510-559-2737
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.plts.edu
Trinity Lutheran Seminary
2199 E. Main St.
Columbus, OH 43209-2334
Telephone: 614-235-4136
Fax: 1-800-335-4857
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.tlsohio.edu
Contact: Erin Fleak
Wartburg Theological Seminary
PO Box 5004
Dubuque, IA 52004-5004
Telephone: 563-589-0327
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.wartburgseminary.edu
Contact: Dawn Grierson
International Centers
ELCA Wittenberg Center e.V.
Schlossplatz 1d
06886 Lutherstadt
Wittenberg, Germany
Telephone: 011-49-3491-412-531
Fax: 011-49-3491-412-532
E-mail: ELCAWittenbergCenter@
t-online.de
Website: www.elca.org/wittenberg
Contact: Rev. Scott Moore
The International Center of
Bethlehem
PO Box 162
Paul VI St. 109
Bethlehem, Palestine
Telephone: +972-2-2770047
Fax: +972-2-2770048
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.annadwa.org
Contact: Rana Khoury
The Lutheran Center of
Mexico City Centro Luterano
Apartado Postal 20-416
Mexico, D.F. 20 01000, Mexico
Telephone: 52 55 5550 4044
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Bethany Ulrich
Seminaries
This listing does not include the degree
programs of the ELCA Seminaries and
Extension Centers. To learn more about
the various degree programs, contact the
seminaries and extension centers directly.
The Lutheran Theological
Seminary at Philadelphia
7301 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19119-1794
800-286-4616 | www.ltsp.edu
Lutheran Theological
Southern Seminary
4201 N. Main St.
Columbia, SC 29203-5898
800-804-5233 | www.ltss.edu
Pacific Lutheran Theological
Seminary
2770 Marin Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94708
800-235-7587 | www.plts.edu
Trinity Lutheran Seminary
2199 E. Main St.
Columbus, OH 43209-2334
614-235-4136 | www.tlsohio.edu
Wartburg Theological
Seminary
333 Wartburg Pl.
P.O. Box 5004
Dubuque, IA 52004-5004
563-589-0200
www.wartburgseminary.edu
Extension Centers
The Lutheran Seminary
Program in the Southwest
Luther Seminary
607 Rathervue Pl.
Austin, TX 78705
512-477-2666 | www.lsps.edu
2481 Como Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108
800-588-4373 | www.luthersem.edu
Lutheran Theological Center
in Atlanta
Lutheran School of Theology
at Chicago
700 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Ste 204
Atlanta, GA 30310
404-614-6331 | www.ltss.edu/ltca
1100 E 55th St.
Chicago, IL 60615
773-256-0700 | www.lstc.edu
Lutheran Theological
Seminary at Gettysburg
61 Seminary Rdg.
Gettysburg, PA 17325-1795
717-334-6286 | www.ltsg.edu
March/April 2013
| 31
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32 | LMagazine.net
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