ELCA Emphasizes Theological Education Beyond the Classroom

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America puts a great deal of emphasis on formal education for its clergy and lay leaders. Now the church is ready to formalize education beyond the classroom.  First call theological education (FCTE) is a structured program of theological education for Lutherans in their first three years as pastors, associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers of the ELCA.
     "This is a fresh idea, to consider that theological education doesn't just happen in seminaries," said Connie Leean Seraphine, ELCA coordinator for first call theological education.  Church leaders go to seminary for "their best grounding in biblical and theological studies and systematics, but ... theological education involves the whole church."
     After a six-year study of theological education, the ELCA's 1995 Churchwide Assembly decided "to require, by the fall of 1997, that all newly rostered pastors and lay leaders participate, throughout their first three years of ministry under call, in structured programs of theological education, designed and supervised by their synods according to churchwide standards."
     The ELCA's 65 synods have spent four years developing pilot programs to offer FCTE and to help set churchwide standards.
     The task force leading the study reported, "To a large extent ... ministry strengths are finally realized only in the practice of ministry in the setting of a specific congregation and its larger social, economic and cultural context.  Newly called leaders learn to do ministry and develop life-long patterns of theological reflection and spiritual discipline during their early years of service.  Their transition could be greatly enhanced by collegial support and a structure for learning."
     A master of divinity is the minimum degree required of ELCA clergy. Earning the degree usually requires a bachelor's degree and four years of seminary education, including a parish internship during the third year.  Associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers of the ELCA are also expected to hold advanced degrees or receive specialized education.
     The new church leader's first congregation is a key component of the program.  A videotape, "First Call Theological Education," introduces ELCA congregations to the program.  The congregation becomes an extension of the seminary, said Seraphine.
     "The newly called find a way to contextualize their learning, to make it fit the needs of that congregation; and the congregational members help to clarify what is really needed," she said. "Congregational members are seen as partners in this process."
     The congregation and leader negotiate a "mutual learning covenant" that helps everyone get better acquainted and match the needs and goals of the congregation and the leader.
     The core program requires 25 "contact hours" each year, which is the equivalent of attending three two-day continuing education events, and 25 "contact hours" of elective education specific to the context of first call.  FCTE also involves structured reading on ministerial identity, ministry in the context of the congregation and other ministry skills.
     FCTE is a churchwide program designed locally, said Seraphine. Since no two congregations are alike, the seminary can only lay the foundation for ministry in any setting.
     The programs also use Lutheran pastors in neighboring parishes as mentors for the new pastor.
     "There is an ecumenical dimension to this," Seraphine added. Some synods are creating "colleague groups" including area church leaders from other denominations, and the elective requirements are sometimes met through the continuing education programs of other church bodies.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html