School for Lay Ministry

Responding to a growing need for and interest in lay congregational leadership, many ELCA synods provide lay schools of ministry or theology within the synod that offers certification after a period of training to lay people who wish to participate more fully in their congregation and in their daily lives. In partnership with the synods of the ELCA of Northeastern, Northwestern and Southeastern Minnesota; Eastern and Western North Dakota; and South Dakota, Luther Seminary offers programs that fulfill some of the requirements for these particular synods.Topics are:Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
Pastor in a Time of Confessing We will look at Bonhoeffer’s life and writing as a pastor who decided to return to Germany in a time of crisis and confess the gospel. How did Bonhoeffer discern this confession? What did it mean for him? How did he understand what it meant to be a follower of Christ? The focus of the course will be on a couple of his important writings—”Life Together” and “Discipleship”—as well as his many letters from prison. We will explore these writings not only to get a closer glimpse at Dietrich Bonhoeffer but also to ask what it means to be a disciple today.

Paul: Pastor at Large
Join us as we get to know Paul, the pastor at large to the Mediterranean world. Before the Gospels were written down, Paul was speaking, teaching, preaching and thinking hard about the intersections of the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, God’s faithfulness and how people live. What were Paul’s core convictions? What beliefs kept him on the move? Why did he create such strong reactions among those around him? In this class we’ll learn some methods for reading Paul’s letters and then we’ll dig in to Philemon, 1 Thessalonians, Philippians and Galatians to see the different faces of Paul in his passion for mission.