Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation presented a $225,000 grant to support the growth and development of the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries program. TEEM prepares women and men for ordained ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America by providing innovative, contextual, non-residential programs to meet the educational needs of exceptional candidates to serve in multi-cultural, urban, rural and deaf communities.
The TEEM program, which takes about three years to complete, does not end in a degree–it ends in ordination. Candidates, who are directed to the program by their synods, are not required to hold a bachelor’s degree to enter the program, but they must follow the same candidacy procedures as Master of Divinity students who plan on ordination. A theological review panel helps decide the number and nature of courses, the type of clinical pastoral education and length of internship required for the candidate to round out his or her skills.
The intention after graduating from TEEM is for students to stay in their contexts and help their congregations thrive.
Since its inception in 1989, the TEEM program has graduated 91 persons from across the country to become pastors, chaplains, missions developers, outreach specialists, and members of synodical and churchwide staffs.
The grant is meant to provide funding for additional training of mentors, Web site development and online program support. The grant will also fund semi-annual Learning Clusters, which will seek to engage students, mentors, faculty, site supervisors and synodical leadership to coordinate the educational effort.
The grant was awarded to the TEEM program of the Western Mission Cluster, which is jointly administered by Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif., and Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. More than 50 candidates for ministry are enrolled in the Western Mission Cluster TEEM program, making it the largest such program in the country.