The Story

First Quarter, 2007

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Notes From the Mission Field Luther Seminary is in the midst of a very exciting strategic planning process. Strategic planning allows us to ask the really big questions about our future. Listening to congregational leaders about their vision for church leadership represents a major component in that planning process.

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Mid-Winter Convocation Provides Ideas and Insights This year’s Mid-Winter Convocation, Jan. 10-12, explored “Living Out Our Callings in the Congregation.” This was the fourth and final in a series that addressed the various places we live out our faith: home, work, community and congregation.

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Randy Nelson Retires After Three Decades Nelson, 65, Director of Contextual Education and Melvin A. Hammarberg Professor of Contextual Education, has been the seminary’s foremost figure in preparing students for ministry through practical experience in the church and world, particularly through internships.

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Gifted Preaching Teacher Retires Rogness, 72, has been a teacher of preachers at Luther since 1985. He’s retiring as the Alvin N. Rogness Professor of Preaching, a position bearing the name of his father, who served as the seminary’s president from 1954 to 1974.

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Pastoral Care A Natural Fit for Lucy Mungai A native of Kenya, Mungai has been ministering, preaching and leading Christians since she was a teenager. Now that she’s in the doctoral program, she recognizes the value that deeper theological grounding gives her pastoral care work.

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Earl B. Olson, Longtime Friend of Luther Seminary, Dies Strong faith, great love for the church and generous hearts guided Earl B. and Dorothy Olsons’ giving to Luther Seminary. Earl and Dorothy were the first donors to make a multimillion dollar commitment to Luther Seminary. Earl recently passed away, on Dec. 11, 2006; Dorothy died earlier on July 16, 2000.

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Center for Biblical Preaching Offers Wealth of Resources In direct response to needs identified in its strategic planning process and further expanding its lifelong learning resources for pastors, Luther Seminary recently launched the Center for Biblical Preaching.

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Students Give High Marks to Distributed Learning Program Students in Luther Seminary’s distributed learning program had very positive things to say in a recent survey. Distributed learning is a format that allows students to obtain their degrees by taking half their classes online and the other half in short-term, on-campus intensive courses.

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Alum-in-Residence Brings 35 Years of Experience to Classroom Thirty-five years in parish ministry could lead a pastor to believe he’s got things all figured out. David Holm, ’71, knows better. This year’s alum in residence is constantly searching for ways to make the faith come alive.

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Students Gain Cross-Cultural Experience Just Two Miles Away This past winter, 12 Master of Divinity (M.Div.) students spent their January break between semesters immersed in the local Hmong community. Seminary students in the M.Div. program are required to study in a culture different than their own prior to graduation. The students reported that they found themselves profoundly changed by the experience.

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