Janet Karvonen-Montgomery Graduate Preaching Fellowship
Study preaching and ministry in a variety of cultural contexts with this unique and generous fellowship. Travel to and learn from rural, suburban, and urban communities in domestic and/or international contexts. Any student in any degree program at Luther Seminary can apply, and your fellowship can last anywhere from 3 to 12 months.
Your experience as a graduate preaching fellow begins after your graduation from Luther Seminary. Start your application today. Applications are processed on a rolling basis, and decisions are made within 30 days.
Janet Karvonen-Montgomery and Alan Montgomery were blessed by the influence of the pastors in their lives. Sensing God’s call, Janet enrolled at Luther Seminary for a second career after her father’s death. After graduating in 2015, Janet was awarded the Graduate Preaching Fellowship. She traveled to fifteen countries, video recording interviews with fifty women pastors and leaders in her project, Inspired by the Call. The experience strengthened her call to ordained ministry, affirmed her voice for preaching, and enhanced her worldview. Al and Janet believe their family’s faith in the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ has deepened through her seminary education and fellowship experience. They decided to endow a similar preaching fellowship to benefit others in the future. They are active members at Incarnation Lutheran Church in Shoreview, Minnesota.
Eligibility and Details
- Any student in any degree program at Luther Seminary can apply for this fellowship.
- Apply at any time during the year. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis. Decisions made in 30 days or fewer.
- Fellowship begins after graduation. Flexible start date for fellowship.
- Duration of fellowship can be anywhere from 1-12 months. Consider a summer fellowship before beginning your first call.
How to Apply
- Email your prepared materials to Karoline Lewis (klewis001@luthersem.edu).
- In the body of the email, include a short cover letter providing your name and contact information and declaring your desire to be considered for this fellowship. The subject line of the email should read Graduate Preaching Fellowship Submission
- Attach the following materials as a separate MS Word documents to the email:
- Autobiographical Statement. Where you grew up, your educational history, a brief description of your faith journey (500-600 words)
- Project Proposal and Rationale. Where you would like to go and what you hope to gain from your fellowship experience. Include the desired duration (1-12 months) for your fellowship (700-900 words)
- Budget Narrative. Include anticipated travel and living expenses along with any material and digital media resources you will need to document and share your experience (200 words)
- Engagement with Preaching. What preaching means to you and how you have experienced and sought to understand preaching—both engaging in the act of preaching and studying the discipline of homiletics. Provide at least 2 of the following examples of your original work:
- Sermon manuscripts (2 max)
- A video of you delivering one (1) sermon
- Hymns (texts), poetry, or other artwork related to preaching
- Academic papers on topics related to exegesis or homiletics
- Recommendations. Names of two Luther Seminary faculty members from whom we can solicit a recommendation.
- The generous award is based on preaching skills, academic performance, the quality of the application, and the thoroughness of the proposal. After the fellowship is completed, the awardee will be invited to share the Fellowship experience by engaging the donors and the Seminary community. Depending on the length of the fellowship, the awardee will be asked to submit monthly or quarterly reports of activities and budget expenses. When the project is completed, the awardee will be asked to present the learnings at a campus event at Luther Seminary.
The fellowship is administered and awarded by the Biblical Preaching faculty in conjunction with the donors and the Office of the Academic Dean.