Reformation Day is approaching. 502 years after Luther is said to have nailed 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, ushering in dramatic changes in the church and world, we find ourselves in the midst of another profound shift.
This isn’t news to those of us in church circles. For years we’ve heard about declines in giving, attendance, and affiliation. Many of us have watched loved ones, particularly in younger generations, step away from church activity.
Yet today, we cling to the same hope that energized the first reformers half a millennium ago: God is at work, forming faith by the power of the Holy Spirit, and transforming the world through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is the hope that fuels our efforts in faithful innovation here at Luther Seminary. We are committed to discovering where God is active and to training leaders who are equipped to form new expressions of Christian community in the 21st century.
What lies ahead of us will look different from the faithful foundations from which we’re emerging, but we trust in God’s promises to be present with us, to be faithful to us, and to raise up new life in this time and place.
We are called to be always reforming, which isn’t necessarily easy–but like Martin Luther, we can say with confidence:
“We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished, but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified” (“A Defense of All the Articles”).
Grace and peace be yours as we journey together,
Robin J. Steinke, President
Luther Seminary