In July, Luther Seminary announced the largest philanthropic gift in its history: a $21.4 million commitment to pilot an accelerated Master of Divinity program.<\/p>\n
The program is known as MDivX\u2014\u201cX for exceptional, excellent, accelerated,\u201d says Luther Seminary President Robin Steinke<\/strong>\u2014and \u201cis designed to prepare pastors to help lead in new and innovative ways.\u201d<\/p>\n The MDivX is a fully funded, 24-month, year-round pathway through Luther Seminary\u2019s M.Div. degree. It\u2019s an ambitious five-year pilot project that will enroll its first cohort of 30 students in June 2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an experiment in which we are working very closely with all of our ELCA partners\u2014churchwide, synods, congregations, and other seminaries and colleges,\u201d says Rolf Jacobson \u201991 M.Div.<\/strong>, professor of Old Testament and Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry, who serves as director of the MDivX pilot project. \u201cBy putting the needs of congregations and students first in theological education, Luther Seminary will be part of finding a solution for raising up a new generation of leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not aware of another seminary that\u2019s trying this now or that has tried it recently, although I am already fielding inquiries from other schools that are thinking along the same lines,\u201d says Jacobson.<\/p>\n With its accelerated schedule, the MDivX offers a more efficient path to ordination. Students in the program take courses and participate in internships concurrently throughout the calendar year\u2014including summers\u2014 allowing them to complete the seminary\u2019s full 30-course M.Div. degree in 24 months.<\/p>\n \u201cThe program uses our existing curriculum, delivered differently,\u201d says Jacobson. The MDivX has the same number of courses and adheres to Luther Seminary\u2019s rigorous academic standards, but will be offered in a variety of formats\u2014including in-person intensive classes, online classes, and traditional courses delivered both to in-person students and distance learners attending via remote access technology. And because students participate in internships from day one, they are able to immediately apply concepts and material from the classroom in a ministry practice and bring reflections from those real-world experiences back into the classroom, Jacobson says.<\/p>\n Another unique feature of MDivX is that it is designed in a cohort model, where students progress together throughout their seminary education. Faith formation, comprehension of academic material, and reflection on real-world experiences are all enhanced by a strong learning community, which a cohort model fosters. \u201cIn addition to cohort-based learning, we will employ the best high-impact practices that higher education has developed,\u201d says Jacobson.<\/p>\n The MDivX program also attends to students\u2019 financial wellness. It offers full-tuition scholarships as well as living stipends. Additionally, by reducing the number of months that students are in the program, it shrinks students\u2019 total costs of pursuing divinity degrees. As a result, students will begin their ministries without onerous financial debt. The students who will come forward to express their interest in this program are innovators, says ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod Bishop Jon Anderson \u201985 M.Div. <\/strong>The type of students who are willing to take a risk themselves are the faith leaders who will be able to do the work that needs to be done in our changing world.<\/p>\n The MDivX program will help them \u201cgrow deep in the faith in terms of knowing the faith well,\u201d Anderson says, \u201cand wide in the faith in terms of inviting people to live out the faith of their baptism as disciples in God\u2019s world.\u201d<\/p>\n In this way, the program will benefit both students and congregations. But the ultimate impact of MDivX will be even more far-reaching, says Heidi Droegemueller<\/strong>, vice president for seminary relations.<\/p>\n \u201cThis project is really about creating systemic change,\u201d she says. \u201cIt starts with the seminary\u2019s vision: leading faithful innovation for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ in a rapidly changing world. The MDivX is visible proof of the seminary\u2019s commitment to finding ways to change while remaining a faithful steward of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n \u201cLuther Seminary is committed to making sure we don\u2019t just keep doing things the way we\u2019ve always done them,\u201d Droegemueller adds. \u201cWe\u2019re not certain this experiment is going to work, but we\u2019re willing to take the risk for the greater church.\u201d<\/p>\n Also critical to the far-reaching impact of the program is Luther Seminary\u2019s commitment to sharing the knowledge garnered from this experiment with others throughout theological education.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be assessing in real time and making iterative changes as we go,\u201d says Jacobson. \u201cAnd we\u2019re going to share those changes far and wide across the entire system of theological education.\u201d<\/p>\n This broader, systemic impact is a critical goal for Dean Buntrock<\/strong>, the donor supporting this ambitious project. Buntrock, a founder and former chairman and CEO of Waste Management, Inc., is a longtime donor to Lutheran education.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Buntrock has been a supporter of the seminary for a number of years,\u201d Droegemueller says. \u201cIn our conversations, he has always been clear about what he wanted to accomplish through his investments in Lutheran education. The seminary also has been engaged in deep discernment about the current state of theological education and the challenges facing the church.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough a continuous dialogue among Mr. Buntrock, our president, Robin Steinke, and key faculty and staff members, we formed the idea of this pilot for an accelerated M.Div. program,\u201d she says. \u201cWe had the right people around the table and, led by the Holy Spirit, we developed this exciting opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n Droegemueller adds that MDivX is only part of the solution to ensure that the next generation of leaders can be faithfully raised up in the church.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Buntrock wants his gift to be a catalyst to inspire all of us to actively support theological education,\u201d Droegemueller says. \u201cWe all have a role to play\u2014every single one of us\u2014in lifting up future church leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be transformative outcomes,\u201d Steinke says, \u201cand we\u2019re committed to doing that, together with the church.\u201d<\/p>\n Dean Buntrock<\/strong> talked about the MDivX program in a recent interview facilitated by President Robin Steinke. A video excerpt from that conversation is posted at luthersem.edu\/gifts\/mdivx<\/a>, so you can hear Buntrock\u2019s perspectives in his own words.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nIn his own words<\/h2>\n