Although Luther Seminary is tucked into a quiet, tree-filled campus in St. Paul, Minn., the view from many faculty members\u2019 office windows opens onto a global landscape.<\/p>\n
As the traditional role of the church in the U.S. and Western countries evolves, and as global Christianity continues to grow, many Luther Seminary staff members are reflecting on what it truly means to be part of a worldwide faith community. They are also working to support and enhance the global church through a combination of travel, teaching, study and networking around the world.<\/p>\n
This commitment to serving the church on a worldwide basis takes many forms: educating Luther Seminary students from a global perspective, working with outreach efforts such as the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and developing innovative seminary programs designed specifically with international students in mind.<\/p>\n
In each instance, the underlying intent is to recognize that today\u2019s church has grown to encompass numerous cultures, each of which has a rich faith history and valuable insights into theological questions and ministry.<\/p>\n
We asked three Luther Seminary faculty members to describe their work for the global church, and to tell us why they believe the future of church work has grown outside the traditional geographic borders of a Western tradition.<\/p>\n
Guillermo Hansen was named associate professor of global Christianity, societies and cultures on July 1. Under this new job description, his focus encompasses theology, global Christianity and communities and cultures.<\/p>\n
A native of Argentina, Hansen joined the faculty in 2008. In his home country, he held several positions in the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina and Uruguay, ranging from clergy member to director of studies for the ministerium of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church. Additionally, he has done work with the ELCA and served as a theological adviser to the Department of Theological Studies in the LWF.<\/p>\n
As a teacher, Hansen wants seminary students to understand the evolving role of the worldwide church, and how it changes as new Christian faith communities emerge in regions such as the global south (a term that collectively refers to Africa, Central and Latin America and most of Asia.)<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople in our congregations need to learn anew what it means to be Christian, not merely in the U.S. or North America, but in relation to a body that is global,\u201d Hansen says. \u201cI don\u2019t use very much the language of \u2018global mission,\u2019 in the sense that it\u2019s not that we\u2019re called to mission in the rest of the world unilaterally, as was the model for many decades.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, Hansen believes the church and its leaders must work to understand the unique cultural and historical aspects of Christian faith communities outside the Western sphere, and to walk alongside those communities in a way that is both culturally appropriate and supportive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation is changing now with the growth of Christianity in the global south,\u201d Hansen says. \u201cThat term is \u2026 a social, cultural, political or economic one that usually refers to the regions of the world that have experienced colonialism, for instance, or that have experienced horrendous political and social turmoil or places in the world that experience on a daily basis what it means to live in an environment subject to powerful economic, political and environmental forces.\u201d<\/p>\n
One aspect of understanding the growth of global Christianity is recognizing that cultural and regional differences influence how Christian communities relate to the gospel, and proclaim their faith.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it is very important we grapple with this notion that our ministry and call includes a wider perspective,\u201d Hansen says. \u201cStudents need to acquire the skills to understand their own culture, and know how humanity has been shaped by a particular history that is also loaded with cultural assumptions that color their understanding of the Christian faith. We are now much more inclined and prone to engage other ways of expressing the Christian faith, and to learn from other experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hansen also believes that approaching ministry on a global basis opens the doors to a richer, deeper understanding of faith for all Christians<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the last 30, 40 years, the theological reflections have been pluralized, in that we have lots of material now coming from the global south reflecting on the same theological topics of the Christian faith such as God or the Holy Spirit or the sacraments,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are new insights regarding the meaning of Christianity stemming from these new developments and students are very eager to learn from them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robin Steinke, Luther Seminary president, also sees the impact of the growth of global Christianity, particularly as that expansion will affect the work that the seminary does now and in the future to educate church leaders.<\/p>\n
Steinke says one way the seminary is exploring these possibilities is by reexamining what it means to be a theological institution located in the U.S., when robust growth in Christian communities is taking place globally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question of why this kind of global work is critical is that first, the church is growing globally and I think we might learn some things with deeper engagement with our global partners,\u201d Steinke says. \u201cWe\u2019ve been asked to think creatively in partnership with a seminary in Asia. We\u2019ve also been asked to work with Central and South America, and those conversations are in their early stages. And we\u2019ve been asked to think with our brothers and sisters in Africa. I believe we might learn from them and that might be helpful in coaching and teaching our students. And we might be helpful in coaching and teaching a generation of new pastors and teachers in the global communion.\u201d<\/p>\n
From an educational standpoint, Steinke believes the seminary is well positioned to deliver new forms of theological training, particularly for a global audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Luther Seminary in particular has a capacity to help provide instruction [to students on a global basis], both in person and online,\u201d Steinke says. \u201cWe have the ability on our own technology platform to try to respond to this need. We also have a depth of faculty strength along a spectrum of the theological landscape. And our work on Working Preacher, Enter the Bible and our daily God Pause devotionals all has a global market. We\u2019re at somewhere near 3\u00bd million hits on Working Preacher in a given year, from more than 230 countries and territories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steinke has also been deeply involved with the LWF for the past 15 years. The LWF is a global communion of 145 churches in the Lutheran tradition, representing more than 72 million Christians in 98 countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I travel around for LWF, there isn\u2019t a place I go where I don\u2019t either run into a Luther Seminary graduate or run into someone who\u2019s been deeply influenced by a Luther Seminary graduate,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd that\u2019s really a humbling experience. We\u2019ve inherited this great treasure, and now [we need to think about] how do we continue to carry this into a new and sustainable future? I also think that more and more, our domestic mission outposts, congregations and other kind of mission places are in multifaith, multi-ethnic and multiracial communities. A deeper engagement with our global partners can help strengthen the kinds of competencies that we see can be effective in these new kinds of ministries here domestically.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the Seminary is working to explore new opportunities for serving the worldwide church, Steinke also says that this work is simply a continuation of past efforts to spread the gospel and share fellowship with other Christians around the globe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one sense, this is nothing new,\u201d she says. \u201cGod\u2019s mission for the world has never been about \u2018only my congregation\u2019 or \u2018only my synod\u2019 or \u2018only my denomination.\u2019 Because of new ways of communicating, we can actually see what God is up to in other parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dirk Lange, associate dean for Graduate Theological Education at Luther Seminary, has a unique and up-close perspective on the meaning of a truly global church.<\/p>\n
For the next two years, Lange has been asked to work with the LWF and church leaders from around the world in preparation for the 500th commemoration of the Reformation, which will happen in 2017. As part of his appointment, Lange will spend roughly 40 percent of his time working directly on initiatives tied to the commemoration, while also continuing to teach at the seminary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe primary thing I\u2019m working on right now is a historic event that will take place on Oct. 31, 2016, to launch the 500 years in Lund, Sweden,\u201d Lange says. \u201cWhat is extraordinary or historic about this day is that we are commemorating the 500 years of Reformation with our Catholic sisters and brothers. That we can be together for this significant occasion is the result of a long process of dialogue that\u2019s been going on for 50 years between Lutherans and Catholics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lange says that lengthy dialogue culminated 16 years ago with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, a document that was signed by both the LWF and the Vatican<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter that came some other documents and then a publication called \u2018From Conflict to Communion,\u2019\u201d Lange says. \u201cIn that publication, the dialogue commission looked at the origins and consequence of the Reformation from both Lutheran and Catholic sides. Both Lutherans and Catholic have come to a joint agreement on the value of [the Reformation] so that now they both can express a deep joy for the gifts of the Reformation, but then also repentance, in that we both mutually ask forgiveness for the violence that we\u2019ve done to each other as a result of misunderstandings and the walls that were built on both sides. We come together in joy and in repentance and commit ourselves to a common witness and service in the world. This will all take place in the Cathedral of Lund.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through these ongoing efforts, both the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church are continuing to work together and commit themselves to common witness to Jesus Christ and common service.<\/p>\n
Lange is also at work on the international worship planning group preparing the worship for the 12th General Assembly of the LWF to be held in Windhoek, Namibia, in May 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe LWF has had a long relationship with Namibia. While it was still subjugated to South Africa, the LWF was instrumental in helping Namibia reach independence,\u201d Lange says of the venue. \u201cI was asked to be the consultant for the worship during the general assembly. The international worship planning committee seeks to prepare worship services that combine both local and global elements that name the Namibian reality and the global presence of the Lutheran communion. We will also be planning the Reformation commemoration of the 500 years. There is no better place to do this than in a country like Namibia and its church that continues the work of the Reformation into the 21st century.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of his international work for the church, Lange is also quick to echo Steinke\u2019s comments about the wide-reaching role that Luther Seminary alumni play in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose of us who travel a lot for the LWF or for Luther Seminary notice this in our international travels,\u201d he says. \u201cAs we are on commissions or lecturing in various places, there are always many global church leaders and professors who come up to us and say they are graduates and express their deep gratitude for the work of Luther Seminary in graduate theological education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lange also says that engaging with Christian communities on a global basis and finding new ways to serve and support members of the faith community in its widest context is something he believes is critical as the church moves into the next 500 years of the Reformation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough my international work, I get chances to meet people involved [in the church throughout the world,] particularly in the Global South,\u201d Lange says. \u201c[At Luther Seminary,] we want to focus our programs even more on the global need for theological leadership in the church, especially of course in the world of theological education in seminaries or universities but also for other church organizations and non-governmental organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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