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Terri Elton

Terri Elton

Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Leadership

Terri Martinson Elton began teaching at Luther Seminary as an adjunct instructor in 2004 before becoming the director of the Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2008. In addition to her continued work with the Center, Elton accepted the position of associate professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2010 and associate professor of Leadership in 2014.

Prior to her call to Luther Seminary, Elton served as an associate to the bishop in the Saint Paul Area Synod where her responsibilities included working with congregations, leadership development, First Call theological education and youth and family ministry.

Before her work in the synod, she served at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minn. for 16 years. While at Prince of Peace she worked in various roles within children, youth and family ministries, as well as served as the director of Changing Church Forum, an outreach ministry of Prince of Peace. She also authored To Know, To Live, To Grow, a confirmation curriculum, and co-authored What Really Matters, a book for congregational leaders, with the Rev. Mike Foss.

Elton holds a B.A. degree in communications from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. (1986). She earned both her M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2007) degrees in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

Elton’s research and teaching interests include: congregational leadership, leading in the midst of change and conflict, helping ministry leaders craft a missional ecclesiology with an eye toward the First Third of Life, awakening a vibrant theology of baptism and vocation and reimagining faith and mission practices for children, youth, young adults and their families.

Elton is a member of the Academy of Religious Leadership, the Association of Youth Ministry Educators, the ELCA Youth Ministry Network and the American Society of Missiology and is on the board for Real Resources. Elton spends much of her time working with congregations and congregational leaders and seeks out opportunities for enhancing ministry with those in the First Third of Life within the ELCA.

Note: Biographical information was updated as of the latest contribution. Author profiles may not reflect author’s current employment, status, or location.

woman making a call on a rotary phone

By Terri Elton

Discernment Is a Lifelong Process

How is God moving in and around us?

By Terri Elton

Discernment: A Faithful Approach to Difficult Decisions

Are you struggling with a difficult decision? Here's how to discern the way forward, faithfully.
Closeup of hands holding tea cups with a small tea pot.

By Terri Martinson Elton

Agile Leadership: Flexible Perspective for Experimentation

Practices for living and leading well in divided times
sermon prep

By Terri Elton

Ministry in the Pandemic Leader’s Survey

A look at ministry trends from a survey of 700 pastors
lightbulb in hand

By Terri Elton

Innovation: From Buzzword to Renewal

As innovation becomes a buzzword, it’s easy for church leaders to reduce it to a trend. But how might it play a powerful role in renewal?

Showing 1-5 of 5 posts

Showing 1-3 of 10 episodes

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Boundaries for Christian Leaders

Ministry Leadership

Instructor: Terri Elton
An affordable, on-demand training for clergy and ministry volunteers covering financial, sexual, personal, interpersonal, youth ministry, and digital boundaries.
A desert road stretches out beneath a sweeping cloudy, blue sky; a large, white, painted arrow covers the center of the road pointing straight ahead.

Discerning: Exploring God’s Call to Ministry

Ministry Leadership

Instructor: Terri Elton
This Christian leadership training will help you discern the vocation God has placed on your life—and respond with courage and faith.
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Getting It Done: Practical Tools for Managing Ministry

Ministry Leadership

Instructor: Terri Elton
This course equips church leaders with essential management tools, from budgeting to team leadership and digital communication.

Showing 1-3 of 3 courses