At Luther Seminary, our mission is to educate leaders for Christian communities, and our new vision is to do so by leading faithful innovation for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a rapidly changing world.
Our continuing education programs have long been an important way in which we live out our mission, but when we began to think about our vision–what it means for us to lead faithful innovation with leaders and lay leaders who are already serving in a variety of contexts–we realized there was more God was calling us to do.
So we started listening. We listened to pastors, mission developers, bishops and judicatory leaders, deacons, lay leaders, congregation members, and more. We asked: what do leaders need to know, and know how to do, to be faithful and effective in our modern, secular context?
And we heard a key answer again and again: faith formation.
In a cultural context where Christian faith is no longer assumed, the social structures that once kept our churches full and our coffers funded have crumbled. Leaders and lay leaders need to rediscover how to discern where God is already at work forming faith and changing lives, and join in. We need to help congregation members become grounded, first and foremost, in their identities as God’s beloved children and disciples of Jesus. We need to be shaped in our own faith to become responsive to the movement of the Holy Spirit and the leadership of God.
And this means reimagining continuing theological education as a journey we’re taking together–so that together we can discover where God is calling us.
This resource, Faith+Lead, is a connected learning hub for discussion, discovery, and experimentation. There will still be the classes and events you’ve come to love from Luther Seminary’s Center for Lifelong Learning–but we’re adding more: digital resources, Facebook discussion groups, curated content from practitioners in the field, learning communities for in-person interaction and reflection, and so much more we haven’t even dreamed up yet–because it will take all of us to create it.
Want to get involved? Get in touch.
We believe that together, we’ll be led into God’s faithful future.
