Training Pastors and Church Workers for the Future

Dr Stephen Pietsch, Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary St Louis MO, is the Chairman of the LM-A Seminary Establishment Committee.

Wherever the church has been planted and nurtured through God’s spiritual means, it has needed to raise up pastors and workers. Jesus did this in his own ministry, calling the twelve, first as his disciples (students). Later, after his resurrection, he sent them as apostles (commissioned witnesses). Those first pastors of the church went out with the authority of Jesus to baptise, preach and teach, forgive and retain sins, administer the Lord’s Supper, and to guide and protect God’s people in Christ’s own name. Jesus established this office of the ministry and gave it to his church and has been doing so on an ongoing basis throughout the church’s long history.

When Lutherans first came to Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, they first relied on getting pastors from their home churches in Europe or from other associated churches, in our case from the US. The partnership of these overseas churches was a huge blessing. But it quickly became obvious that Lutherans in this new land needed to train and send their own pastors, who knew Australian culture and Australian people, and who were dedicated to serving in this land. Moreover, they saw that relying on pastors coming from overseas was very costly and hard to sustain.

LM-A finds itself in this situation again today. If a confessional Lutheran church is to continue in some form in this country, we, like those first settlers, will need to train and prepare our own pastors and church workers. While we may have enough pastors initially, the need for new candidates will emerge before too long. Our aim, God willing, is that by the end of 2026 we will be enrolling students to train as pastors and deaconesses in new confessional Lutheran programs of study. 

We are therefore engaged in a new initiative: to investigate and establish a new confessional Lutheran seminary in Australia. Pastors, like Jesus’ first disciples, need training. They need to be formed as mature Christians. They need to know and be able to clearly teach the Scriptures, administer the sacraments, give pastoral guidance and care to our members, and have theological wisdom to advise and teach the church in doctrinal matters. We also need deaconesses who support and complement the work of pastors, leading congregations in service and ministries of mercy.

The vision for this new seminary is that, over time, it may not only serve to train confessional Lutheran pastors and church workers for Australia, but also be a hub of postgraduate theological education for Southeast Asian and Pacific Lutheran churches, who are looking for confessional Lutheran higher education for their church workers too.

Preparing and educating church workers has always been work-intensive and takes considerable resources. Wherever Lutherans have done this in the world, it has proved a major challenge. Yet it is vital, as we follow Jesus’ own order and plan for His church and its mission in the world.

Yes, we will be starting small, with limited (possibly very modest) means and resources. But we should not fear that. In that respect we would be like many other confessional Lutheran seminaries around the world, who, with quite meagre resources and small student numbers, nevertheless deliver quality theological education to prepare people for service in mission in their own lands, and all over the world.

Crucial and central to this seminary’s life and programs will be a commitment to the authority, inerrancy and sufficiency of the Scriptures, and subscription to the Lutheran Confessions (Book of Concord 1580). Our education will be in line with the LCA theses of agreement (unaltered) and the LM-A Confessional Statement.

While we will no doubt need to make use of distance educational methods to some degree (especially at first), our intention is, first and foremost, to provide face-to-face theological learning in community with daily worship and fellowship . The training will not only be academic but also formational. Programs will incorporate personal and spiritual growth, and practical field work experiences.

We will be looking to call high-quality, experienced and well-qualified confessional Lutheran faculty who offer a high standard of teaching and formational guidance to our students, and participate in future postgraduate programs of theological study.

There is of course an enormous amount of work to be done as we move forward with investigating, planning and establishing all this. LM-A has appointed a team of eight people to oversee this vital project, along with our Seminary Development Officer, Pastor Michael Prenzler, who is at this moment working on the strategies and planning. We will be seeking the partnership and assistance of sister confessional Lutheran seminaries internationally. We will need to raise significant funds, plan what facilities will be needed, how the curriculum and academic programs will be designed, how we will connect with a Lutheran theological library and much more.

Please communicate with us to ask questions and/or explore how you might be able help and support this project. Because we cannot do this without God’s provision and the help of you, our brothers and sisters.

Please join us praying for this venture in our shared mission.

Dr Stephen Pietsch

Associate Professor of Practical Theology
Concordia Seminary St Louis MO.
Chairman LM-A Seminary Establishment Committee