Theme: Courageous Service

Who do we hope our students will become?

Called to faithful service through the church, they surely need the foundations of biblical grounding, historical perspective, theological clarity, and practical wisdom. Build on that base, though, they will also need insights and skills undreamt when theological curricula were designed long ago. Church leaders now must grasp and confront twin forces that endanger us all – harm to neighbor due to race, gender, or sexuality, and waste of creation due to climate change. These are not faddish topics but deeply theological questions of sin and evil to which the gospel replies with truth, remedy, and promise. Our church needs diverse leaders who bring skill and capacity to this calling, able to learn from and work with others toward a holy vision for mercy, justice and healing. For such a time as this, we will prepare graduates who serve our church with compassion and engage our world with courage.

“The courageous service theme initiatives focus on the student experience at LSTC. The strategic plan steering committee identified LSTC’s commitment to equip church leaders with the capacity to faithfully address the greatest challenges of our time, including the pursuit of equity and a commitment to climate health.”

– Esther Menn, Academic Dean

2022 Priority Initiatives of Courageous Service Theme

Seeking equity: race, gender, sexuality
Equip students to frame these issues as theological concerns and gain experience addressing them faithfully in practical contexts

Climate health
Offer formational experiences of the church as a change agent for rethinking the relationships of economies to ecology to care for creation

Review the full strategic plan or 2021 strategic plan priorities at any time.