LDA Formation Program

Where Is Your Calling Leading You?

A calling often begins as a question.

Where are you being called to serve? How might your gifts meet the needs of the church and the world? What formation will help you take the next faithful step?

The Lutheran Diaconal Association (LDA), in partnership with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), offers a formation pathway for people discerning a call to lives of faith, service, and leadership.

Through this experience, you will deepen your theological understanding, explore the meaning of diaconal ministry, and connect what you are learning with the communities and people you feel called to serve.

Formation for Your Calling

Your formation will bring together online theological coursework provided by LSTC with practical ministry experiences, spiritual formation, leadership training, and community building provided by the LDA.

The curriculum includes:

Biblical Overview

Church History

Lutheran Confessions

Lutheran Worship

Spiritual Formation

Religious Literacy and Intercultural Engagement

Theology of Diaconal Ministry

Boundaries Workshop

Together, these learning experiences will help you explore Scripture and Lutheran theology, develop practices for spiritual and ethical leadership, engage diverse communities, and understand the distinctive vocation of diaconal ministry.

Your Pathway

1. Explore Your Calling with LDA

Your journey begins with the Lutheran Diaconal Association. LDA will help you learn more about diaconal ministry, explore whether this pathway aligns with your calling, and understand the education and formation requirements.

2. Complete the LDA Application Process

If you choose to continue, you will complete LDA’s application and discernment process. If admitted, the LDA will guide you through the next steps and determine when you are ready to begin the academic curriculum.

3. Learn and Grow

You will complete online coursework through LSTC while continuing your formation, practical ministry experience, community building, and ongoing vocational discernment with the LDA. Your academic learning and LDA formation experiences are designed to help you connect theology with your calling and the work you hope to do in the world.

4. Complete Your Formation

Upon satisfying the requirements of the LDA’s formation program, students will be considered for consecration to the LDA’s diaconate – a community of deaconesses and deacons who have made a commitment to a life of intentional service to God and others.

Take the Next Faithful Step

You do not need to have every part of your calling figured out before you begin. The process is designed to help you listen, discern, learn, and discover where your gifts may lead.

Explore your calling with LDA

Are you interested in applying? Would you like to find out more about ministry and community? We would love to talk with you. Simply send an email to deacserv@valpo.edu, and we will contact you and help determine your next steps.