LSTC Announces Deacon Marji Shannon as Director of LSTC’s TEEM Program
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is thrilled to announce that Deacon Marji Shannon, who currently serves as the acting director of contextual education at LSTC, has been named Director of the Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program. A leadership formation process of the ELCA, the TEEM program provides essential theological and practical training to candidates currently serving in emerging ministry contexts, with two distinct certificate pathways at LSTC: a structured synchronous option and a flexible asynchronous format via Project Starling.
In this new role, Shannon brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to student success. “This new role will give me the opportunity to meet TEEM students as they are entering the program and get to know them better,” she shared. “That will help me provide better support during their required field work.”
Marji’s work in the Contextual Education Office has long intersected with TEEM students. “In the early days of my work in the LSTC Contextual Education Office, the Director and I worked regularly with TEEM students,” she said. “That gave me the experience of understanding the larger picture of a student’s process and showed me how important communication is when pieces are housed in other departments.”
As she steps into this new chapter, Shannon is energized by the opportunity to shape and expand both pathways of the TEEM program. “[My goal is] to learn the ins and outs of our current synchronous TEEM program and help translate that into the asynchronous TEEM program we are creating [for Project] Starling,” she explained.
What excites her most? “The opportunity to organize details and processes to make a program work as it is intended while also putting support in place for the students,” Shannon said.
Please join us in congratulating Marji Shannon on this important new role. Her dedication and insight will continue to strengthen TEEM at LSTC—ensuring students receive the academic formation, practical training, and personalized support they need to lead boldly in ministry.