Ten Bishops, One Seminary LSTC alumni are leading a changing church I wasn’t raised in the church,” recalls Bishop Tracey Breashears Schultz, DMin ’14. “My faith came to me through my paternal grandmother. Whenever she would come and visit us, we would do things we didn’t always do as a family, like pray before meals […]
What a Return on Your Investment Looks Like The faithful formation of the ELCA’s next presiding bishop On the night he was elected Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bishop Yehiel Curry, then serving as bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, limped to the podium (golf mishap, he confessed) and did what […]
Faith formation meets flexibility In her sixties, a former tech professional finds a new calling — and a new kind of seminary When Pamela Blythe clicked “enroll” on an online theology module earlier this summer, she wasn’t just signing up for a course. She was, in her words, “cracking open a door that had been […]
Opening the Digital Doors How LSTC and the ELCA Innovation Lab are reimagining theological education, together It’s 8:00 p.m. on a Thursday. After a long day of meetings and family responsibilities, the executive director of a nonprofit organization opens her laptop. As the screen light fills her office, she feels refreshed; a renewed sense of […]
Stepping Into the Call How lstc’s sam program equips new leaders for the church On a windswept Sunday morning in rural Wisconsin, a small Lutheran congregation gathers in its century-old sanctuary. Their pastor retired last year, and the search for a successor has stretched on for months. Yet worship continues, led faithfully by someone who, […]
Promise, Call, and Courage President Shauna K. Hannan on the future of LSTC Rev. Dr. Shauna K. Hannan reflects on the theme “A Promise Fulfilled,” by centering God’s faithfulness. “For me, ‘a promise fulfilled’ immediately points me to God as the one who fulfills promises.” she says, “Our God has called us into this endeavor […]
Rev. Dr. Brooke Petersen Heals Religious Trauma Through Ministry By Adolfo Luna Rev. Dr. Brooke Petersen understands the profound mental health needs of today’s communities. Petersen, John H. Tietjen Chair of Pastoral Ministry, also believes that addressing mental health and trauma are part and parcel of the healing pastoral caregivers can offer. Through her dual […]
Teaching J-Term: How the Theology of James Cone Helps Students Embrace Justice By Marvin Wickware At LSTC, we invite students to embrace their calls—to pastoral ministry, chaplaincy, organizing, teaching, and beyond—as calls to public church leadership. Through our public church curriculum, we strive to help our students develop as leaders who not only proclaim the […]
Alumni Spotlight on Luanne Cantrell MDiv ‘11: Answering the Call Beyond the Pulpit Since earning her Master of Divinity in 2011, Luanne Cantrell has forged a ministry path that exemplifies flexibility and faithfulness to God’s call. As the Community Support Services Coordinator for the Channahon Fire Protection District in Illinois, Cantrell finds herself ministering not […]
Building Bridges: Lessons from the Indonesian Delegation’s Visit to LSTC In the fall of 2024, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago hosted a delegation of 20 educators, scholars, and leaders from Indonesia as part of a certificate program on “Religion, Peace, and Encounter.” The two-month, interfaith program, an initiative of the American Islamic College’s […]
