Posted by
Brad Stadsvold on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 6:08:21 PM
One of the unavoidable issues related to a seminary education is what I
would call the theoretical nature of most of the curriculum. Even
though the professors all have various degrees of congregational
experience, and bring it to class, what we learn in classes is a step
or two removed from the life of the parish.
A measure of that
real-world experience is gained in the field education program, in
which each student is sent to a local congregation and over two
years has the opportunity to participate in various ministry
opportunities. My field education was done at Redeemer Lutheran Church
of Convoy, Ohio. A wonderful rural congregation about five miles into
Ohio and only about 35 miles from our home in Fort Wayne. There I had
the opportunity to participate in leading worship, teaching classes,
preaching, and experiencing the life of the congregation in an almost
quasi-clerical role. I also had the privilege of observing how Pastor
Saylor handled the office of the public ministry.
The goal of
the vicarage program, which is more or less like a one-year internship,
is to give the student a much more intense exposure to the realities of
a pastor's life. The upcoming year of vicarage just became a lot more
real for me when I saw the home that Concordia Lutheran, through the
hard work of Clyde Lang, is renting for me. It is a three bedroom
house with a semifinished basement and a detached garage. The location
is almost midway between the church and the school our children will be
attending.
We all look forward to moving in and beginning our year in Louisville.